Late last week, we took a look at a C8 Corvette Z06 prototype that some publications framed as a possible C8 Grand Sport model. As we said in that post, the future of the C8 Corvette Grand Sport was a bit hazy, and it was possible General Motors could axe the variant outright. Now, we’re here to report that the C8 Grand Sport has indeed hit the dustbin.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the C8 Grand Sport is not part of the C8 Corvette product plan. Instead, the upcoming Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray will indirectly replace the GS in the C8 lineup.
For those who may be unaware, the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray is an upcoming hybrid model variant of the latest C8 Corvette model line. In addition to the now-familiar 6.2L V8 LT2 engine found in the standard C8 Stingray, the new E-Ray is expected to add electric motors up front, replacing the front trunk on the standard model to power the front wheels with electric power. As such, the new E-Ray will be both a hybrid, and AWD.
As GM Authority previously uncovered, the Corvette E-Ray name has appeared on two patent applications, including in 2015, and in 2020.
Corvette E-Ray prototype
Total system output for the new E-Ray is expected to be around 600 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque, with electric juice sourced from a mid-mounted Ultium battery pack. The E-Ray will also sport the same widebody treatment as the upcoming C8 Corvette Z06.
Meanwhile, the C8 Corvette Z06 will remain the purist enthusiast’s choice, rocking the mid-mounted, naturally aspirated 5.5L V8 LT6 with DOHC, 32 valves, and a flat-plane crank.
1963 Chevrolet Grand Sport Roadster replica
The Grand Sport name hails from the early ‘60s, when General Motors sought to create a lightweight C2 Corvette for motorsport competition. The name was also used with the C7-generation Corvette, where the name was applied to a lightweight, aero-laden mid-range model with upgraded handling chops that bridged the gap between the standard Stingray and the supercharged C7 Z06.
Now, however, the nameplate will step aside as the new Corvette E-Ray takes up a similar position in the C8 Corvette model cadence.
Which model would you prefer – the C8 Grand Sport, or the C8 Corvette E-Ray? Let us know by posting in the comments, and subscribe to GM Authority for the latest mid-engine Corvette news, Corvette C8 news, Corvette E-Ray news, Chevy news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
Grand Sport also existed within the C4 and C6 ranges.
I would hope the c8 grand sport would come back in 2023.
Thank you Clinton
What about the C8 ZR1? Any word on a high HP variant??
As a proud owner of a 2017 GS. I’m sad to see your decision to eliminate GS from your C8 lineup. To me the GS offered a great alternative to the more expensive Z06 and ZR1, even assuming the E-Ray will be priced accordingly. Losing that extra storage space also concerns me. Having had plans to purchase a C8 GA in the future I might just enjoy my C7 GS instead.
It’s supposed to be called the zora. 5.5 liter twin turbo with an electric motor up front max hp is supposed to be up to 1000 with a redline of 8500. That is bad mother.
Just keep my 2019 GS they just lost me !
Very curious on how pricing will be set with the complexity of hybrid drive. Personally I was hoping for a C8 Grand Sport because it would’ve been great bang for the buck. Now I may fall back to the Z51 instead of waiting 2+ years for the E-ray.
I would like to know how the e-ray handles before I can form an opinion on which vette should be in the C8 line-up.
Starting with the C6, the GS was a great bang for the buck because the wider tires on the wide-body enabled much better traction for the ‘base’ engines. My almost stock C6 Z51 (catbacks and vararam air intake) easily overpowers both GY and Mich in stock sizes. In fact, when the tire life is short, fishtailing in 3rd gear can be unintended and scary. The dramatic improvement in traction that is inherent in the mid-engine C8 probably enables ALL of the LT3 power to translate into performance, which would make a GS formula expensive and rather unspectacular. It could be that the e-ray (hate that name) needed the extra HP to show a performance improvement over the Stingray Z51. The kids will love the new name, but the GS deserved a better fate. The best news from this article is that if the e-Ray will have 600 HP, the Z06 MUST have over 650 HP.
Personally I despise nearly everything about an eray concept. Added weight, added cost, added complexity and “only” 600 hp when it’s done? No thanks. Beyond the fact this is 180 out of line with basic hot rod principles of simplicity and minimal dead weight, I also get disgusted at gm for forcing more of their electric suicide cult into the sacred Corvette. Shall we dress the virgin Mary in hot pants and gogo boots? Perhaps slather whiteface on MLK? Of course not, and neither should we sully the heralded vette with hybrid horsey-doo. Finally, Corvettes tend to have extraordinarily long lifes. They are kept 30-60 years. Nobody in their right mind wants to try to sustain an early GM electrified anything beyond the warranty. This is a huge no for me. Gimme a grand sport and keep your leftist batteries far away.
shut up dude lol
False information.
Grand Sport is a tradition should remain and what happened to the hybrid concept of 1000 gross horsepower who would pay that kind of money for just 600 and it’s way past time to give honor to Zora that vette owners tend to be traditional type people
But I thought GM disarray Motors was done with hybrids? Another shift in direction?
Yes, exactly! Did somebody change their mind again?
With electric power up front, couldn’t they ditch the 6.2? Isn’t that the point of a hybrid; use battery power and a small fuel efficient engine for less reliance on fossil fuel and less impact on the environment? GM could use their ubiquitous 2.0 L I-4 Turbo in back with the battery pack up front.
Not trying to troll here with the idea of a four-banger ‘Vette but a hybrid that keeps the gigantic OHV V-8 seems to defeat the point of a hybrid. Another point would be hasn’t Miss Mary said she hates hybrids? I’m pretty sure she has so why then is eRay not fully electric?
Do you think Ferrari should put a 4 cylinder in their hybrid? Of course not. There is no “Rule” that hybrids are for fuel efficiency.
A Corvette is obviously not in the same league with a Ferrari. The Italian carmaker can create specific engines to suit each car while GM uses off-the-shelf parts to keep costs low; a C8 only costs a fraction of the price of a Ferrari.
GM does use the 2.0 Turbo 4 in the Camaro and they used it in the former top-of-the-line Cadillac CT6 so they obviously have a lot of faith in it’s abilities. The point though is whether the hulking 6.2 is needed with a hybrid set-up. I think the answer is no. The goal of a hybrid should be to reduce greenhouse gases and be more environmentally responsible. Under Mary Barra, GM is a very progressively focused company and her whole Triple Zero plan is all about environmental sustainability. If that’s the corporate goal and even a hybrid doesn’t go far enough and she wants full EVs, how in the world can a hybrid with a 6.2 L OHV V8 be the answer?
The car would have a negligible environmental benefit yet be needlessly heavy and complex with both a full legacy drivetrain in back and a greenie EV set-up up front.
Go learn about F1 cars and how they’re hybrids.
Next you’ll be claiming that AWD cars are only good for snow.
Seriously? There’s no comparison between a current F1 setup and what has been alluded to for the C8. That’s not to say that a hybrid can’t be a good solution for the Corvette but, as with F1, it should more appropriately be pared with smaller engine.
This information is both a surprise and a disappointment. The Grand Sort has been responsible for a very significant number of Corvette sales for the C6 and C7 generations. I am proud to own a C6 Grand Sport. I bought it because it has the aggressive looks of a Z06, but I’m not horsepower junkie. If you can’t get into trouble with 436 hp and 6 speed manual transmission, you’re just not trying. I hope this decision will be reconsidered. A C8 Grand Sport would be an incredible car just as the C6 and C7 Grand Sports were.
I want an all-electric sports car. Something like the C8.
I poured a bunch of money into my C4 to get 350hp out if it. Lately I’ve been pouring a bunch of money into my Viper to get 700hp out of it. (690 tq). All-natural, no blower yet. But it doesn’t hold a candle to the Model S Plaid, (less than 2 seconds to 60, less than 9 seconds 1/4 mile, 200 mph, 520 range) How many ICE cars can do that, right off the lot? Model S Plaid will be about $149k, expensive, but similar to what the rumored Zora will cost, (but quicker and faster)
As much as I love vroom-vroom noises, it’s obsolete technology, and falling behind.
And the Plaid isnt even the top of Tesla’s electric range. That’d be the new Roadster.
Gimme an affordable electric sports car! Because I love WINNING!
If you feel some kind of reactionary disgust to electric cars, (as if AOC wants to castrate your manhood), or you think it “just aint right” (like cats living with dogs), I get it, because I’ve been a gearhead all my life! Just get used to looking at Model S Plaid taillights.
All-Electric disadvantages:
*No vroom-vroom. Lacks a heartbeat + soul.
*Charging time. (But this is is improving rapidly)
*Difficult to modify and extract more performance from, like we do with our ICE cars. (Or like I do, anyway, cuz I’m a mechanic)
All-electric advantages:
*100% torque on tap, right from 0 rpm
*No feathering the throttle and slipping the clutch at launch from a dig- Just mash the go-pedal and hang on!
*No transmission
*No clutches
*No oil changes
*No tuneups, no spark plugs
*No injectors, no carburator
*No 02 sensors, no crank position sensors, no MAP or MAF sensors, no knock sensors, etc. *Less things to break or wear out
*No smog checks (I live in California!)
*No gas stations
*Cheaper to maintain and operate
*No warm-ups, just get in and go
*No cold starting issues
*No oil changes
*Easier to drive at the limit because there’s no weight transfer due to shifting, like an ICE car. Dual Clutch is about as close as an ICE car can come to the smooth, step-less acceleration of electric power. When driving a manual or even auto ICE car at the limit on a road course, you cant risk shifting mid-corner, because it upsets the grip. (Remember Im talking about driving 9/10ths, or 10/10ths with maximum slip angle, not puttering down to the local 7-11)
Ya have to hold one gear thru a corner, and shift at track-out. But with electric power, you can finally adjust the slip-angle with the go-pedal, even while accelerating thru a corner to track-out. Much easier than with any car that requires shifting.
Model S Plaid does 1:30 at Laguna Seca, up there with hyper-exotics.
The times, they are a’ changin’. Winners move with the times, losers are left in the dust, like fans of horses, steam power, wooden wheels, typewriters, etc. Just relics of bygone eras, collecting dust in museums.
Buy the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT version.
I could beat a Tesla from LA to Chicago in my 2005 Cavalier. You stop every three hundred miles for an hour to charge and I’m stop for 5 minutes.
I can go that same distance for a much less cost than the fuel you spend in a Cavalier, and faster, too. I just take a plane. Only idiots will drive that far!
Don’t care much for being called an idiot by people who know nothing about me. You may like being in an airplane but there’s a reason the airlines are asking the government for a bailout, so I think I have a lot of company preferring to drive and actually see the country.
I am very interested in seeing the price points. The ZO6 may get a gas guzzler tax while the hybrid would likely be more complex to produce – I am wondering if we are looking at 2 comparably priced versions where customers choose old school or new school for roughly the same performance outcome. After base model C5, C6, and C7 cars I intended to step up to the GS in the C8 – not sure where this leaves me…
I thought that the Grand Sport was a very popular seller for the Corvette. Either the higher ups at GM have forgotten or the hierarchy has gotten stupid (again).
I am so confused.
Does this mean that when the E-Ray is on EV Mode it will be a FWD vehicle?
Also I thought GM said NO Hybrid vehicles going forward.
All hybrids can go forward and backward, too. The electric drive is ideal for low speed driving, such as in residential areas and parking lots, where you don’t want engine noise. Even in heavy traffic, a hybrid car creep along and uses no gas, unless the battery charge is low.
How about GRAND SPORT/EH.
THERE’S just something awesome about the Grand Sport name to be getting rid of it !
I like the idea of calling it a grand sport Eray.
A far better idea would be to add the ZO6 drivetrain to the base car as the Grand Sport. That would make it the ultimate touring vehicle and leave the ZO6 with its aero things and tires as the ultimate track car.
I AM ON THE FENCE THIS TIME EVEN THOUGH I AM A GRAND SPORT GUY BUT I DEFINATELY DO NOT LIKE THE NAME CHANGE…😏
i understand the future moves etc.,
BUT THIS IS A BAD MOVE AT THIS 2021 YEAR TIME FRAME SERIOUSLY !
Electric is not the way to go for any vehicle if you travel more than 100 miles a day! (or want to take a trip)
Your only use would be home charging over night while sleeping!
Pity on you if you think you could go anywhere with no problem of a dead battery.
With only a few charging stations that require 3-4 hours for a half charge how can this be good. Probably dozens waiting to use the charger, too! Disaster!
You never see a test of a Tesla in Wisconsin in the winter, especially when it is zero or colder outside and the roads are snow covered!!! Remember, it would take a lot of power to warm the cabin. and there goes your distance you could travel.
A Corvette would have to be Hybrid or you couldn’t go on a road trip.
A hybrid uses the energy from speed reduction to recharge the battery. Only plug-in versions may be charged and save extra money. You can go on any road trip and save gasoline with any hybrid. Ask the millions of happy hybrid owners (I have a Fusion Hybrid) how much they save on gasoline and maintenance cost!
Out with the old and in with the new!! People have to let go of the past and embrace the future.. looking forward to the the new Eray🇺🇸🙏💪👍😎
The more I learn about the C8 the more I love our 19 C7 GS!
Hybrids are the only way to go. When done in motorsports config their untouchable. 20-30 minutes of driving. Save weight take reverse out of the transmission. Lightweight by 1000-1500 pounds compared to all E performance. With 600 hp motor in the rear end 350 electric in the front you’ve got the fastest acceleration anywhere.
When batteries way 1/3 or less of current and can be charged in 5 minutes with chargers in every gas station it won’t matter. Until then, a high discharge current small kwh battery that can quickly recharge in cruise control and regen without ever being plugged in offers all the benefits and none of the headaches. Mileage aside which is not accurate. We pay 30 plus cents a KWh where I live. EPA estimates are based on 7 cents.
Grand Sport all the way!!! It’s just the evolution of the automobile to add electric motors. E Ray might be geek trendy but who actually buys Grand Sports? People that love the brand and the tradition. Make an Malibu E-SS but it doesn’t belong on the Vette…..
That’s my 2 cents fwiw.
Naturally aspirated means no supercharger or turbo. A crossplane crank engine fires every 180 degrees but it needs heavy counterweight to balance it that’s why you don’t have high rpms. That’s why you get a bubble. A flat plane crank motor fires every 90 degrees it needs no counterweight but it does require engine dampers. It has higher rpms because it fires more that’s what gives you the screaming exotic sound.
Both crankshafts fire every 90 degrees, just in different orders. Picking a crossplane is intended to make a smooth running motor. Using a 180 degree firing order would do the opposite.
The “burble” with a crossplane comes from a firing order that has two sequential firings in the same bank, which complicates exhaust design and reduces efficiency. A flat plane alternates firings between banks, and that gives it the characteristic sound.
Higher rpms with a flat plane is enabled by reduced crank weight and inertia, not because “it fires more”. A V8 at a given rpm will fire exactly the same number of times regardless of crank style.
Eray just sounds too corny it doesn’t fit the Corvette image Grand Sport fits the Corvette tradition and tradition is what Corvette is all about…..
They’re not Really going to call it an E-ray are they?. I hope they don’t sell any of these things.
I was not a grand sport fan I like the E Ray. When will the plant be open for visitors
Grand Sport is nothing more then a Z06 want to be.
Whatever you do keep the GS C8 just like the last generation but make it even better don’t do away with the Gran sport
An electric Corvette, regardless of name, should have better performance than the Model S without all the battery weight. Road racing oriented, average power needed is less than half of peak. A gas hybrid aimed at this power level would have stunning performance without hour long recharging stops.
This means at least 760hp in electric motors to hit the peak. The 1400lb battery would be replaced with 400lb of supercaps capable of 120mph continuous acceleration, recharged by a gas motor/generator in the 300hp range combined with regen braking to hit the average. The gas motor runs at a single rpm and could be tuned for max power instead of a flat band. A turbo four would work.
In the Camaro the turbo four is 500lb lighter than the ZL1. Using this differential for supercaps and a pair of 90lb Model S motors means a Corvette set up this way would be only 80lb heavier than the base Stingray, or about 3700lb compared to 5000lb in a Model S. It would kick the s*** out of every exotic in the world.
So it wasn’t bad enough that they scrapped the front engine for a mid engine, now they are going to disgrace the corvette again by going electric! Don’t get it!
Why isn’t there going to be a Grand Sport version of the C8 Corvette like with previous generations of the Corvette?
It will not make any difference whether the price of the ERay is 30k or 100k it’s not or will ever be a sport car. Where is the heart thumping or the giving you a woody broooom sound of the pavement stomping engine sound of the all American-heart and soul sports car.