Click for more.
Roger Penske, a longtime collaborator with General Motors and Chevrolet among other makers, celebrates his 60th year as a team owner and served as Grand Marshall for the 74th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring IMSA race this weekend. The Sebring race, held at a venue that was historic in the development of the original Corvette Grand Sport, not surprisingly, was used to tease the upcoming 2027 Corvette Grand Sport. The C8 Grand Sport will be revealed on March 26.
“It is an incredible opportunity to be reunited with the Corvette Grand Sport C2 here at the Twelve Hours of Sebring – an event and a track that has always carried special meaning for me and for our race teams over the years,” Penske said. “Congratulations to Chevrolet on launching the new era of the Grand Sport program. It is truly special to see the C2 and the other generations of the Corvette Grand Sport, including the new C8, here at Sebring.”
Click to enlarge.
C2 Grand Sport (1963)
The Grand Sport story started as a race car. Led by Corvette engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, the C2 Grand Sport was a lightweight powerhouse, built to challenge the best sports cars around the world. Horsepower came from an unrated V8. [apparently 500 to 550 horsepower so it could take on the Shelby Cobra – Autocrat] Chevrolet built just five. All of them still exist.
C3 Corvette Grand Sport
There was no official Chevrolet-produced C3 Corvette Grand Sport (1968–1982). This was a technicality and/or blunder since the Grand Sport nameplate was originally reserved for a limited 1963 racing program. During the C3 era, performance at some automakers was hindered by emissions regulations that old technology couldn’t’ address [OTCA -AutoCrat], safety mandates (OTCA), and a marketing approach to retain or increase volume [err, the 1964 Mustang – AutoCrat] The original 1963 Grand Sport was a secret GM racing project, not a regular production trim, with only five produced.
C4 Grand Sport (1996)
The C4 Grand Sport was a one-year wonder with a more powerful version of the naturally aspirated 5.7-liter LT4 Small-Block V8 with chassis upgrades from the ZR1. Just 1000 were built, each in the heritage livery of Admiral Blue with a white stripe running the length of the car and Torch Red hash-marks on the driver’s side fender.
C5 (1997–2004)
There was no factory-made C5 Grand Sport Corvette (1997–2004). The “Grand Sport” name was used for the 1996 C4 and returned for the C6 generation. However, the C5 generation Corvette had the high-performance Z06 engine.
C6 Grand Sport (2010-2013)
The sixth-generation Corvette saw the model range expand with performance variants and special editions. The C6 Grand Sport base model uses a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter LS3 V8 with the wider bodywork, larger brakes, and other upgrades from the C6 Z06. Manual-transmission C6 Grand Sports had exclusive gear ratios and a dry-sump oiling system.
C7 Grand Sport (2017-2019)
The C7 Grand Sport base engine –the 460-horsepower naturally aspirated 6.2-liter LT1 V8 came from the, ahem, Stingray – with wider bodywork and other components from the Z06.
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Chevy Teases 2027 Corvette Grand Sport at Sebring
Click for more.
Roger Penske, a longtime collaborator with General Motors and Chevrolet among other makers, celebrates his 60th year as a team owner and served as Grand Marshall for the 74th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring IMSA race this weekend. The Sebring race, held at a venue that was historic in the development of the original Corvette Grand Sport, not surprisingly, was used to tease the upcoming 2027 Corvette Grand Sport. The C8 Grand Sport will be revealed on March 26.
“It is an incredible opportunity to be reunited with the Corvette Grand Sport C2 here at the Twelve Hours of Sebring – an event and a track that has always carried special meaning for me and for our race teams over the years,” Penske said. “Congratulations to Chevrolet on launching the new era of the Grand Sport program. It is truly special to see the C2 and the other generations of the Corvette Grand Sport, including the new C8, here at Sebring.”
Click to enlarge.
C2 Grand Sport (1963)
The Grand Sport story started as a race car. Led by Corvette engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, the C2 Grand Sport was a lightweight powerhouse, built to challenge the best sports cars around the world. Horsepower came from an unrated V8. [apparently 500 to 550 horsepower so it could take on the Shelby Cobra – Autocrat] Chevrolet built just five. All of them still exist.
C3 Corvette Grand Sport
There was no official Chevrolet-produced C3 Corvette Grand Sport (1968–1982). This was a technicality and/or blunder since the Grand Sport nameplate was originally reserved for a limited 1963 racing program. During the C3 era, performance at some automakers was hindered by emissions regulations that old technology couldn’t’ address [OTCA -AutoCrat], safety mandates (OTCA), and a marketing approach to retain or increase volume [err, the 1964 Mustang – AutoCrat] The original 1963 Grand Sport was a secret GM racing project, not a regular production trim, with only five produced.
C4 Grand Sport (1996)
The C4 Grand Sport was a one-year wonder with a more powerful version of the naturally aspirated 5.7-liter LT4 Small-Block V8 with chassis upgrades from the ZR1. Just 1000 were built, each in the heritage livery of Admiral Blue with a white stripe running the length of the car and Torch Red hash-marks on the driver’s side fender.
C5 (1997–2004)
There was no factory-made C5 Grand Sport Corvette (1997–2004). The “Grand Sport” name was used for the 1996 C4 and returned for the C6 generation. However, the C5 generation Corvette had the high-performance Z06 engine.
C6 Grand Sport (2010-2013)
The sixth-generation Corvette saw the model range expand with performance variants and special editions. The C6 Grand Sport base model uses a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter LS3 V8 with the wider bodywork, larger brakes, and other upgrades from the C6 Z06. Manual-transmission C6 Grand Sports had exclusive gear ratios and a dry-sump oiling system.
C7 Grand Sport (2017-2019)
The C7 Grand Sport base engine –the 460-horsepower naturally aspirated 6.2-liter LT1 V8 came from the, ahem, Stingray – with wider bodywork and other components from the Z06.
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.