There is a ton of speculation floating around regarding the Chevrolet Corvette and its upcoming electrified variants. Chevy has already promised hybrid and electric variants that will produce more power than the Corvette Z06, but there's one more model coming before those arrive. CarBuzz uncovered a General Motors trademark for "Corvette Grand Sport" filed on May 26, 2022 with the USPTO.

This new information conflicts with earlier rumors predicting there would not be a Grand Sport for the C8 generation. Instead, that model was set to be replaced by the hybrid E-Ray. It's still possible the Grand Sport will be some sort of hybrid, but based on the past history of that name, we wouldn't bet on it.

If you aren't familiar with the Corvette model hierarchy, there's typically a base model (recently called the Stingray), a Grand Sport, Z06, and finally a range-topping ZR1. The Grand Sport has historically been positioned between the base model and the Z06 with the power of the former with the chassis upgrades of the latter.

Chevy will start selling the C8 Z06 later this year with a mid-mounted 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V8 pushing out 670 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. We predict the Grand Sport will get the larger 6.2-liter cross-plane LT2 engine producing 495 hp and 470 lb-ft.

Though it won't have the Z06's power, the Grand Sport should benefit from the same handling improvements, including the six-pot Brembo brakes and stickier tires. We expect it to inherit some of the Z06's wider bodywork, and likely a bespoke take on the Z06's front bumper. It's unlikely to get the full high wing from the Z06 but could get the slimline adaptive rear spoiler.

We still don't know how much the Z06 will cost, but the Grand Sport should sit somewhere between it and the base Stingray with the Z51 Performance Package. Judging by the previous C7 generation, we predict the new Grand Sport will start in the low $70,000 range.