For $1,100 more than a 2026 E-Ray cost, the 2027 Corvette that replaces it makes 66 more horsepower and answers to a different name. The E-Ray is gone. In its place is the Grand Sport X, one of two new Grand Sports, and both sit on a new V8 that also went into the base Stingray.
That makes the 2027 lineup six cars, and it breaks an old buying rule. The cheapest Corvette and the $88,495 Grand Sport now have exactly the same engine. Here is what separates them all, and where the money goes.
Three engines, one gearbox
Every 2027 Corvette uses an eight-speed dual-clutch transaxle, and no manual is offered. The real choice is the engine.
- Stingray: 6.7-liter LS6 V8, 535 hp, 520 lb-ft, rear drive.
- Grand Sport: the same LS6 and the same outputs, rear drive.
- Grand Sport X: LS6 plus a front electric motor, 721 hp combined, all-wheel drive.
- Z06: 5.5-liter flat-plane-crank LT6, 670 hp, 460 lb-ft, rear drive.
- ZR1: 5.5-liter twin-turbo LT7, 1,064 hp, 828 lb-ft, rear drive.
- ZR1X: LT7 plus a front electric motor, 1,250 hp combined, all-wheel drive.
The LS6 is the big change. The 2020 to 2026 Stingray used the 6.2-liter LT2, rated at 490 hp and 465 lb-ft, or 495 and 470 with the performance exhaust. The new engine has a 13.0:1 compression ratio, the highest of any Corvette V8, and adds port injection to direct injection. Production moves to Flint, Michigan, where the first Corvette V8s were built in 1955.
The two hybrids use the same trick at different scales. The front motor adds 186 hp and 145 lb-ft and turns the car all-wheel drive. The old E-Ray did something similar with the LT2, for 655 hp.
What each one is for
The Stingray is the road car, and for 2027 it is a much stronger one. A base 1LT comes on all-season Michelins. The $5,395 Z51 package is the box to tick if you plan on any hard driving: a 5.56:1 final drive, Pilot Sport S 5 summer tires, stiffer springs, an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, a splitter, a wing and extra brake ducts.
The Grand Sport answers a question the LS6 created: what do you pay for when the engine is the same? You pay for the wide body and the chassis. Magnetic ride control is standard, the center-exit exhaust is standard, and the base suspension tune is roughly what a Z51 Stingray gets. A $3,500 Z52 Sport package adds Pilot Sport 4S summer tires and the Z06's larger brakes. The Z52 Track package, which takes the starting price to $109,190, adds carbon-ceramic brakes, a full carbon-fiber aero kit and Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires.
The Grand Sport X is the all-weather fast one, and the torque is the point. It arrives later in the model year. If you loved the E-Ray's traction but wanted more of everything, this is that car.
The Z06 is the one to buy for the engine alone. A flat-plane crank and an 8,600 rpm redline set it apart from every other Corvette. It makes less torque than the LS6 and gets its power from revs, and nothing else in the range is built around that idea.
The ZR1 is the rear-drive twin-turbo monster, with 1,064 hp going through two tires. The ZR1X adds the motor and the front axle for the top of the range.
How the prices step up
These are 2027 coupe starting prices with destination included.
- Stingray: $73,495, up $1,000 from 2026
- Grand Sport: $88,495, a $15,000 step
- Grand Sport X: $112,195, a $23,700 step
- Z06: $121,395, a $9,200 step
- ZR1: $197,195, a $75,800 step, and $12,700 more than last year
- ZR1X: $227,395, a $30,200 step
Convertibles add $7,000 on the Stingray, Grand Sport, Grand Sport X and Z06, and $10,000 on the ZR1 and ZR1X.
Three gaps in that ladder deserve attention. The first is between a Z51 Stingray and a Grand Sport. Add the package and the Stingray comes to about $78,900, which leaves roughly $9,600 for the wider body, standard magnetic ride and the access to Z52 hardware. If you never plan to order the Z52 parts, the Stingray is the sharper buy.
The second is the $9,200 between the Grand Sport X and the Z06. On paper the hybrid has 51 more horsepower, 205 lb-ft more torque and two more driven wheels for less money. It also has none of what makes the Z06 special. That choice comes down to whether you want the best numbers or the best engine.
The third is the Z52 Track Grand Sport against the Z06. At $109,190, the Grand Sport undercuts the Z06 by about $12,200 with carbon brakes and Cup 2 R tires already fitted. A buyer who wants track hardware and doesn't care about the flat-plane V8 now has a real alternative.
Which one makes sense
For most people, the answer is a Stingray with the Z51 package. It gets the new engine and the track-ready gearing for less than $80,000, and the next step up costs real money without adding power.
Buy the Grand Sport if you want the wide-body look or intend to spec the Z52 parts. Buy the Grand Sport X if you drive in bad weather or want all-wheel-drive traction and 721 hp for less than a Z06. Buy the Z06 if the engine is why you wanted a Corvette in the first place.
The ZR1 and ZR1X are a different purchase altogether, priced at more than two and a half times a base Stingray. They make sense only if the power itself is the goal, and the $30,200 step between them buys 186 hp and a driven front axle.
The used market adds one more wrinkle. Every Stingray from 2020 through 2026 has the LT2, so a 2027 is the first with the LS6. The C8 Z06 arrived for 2023, the E-Ray for 2024 and the ZR1 for 2025. A used E-Ray is not a cheaper Grand Sport X, either: it has the older V8 and 66 fewer horsepower. Check the model year before you assume which engine a car has.
