[SPIED] Might This Camouflaged C8 Prototype Be the Much-Rumored Corvette Grand Sport?

We’ve been hearing the rumors for years now that the Corvette Team may be bringing back the Corvette Grand Sport which traditionally has been defined as a widebody chassis with the base motor powering it. All we can say definitively to GM is “build it…and the buyers will be all over it”. I have some thoughts on a C8 Grand Sport and why we think 2026 is the perfect model year to launch it.

During the C6 era, the Grand Sport because the top selling model as owners saw it as the best of both worlds in terms of looks and performance. When it returned in 2017 following a surprise reveal at the Geneva Motor Show, it caught everyone off guard as its status at the time was unknown. Members of the Corvette Team had said that a C7 Grand Sport wasn’t originally in the plans, but as everyone kept asking about it, they decided to make it happen. Will we see the same thing happening during the C8 era?

Early on in the C8 Stingray’s rollout, we had an article from Don Sherman that appeared on Hagerty in April 2020 and it detailed the remaining five models of C8s to follow the release of the entry-level Stingray. Third on that list was the Grand Sport which was detailed as being the hybrid AWD model. That model eventually became known as the E-Ray, leaving many to believe that there would be no Grand Sport released during the C8 era.

And yet, here is another sighing of a prototype C8 Corvette which folks are thinking could be a Grand Sport model. This photo came out last week on Facebook, and it has been speculated by many to be a Grand Sport prototype as it has the widebody design with the LT2 V8’s engine exhaust and no rear spoiler. Our friend Rick Conti has been talking about the return of the Grand Sport for sometime now, and he recently told us that it may be coming sooner rather than later. Rick’s track record on future C8 releases has been spot on, and so we are taking him at his word that a C8 Grand Sport may just be the next great Corvette!

For us, the 2026 model year makes great sense to launch a widebody C8 Grand Sport model. The market is completely saturated with the base Stingray models as dealers are currently discounting the 2024s and 2025s for up to $15K Off. Giving those current Stingray owners the opportunity to trade up for a widebody C8 Grand Sport would spur demand for the new models while also helping to reduce the production counts of the base Stingrays.

Another reason to bring it out in 2026 is the rumored interior refresh which we have been told is a done-deal. While we believe that many owners do in fact like the Great wall of Buttons which contains the Corvette’s HVAC settings, removing the polarizing design feature might also get those owners to switch for the new layout. There will be a certain number of buyers who will want a 2026 just for the interior refresh, and so a new Grand Sport gives them another reason to pull the trigger on a new Corvette purchase.

And finally, Chevrolet doesn’t have to spend too much for the development of the Grand Sport thanks to the E-Ray which is already running an LT2 in a widebody chassis, and it’s essentially a model created from the parts bin just like the previous C6 models. To make it even more exciting, we would recommend engineers give it a small bump in horsepower so that it comes in at 525 hp or above, and then sell it for the $85K price point that used to be the Z06’s MSRP back in the C7 days. An MSRP at that price point would fill the gap between the Stingray and other C8 widebodies, and at $85K it would still be $20K less than the E-Ray. The Grand Sport could become a cash cow for GM due to the lower development costs, and it could be become one of the best-selling models of the C8 era which is expected to run through 2028 or 2029.

GM is currently testing what we think will be the actual performance topper for the C8 era – the AWD hybrid-powered ZORA, but its release in 2026 kind of seems premature with a few years remaining of C8 production. GM should save that model for a later reveal and instead put its marketing power behind the Grand Sport which is a model priced for nearly all Corvette enthusiasts, not just the top 1% of Corvette buyers.

Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below.

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