For seventy years, America’s sports car has thrived on half-whispered stories passed between dealers, engineers, and owners over late-night bourbon and the scent of burned rubber. The C8 era, with its mid-engine bravado and Ferrari-baiting Z06, already marked a revolution.
Yet according to a recent Facebook post from Jason Carter, a self-proclaimed Corvette insider, GM’s next move might be even bolder.
If his account is accurate, the 2026 Corvette Grand Sport has not only been revealed to dealers at a secret GM event but will also introduce a new 6.6-liter small block that replaces the venerable 6.2 across the lineup.

“I was visiting a good friend of mine who owns several dealerships today, placing my order for the ZR1X (no allocations yet, just inputting my order for when they do get an allocation), and he said he just got back from a GM powwow at Texas Motor Speedway yesterday.
GM was giving them rides around the track at 150+ in ZR1s.

At this meeting, which was for dealership owners and their GMs, they discussed what's new in the pipeline.
They did confirm that the Grand Sport is coming and with a new engine.

This new engine will also be available in the Stingray and Eray.
GM is doing away with the 6.2L engine in all its vehicles, and this goes for the 5.3L engine as well.
The 6.2L engine is being replaced with a 6.6L small block, and the 5.3L will become the new 5.7L engine.
They also confirmed the Grand Sport will be a wide-body car.

That is all the details they would spill on the Grand Sport.
They also stated that engine manufacturing and assembly will all be brought in-house now instead of being outsourced.
This was the major issue that they had with the 6.2L engine, where they have a massive recall going on right now. GM said the manufacturing of all the engines will be in Kentucky.

They will also be shuttering EV plants and repurposing them for ICE vehicles, specifically for trucks and SUVs. After hours, when only a handful of dealer owners were hanging out at the bar, the Chevy president was with them, and my buddy asked him about the ZR1X and availability. He said that the car will be very limited, unlike the ZR1.

If this account holds water, it signals more than a new Corvette variant; it suggests a corporate course correction. The Grand Sport has always been the thinking driver’s Corvette, bridging the raw civility of the Stingray and the Z06’s race-bred intensity.
Replacing the 6.2-liter LT2 with a larger 6.6-liter small block would be a declaration that GM still believes in the elemental magic of cubic inches.

As one commenter, Antoun Nabhan, noted, “Surprising to hear that they're increasing displacement across all the trim levels. I would have thought the 5.3, at least, would just be developed for increased power and efficiency.”
That surprise is well-placed. In an age when many automakers shrink engines and chase kilowatts, GM appears to be doubling down on displacement.

Chevrolet C8: Grand Sport Rumors

• The C8 marks a major shift for the Corvette line: it is the first production Corvette to adopt a rear mid-engine layout (for the U.S. market) rather than front-engine, giving improved balance, dynamics, and global appeal.

• In its current stable, Chevrolet offers trims like the Stingray, Z06, and ZR1, but no official “Grand Sport” variant yet for the C8 generation. Rumors point to one, however: test mules of wide body C8s have been spotted under camouflage.

• Those rumors suggest the C8 Grand Sport (if it materializes) would slot between the Stingray and Z06, offering enhanced suspension, chassis & aero bits (similar in spirit to the previous-generation Grand Sport) but without going full Z06 power.
• The production pause at Chevy and testing activity spurred talk that the Grand Sport variant may be coming soon, possibly as a 2026-27 model year.

The supposed confirmation that the Grand Sport will wear a wide body adds credence to the rumor. The C7 Grand Sport was arguably the sweet spot of its generation, combining the Z06’s broad-shouldered presence with a more forgiving powertrain.
If the C8 Grand Sport follows suit, expect a visually dramatic machine with enhanced cooling and chassis tuning aimed squarely at weekend track warriors.
Whether that 6.6-liter power plant is naturally aspirated or aided by forced induction remains unknown, but such displacement hints at serious torque, perhaps enough to satisfy those who miss the thunder of classic big blocks.

Jason Carter’s post also claims that GM plans to move engine manufacturing entirely in-house to Kentucky, a nod to quality control and a reaction to current 6.2-liter recall issues. It is a return to vertical integration at a time when much of the industry is outsourcing critical components.
This detail, if true, gives the rumor a ring of plausibility.
A move like that would streamline production and reinforce GM’s domestic manufacturing image, a narrative that would pair nicely with a renewed emphasis on V8 performance.

Not all readers were focused on the engineering details. The mention that GM would “shutter EV plants and repurpose them for ICE vehicles” sparked immediate debate. “It’s a shame they’re abandoning EVs. The Chinese are going to own us,” wrote Matt Ferenchak, while John P. Jerse countered, “I just read that GM lost 1.6 billion on EVs,” followed by John Lackey’s pragmatic observation:

“Pretty much everyone loses on EVs. Especially without all the government subsidies.” Those exchanges illustrate a broader tension within GM’s own fan base. Some see renewed ICE investment as a step backward; others view it as a practical response to an EV market that has yet to meet expectations.

Further fueling speculation was Carter’s mention of the elusive ZR1X.
The Chevrolet president reportedly told dealers it would be “very limited, unlike the ZR1.” That single sentence sent enthusiasts spiraling into speculation. Some believe it will introduce hybrid technology in a more extreme, track-oriented package, while others see it as a final expression of GM’s unfiltered V8 mastery.
Regardless, its rumored exclusivity has already sparked talk of markups and scarcity, inevitable side effects of Corvette’s ongoing evolution into a bona fide supercar.

Transmission speculation also crept into the conversation. “If there is anything in the pipeline, it would be a manual 6-speed Tremec,” wrote Anthony Zogheib. His optimism was quickly tempered by another commenter, Stu Gates, who claimed Tremec’s new six-speed transaxle is merely a “hobby project” without GM’s official interest. Whether that remains true is anyone’s guess, but the reappearance of manual rumors shows that the desire for tactile engagement in an age of paddles and algorithms is far from extinct.

For now, Jason Carter’s report exists in the gray zone between insider knowledge and barroom folklore.
Yet the consistency of the details, coupled with the tone of dealer-level candor, gives it more substance than the average internet rumor.
If GM truly intends to replace the 6.2 with a 6.6 across its lineup, build engines in Kentucky, and reassert the Grand Sport’s role as the Corvette’s dynamic middleweight, then the next few years could mark a fascinating return to form.