{"id":538310,"date":"2026-03-22T09:24:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T09:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/538310\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T09:24:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T09:24:19","slug":"exclusive-c8-corvette-grand-sport-revealed-at-sebring-with-roger-penskes-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/538310\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive: C8 Corvette Grand Sport Revealed at Sebring with Roger Penske\u2019s Help"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\tStay up to speed with stories written by drivers, for drivers.<\/p>\n

Get automotive news, DIY tips, market trends, in-depth car profiles, and more right in your email inbox.<\/p>\n

Thursday afternoon we were on a roped-off taxiway at the Sebring Regional Airport, close enough to Sebring International Raceway to hear cars on the track, practicing for today\u2019s 74th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.<\/p>\n

Roger Penske is 89, and according to Forbes magazine, his net worth<\/a> is upwards of $6 billion. He has distractions, which go hand in hand with making money, but his favorite distraction is racing. It has been for a very long time.<\/p>\n

For 2026, he is celebrating Team Penske\u2019s 60th anniversary, and the celebration began in January with a win at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona <\/a>by one of his two Penske Porsche 963 GTP cars. In last year\u2019s Twelve Hours of Sebring, his Porsches finished first and second, and are heavy favorites to repeat today. Team Penske is also celebrating Porsche\u2019s 75th year in motorsports, plus a 2025 season championship.<\/p>\n

\"\"Lumen Digital Agency<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s a little surprising to see Penske wearing a hat with a Chevrolet logo, leaning against this blue Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, chassis number 001\u2014it\u2019s number one of only five C2 Grand Sports built\u2014which his race team acquired in 1966. Penske is here for a photo shoot for the 2027 Corvette Grand Sport, which at the moment, is parked about six feet away from 001. You can see the new Grand Sport in a couple of these photos.<\/p>\n

We wondered aloud if Porsche was all right with its most visible global racing partner, team owner, and franchise holder participating in a big Chevrolet publicity event. \u201cI would hope that they understand,\u201d Penske said. \u201cAfter all, I am a Chevrolet dealer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, if we were at an IndyCar race, it would have made perfect sense to see Penske with a Chevrolet hat, as the three Dallara cars he runs have long been powered by Chevy. If we were at a NASCAR Cup race, he might be wearing a Ford hat, as his three drivers run Ford Mustang Dark Horses\u2014or at least what NASCAR hopes we believe have some connection, however remote, to an actual Mustang Dark Horse.<\/p>\n

While Penske, like many team owners, is pretty manufacturer-agnostic, he is loyal to his brands. He won the NASCAR Cup championship for Dodge in 2012 with driver Brad Keselowski, only to have that manufacturer promptly ditch its NASCAR program after accepting the trophy, so Penske moved to Ford. But Sebring seems like it should be Penske Porsche territory, except for right now, apparently.<\/p>\n

If all went according to Chevrolet\u2019s secret Saturday schedule\u2014and we don\u2019t know yet if it did, because this is being written late Friday night\u2014the beyond-eagerly-awaited Grand Sport, which until today existed only as an unconfirmed rumor, made its initial public debut at 8:50 a.m., when, unannounced, it took to the Sebring track for a single lap, along with 001 and several later-model Corvette Grand Sports that you also see in these photos. (Editor\u2019s note: It did happen!)<\/p>\n

\"2019Steven Cole Smith<\/p>\n

\"GrandSteven Cole Smith<\/p>\n

\"2011Steven Cole Smith<\/p>\n

\"1996Steven Cole Smith<\/p>\n

We were invited to look the 2027 Corvette Grand Sport over, though Chevrolet executives present were authorized to confirm only two things: Yes, it exists, and yes, it\u2019s powered by a new V-8 engine. As we reported <\/a>in December of 2025 (which, continuing the anniversary theme, was the 70th birthday of the then-revolutionary small-block V-8 engine), the Grand Sport is very likely to be powered by a 6.7-liter pushrod V-8 dubbed the LS6, recognizing that it\u2019s the sixth-generation Chevy small-block. There\u2019s no evidence that a manual transmission will be available, reportedly in part because Corvette couldn\u2019t find a suitable one. The Grand Sport we saw was definitely an automatic.<\/p>\n

Like in the C6 and C7 generations, it is a wide-body iteration, in part to accommodate the fat 21-inch tires and wheels out back, 20-inchers up front. The Grand Sport may be the most handsome C8 Corvette yet, with a very clean and sanitary appearance, but still maintaining a ready-to-pounce stance. You\u2019ll note that there is no massive rear spoiler, and you\u2019ll also see that the twin red hash marks have moved from the front fender to the rear. Multiple rumors have suggested that Chevrolet was trying to keep the Grand Sport\u2019s starting price under $100,000; hopefully we\u2019ll know in a few days.<\/p>\n

\"GrandSteven Cole Smith<\/p>\n

This is where we circle back to the C2 Grand Sport number 001, and Penske\u2019s history with the car. Before the 16th annual Twelve Hours of Sebring, held on March 26, 1966, Penske\u2019s team yanked out the small-block Chevy engine and crammed a 427-cubic-inch V-8 under the hood\u2014or actually a new, taller hood, because the old one no longer fit\u2014and entered the race. That was 60 years ago, almost to the day. Anniversaries abound: Next year is the 75th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.<\/p>\n

For the 1966 race, Sebring\u2019s eclectic grid was full of Shelby Cobras, Ford GT40s, various Porsches and Ferraris, even a pair of Chaparrals built by Penske\u2019s old racing partner, Jim Hall. The entry list was a who\u2019s who of the top drivers of the era\u2014Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, Bob Bondurant, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Phil Hill, Masten Gregory, Sam Posey, Bob Tullius, Briggs Cunningham, John Fitch, A.J. Foyt, Ken Miles, Lloyd Ruby, and Mark Donohue.<\/p>\n

Roger Penske belongs on that list\u2014he was named the Sports Illustrated driver of the year in 1961\u2014but he quit driving race cars in 1965, completing his transition to team owner. We\u2019ll explain why that happened in a moment.<\/p>\n

The 1966 Sebring race was a brutal one. Twenty-four cars finished the race; 40 did not, including chassis 001, which completed only 65 laps on the then-5.2-mile track. The winner, a Shelby American Ford GT40 X1 roadster driven by Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby, completed 228 laps. That was largely lost in the news of the tragedy that occurred: Five people were killed in the race\u2014one driver and four spectators.<\/p>\n

\"\" Roger Penske (left) with Dan Gurney at Nassau Speed Week, 1964.Getty Images<\/p>\n

It\u2019s amazing Dan Gurney survived: He was battling for the lead when, on the last lap, in pitch dark, his engine quit. Gurney got out and pushed his GT40 to the finish line. Somehow the other cars avoided him. Despite his heroic efforts, his second-place finish was disqualified. That year the Sebring track initiated a series of safety improvements, which continue to this day. But this is racing, and sometimes people get hurt. Hopefully no one will today.<\/p>\n

As for Roger Penske, who identified himself as a Chevrolet dealer, he\u2019s a little more than that. He is the chairman and CEO of Penske Automotive Group, which has 352 dealerships in nine countries, with 28,700 total employees. Besides Chevrolet, PAG handles more than 30 brands\u2014Bentley to BMW to Bugatti, Ferrari to Fiat to Freightliner. <\/p>\n

It all started, though, when he was allowed to buy a Chevrolet dealership in Philadelphia in 1965. Penske had eased into the world of amateur racing in the late 1950s, most of it in a Corvette, which he drove for five years, winning a lot of Sports Car Club of America races.<\/p>\n

\"\" Jim Hall (left) and Roger Penske in 1964.Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cThen in the \u201860s, I had the opportunity to drive the lightweight Corvette,\u201d he told Hagerty. \u201cI remember being here in \u201964, driving with Jim Hall, to race in the Twelve Hours. I led the first lap, against the Ferraris, if you can believe it, going down into turn 9, sliding the car sideways. Getting in front of them\u2014I thought they were going to run me over!<\/p>\n

\"\" Roger Penske (far right) in his Mecom Racing Corvette Grand Sport leads the field down to the start for the Tourist Trophy Race during Nassau Speed Weeks. Others in the front row are Penske\u2019s teammate Jack Saunders (No. 00) in another Corvette and Ken Miles (No. 98) in a Shelby Cobra. Penske went on to win the race.ISC Archives\/CQ-Roll Call Group<\/p>\n

\u201cWe finished first in our class, then went on to Nassau, where we won the Tourist Trophy. The Ferraris were there, Ken Miles was there in a Cobra\u2014it was a big win for us and the lightweight Corvette. The car was a monster. If you could hold onto it, you could win.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" Roger Penske, Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, Nassau Speed Week, 1964.Getty Images<\/p>\n

So why did he quit? \u201cI had the opportunity, ironically, to become a Chevrolet dealer, and one of the stipulations for General Motors was I couldn\u2019t be a race driver. I couldn\u2019t get insurance, I couldn\u2019t get a loan from a bank if I was a race driver, and I couldn\u2019t get a franchise. So the decision was pretty easy for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Penske has never been far from motorsports, and he marveled at the changes he\u2019s seen. \u201cThose days you had a station wagon and a two-wheel trailer, not a $300,000 bus to take to the track.\u201d<\/p>\n

Penske owns the IndyCar series, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the NASCAR team, the IndyCar team, and a two-car IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship Porsche team that is the favorite to win again today here at Sebring. Expect Penske himself to be on top of the pit box for all 12 hours; after all, he was up for the whole Rolex 24 at Daytona, as usual.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s still fun,\u201d Penske said, \u201cbut a different kind of fun. And winning\u2014it never gets old.\u201d<\/p>\n

Penske slid off chassis 001, and hustled to a golf cart: He has to get back to his team. This immaculate car is now owned by Harry Yeaggy, a Cincinnati businessman and car collector, who bought it in 2002 for a reported $4.2 million. What\u2019s it worth 24 years later? Our best guess is: More.<\/p>\n

\u201cCorvettes have always been about value,\u201d Penske said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Stay up to speed with stories written by drivers, for drivers. Get automotive news, DIY tips, market trends,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":538311,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[241179,28,241180,39390],"class_list":["post-538310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-12-hours-of-sebring","tag-business","tag-chevrolet-corvette-grand-sport","tag-roger-penske"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=538310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538310\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=538310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=538310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}