If it’s well-planned and built to high-quality standards, just about any vehicle can be turned into something cooler and more attention-getting than when it was born. However, one car in particular that seems to be especially responsive to upgrades is the Chevrolet Corvette. This 1971 Chevrolet Corvette here on Craigslist has received several upgrades, but everything here has been done in a tasteful manner, and it’s nowhere near as over-the-top as some ‘Vettes we’ve featured on the site recently. This one is in O’Fallon, Missouri, with an asking price of $47,995, which doesn’t sound unreasonable for all you’re getting here. Tony Primo, thanks for another excellent Corvette tip here!
The owner is quick to point out that this is no longer a numbers-matching C3, but one of the fun things about a Restomod is being able to take whatever liberties you choose, and the engine here appears to be one of them. There’s no information provided about what originally provided power, but in the bay now is a fine big block of the LS5 variety, a 454 that was introduced in 1970. Known for torque, the LS5 produced 360 HP in the SS models of the Monte Carlo and Chevelle during its inaugural year, but that number was upped to 390 for the Corvette. However, it was detuned a bit in ’71, and the date code is unknown here. We just get this one peek of the engine, but it’s said to have a Comp cam and Rhoads lifters inside, so I’m guessing this 454 is quite a capable performer.
It’s not specified what color this one began life as either, but the body is now coated in Torch Red paint, which was a very good choice for this build. It also features black striping and was themed as a tribute to the Motion Corvette creations from the days of yore, including the high-rise fuel cap. The L88 hood is reported to be a factory component, not aftermarket, and the wheels were taken from a 1982 Corvette and refinished. Side pipes and an extended front spoiler have been added as well, and I’m finding very little to complain about regarding the exterior’s appearance.
Plenty of attention has also been given to the interior, and I’m digging those red stripe accents on the black buckets. The light-colored gauges are also a nice touch, though it appears that the factory radio has been retained. It would be great if this were a 3-pedal car, but the shifter controls a Turbo 400 automatic, which is said to have recently received a new fluid filter. This ’71 Chevrolet Corvette seems well thought out in all areas, and I feel like the visionary nailed it here. What do you think?
No mention about that emergency brake lever that holds a couple of big gulps
Love the wheels & the curvy body, big-block grunt is always welcome. Something about the tail-end paint scheme rubs me the wrong way, though
You must not remember the Motion Chevrolets of the early 70s!!
What makes it a restomod???
Modified during restoration with multiple upgrades and components than it left the factory with. You get more bang for your buck doing this on the 73 through 82 models. The factory handling and suspensions improved year over year, but the govt de-tuned engine power on each year along the way. This went for most vehicles produced during that period.
The wheels look horrible, even on the collector edition… Some nice n wide 5 spokes so we can see the disc brakes would be better…. I don’t see any side pipes in the pics though…. Sidepipes ALWAYS look good, especially if they are header style, and not the fake ones….. Air conditioning would be a plus, but no mention of it…. Not to fond of the black stripes…. Would look better ALL red…. Nice vette, but needs some upgrades…. I’d definitely tint the windows 90% tint…. Ceramic silver coated headman header side pipes…. And some wide 16″ AR 5 spokes plus some A/C and I’d call it a day….
There is an AC compressor in the engine picture.
Is it a 71 or 72? Second to last sentence in this write up reads 72.
That’s a pretty nice job overall. These years just scream sexy. Curvy. They “strut” when going down the street.
I like it very sharp looking always like those rims. The add states the car has A/C along with a picture showing it.
The AC even has a belt.
Steve R
So true seems like you hardly see them with a belt and when you do it comes with the heading of A/C just needs a charge which is never the reason.
If I’m being honest, (which I am) this car has three big “D” merits for me: I think that the stripe treatment looks tacky, I really think that chin spoiler looks out of place, and the big one, the autoloader. I just can not reconcile any Corvette, (absent these newer rocket ships) with an automatic. For those reasons, I don’t see the value here.
I have personal experience with these cars from both the IMSA GTO era (Jerry Thompson and Don Yenko) and autocrossing in the 1990 time frame. With relatively simple bolt on suspension changes C2 and C3 Corvettes , can be made to handle as well as the C4 through C7 cars and still be streetable. Depending on how far you want to go, side exhausts would allow you to build a flat under tray in a rear diffuser that can generate significant downforce.
You could make other changes to this that would really modernize it, can still be a reversible if you wanted to return it to closer to stock. All of the seats are attractive with the black and red, they don’t have any lateral support which you’re going to want in a car that on street tires that could pull 1.1 G’s. You could swap the engine for a modern crate LS, using either the GM supercharged package or even Mercury Marine’s automotive crate overhead cam motor that is rated at 750 horsepower that is only 30 lb heavier than a normally aspirated LS7. Finally you could retrofit an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission with multiple computer modes featuring rev matching and manual mode shifting.