The Road to the Hybrid Corvette Started With the C4

The fourth generation Corvette (1984-1996) has a reputation problem. Most of us enthusiasts know about the flickering dash displays, the electrical gremlins and how hard it is to find a clean one. All of that is true, but for its time the C4 was one of the most technologically advanced cars out of Detroit, and a lot of that was electronic. Today’s hybrid Corvettes are built on the same idea the C4 made central: let the computers help run the car.

Take the 2027 Grand Sport X, which replaces the E-Ray and pairs the new 6.7-liter LS6 V8 with a 186 hp front electric motor for 721 hp combined, with an electronically controlled eAWD system managing the front motor’s contribution. The groundwork was laid in the early ’80s, and the Grand Sport name has a C4 connection, since the 1996 Grand Sport closed out the fourth generation.