Bowling Green Assembly in Kentucky is turning out two model years of Corvette at once this fall. The 2027 cars carry Chevrolet’s new 6.7-liter LS6 V8, but some 2026 cars with the 6.2-liter LT2 are also moving down the same line. That Corvette model year overlap exists because export markets need extra time before they can take the new car. Corvette chief engineer Josh Holder explained it to owners at the National Corvette Museum in September.

Normally, one model year ends and the next one starts. A plant retools, the old car stops, and the new car takes over. This time, however, Chevrolet started the 2027 car without ending the 2026 car. As a result, the Kentucky plant is juggling two engines, two sets of parts and two groups of buyers.

What Josh Holder told Corvette owners

The museum’s 32nd anniversary weekend began on September 3, 2026, as the Western Kentucky University student paper reported. During that celebration, Holder gave the Corvette Team Update keynote. He told the crowd the team was still building 2026 Corvettes for export, including right-hand-drive cars.

Holder also put the overlap in historical terms. “I think this is the first time ever for regular production that this has happened,” he said, according to GM Authority’s report from the keynote, published September 11. That “first time” claim is Holder’s own, so we report it as his statement rather than as a confirmed record.

In addition, the site reports that GM’s Tonawanda engine plant built extra LT2 engines ahead of time. Those spare engines let Bowling Green keep building 2026 cars after the switch to 2027.

Why export Corvettes kept the 2026 model year

The reason comes down to paperwork and tuning. According to GM Authority, export cars need specific calibration work on certain systems. They also have to finish certification before a new model year can go on sale in those countries. Holder said much of that timing sits outside GM’s control.

The markets in question include the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan, according to GM Authority. Later, a Carscoops interview added New Zealand to that right-hand-drive list. So for now, buyers in those countries keep getting the 2026 car while the 2027 car reaches North America.

Trevor Hall, program engineering manager for the Corvette, confirmed the overlap to Carscoops at a press event in Australia. “You’re right, we’re building both [models] concurrently,” Hall said in the Carscoops report published September 24. He also said the 2026 cars can’t continue forever, but he couldn’t give a date for the final changeover.

Two engines on one Corvette line

The biggest mechanical difference sits behind the seats. Chevrolet’s own spec page for the 2026 Stingray lists the LT2 6.2-liter V8 at 490 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. With the performance exhaust, the same engine rates 495 horsepower and 470 lb-ft.

For 2027, by contrast, the Stingray moves to the LS6. Chevrolet’s March 26 engine release rates the 6.7-liter V8 at 535 horsepower at 6,100 rpm. Torque comes in at 520 lb-ft at 4,600 rpm. Chevrolet calls it the sixth generation of its Small Block V8, and the company says its 13.0:1 compression ratio is the highest ever used in a Corvette.

The LS6 also goes beyond the Stingray. Chevrolet lists it for the 2027 Stingray, the returning Grand Sport and the new Grand Sport X. Meanwhile, Chevrolet’s June engine lineup release pairs the LS6 with an electric motor in the Grand Sport X for 721 horsepower. The engines come from Flint Engine Operations in Michigan, according to the March release.

How long the Corvette model year overlap has run

The overlap is not a short one. GM Authority reported that regular production of the 2027 Corvette began at Bowling Green on June 8, 2026. Since then, both model years have shared the plant for more than three months.

Hall described the plant as “extremely flexible,” given its mix of models, powertrains, coupes and convertibles. Even so, he left the end date open. Until certification clears for the export markets, the 2026 LT2 cars keep their spot on the line next to the 2027 LS6 cars.

For owners in North America, the 2027 car is already the one in showrooms. For buyers in Japan, the UK and Australia, though, the 2026 Corvette with its 490-horsepower LT2 remains the current model. GM Authority puts total 2026 Corvette production at roughly 25,000 cars.

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This article was created with the help of AI and was reviewed and edited by Fast Lane Only editors before publication.