Although the horsepower wars were winding down in 1971, it would be a very big mistake to dismiss this 1971 Chevrolet Corvette as anything but a threat on the street. It features one of the most interesting Corvette pedigrees we’ve seen in a long time and the look is simply spectacular. The basics are these: 28,037 original miles, a beautiful original leather interior, spectacular Atomic Orange paint, and a thundering 454 cubic inch V8 built to thump out big horsepower on pump gas. This car isn’t about pedigrees, it’s about effect, and we can guarantee that anywhere you go in this awesome ‘Vette, people are going to pay attention. The fact that it drives so beautifully and still feels insanely fast in today’s world of 700 horsepower Dodges is merely icing on the cake.

The original color on this beautiful Corvette was code 987, Ontario Orange, so when it came time for a repaint, they stuck with something that was still pretty close. Today it’s called Atomic Orange and has a modern metallic shine and depth that’s simply spectacular. Borrowed from the late-model Corvette paint chart, it looks exactly right on the vintage C3 bodywork and the workmanship is beyond impressive. Although it’s a few years old, it shows very few signs of use and the shine is spectacular, especially out in the sun where it seems to glow from within. Underneath, the 1971 fiberglass is in fantastic shape, with crisp lines and none of the usual flaws, even around the headlight doors. A big block hood was added (we believe this car was originally an LT1) and nobody’s going to complain about the look. Gaps are excellent, the entire body was color sanded and buffed to a brilliant shine, and the chrome, remarkably enough, appears to be original, which will tell you just how nice this car really is. We’ve never seen such straight bumpers. The only notable deviations from stock are those domed taillight lenses, but original flat lenses are easy enough to install if you prefer the look.

The interior is almost entirely original, and that should tell you about the easy life this awesome Corvette has led. Even better, it’s code 403 black leather instead of the standard vinyl. Check out the beautiful seat covers, which have some minor comfort marks but no major damage, splits, or wear spots. They’re still firm and comfortable so you shouldn’t be afraid to take this Corvette on a road trip. The carpets have probably been replaced at some point simply because they’re much too nice to be original, but those are factory door panels with faux wood inserts and the dash pad is excellent. There’s a leather wrapper on the wheel, but that’s only to fatten up the grip, not because it’s damaged so feel free to remove it if it’s not to your liking—there’s no downside. The gauges are bright, crisp, and fully operational, and it carries a 6500 RPM redline tachometer, which is not only correct for an LT1, but also for an L88. Nice right? Someone has added an AM/FM/cassette stereo radio in the center stack, but that’s a welcome addition (the original L88 wasn’t available with a radio). We were also very pleasantly surprised to see that the fiber-optic bulb indicators on the center console are working correctly and that big chrome shifter slams through the gates with real authority. Lift-off T-tops are an important part of the Corvette experience, and 1971 was the final year that you also got a removable rear window for a true open-air feel.

The badges say 427 and the goal was to build a car with the feel and performance of the legendary L88. The L88 was a full-race piece developed by Zora Arkus-Duntov, and it was meant for guys who were actually going to race it. However, knowing their clientele, GM marketers knew that as soon as buyers saw a 500 horsepower engine on the options list, they’d buy it—and make all kinds of headaches for the service department when it acted, you know, like a race engine. So they downrated it to 430 horsepower, five below the L71 427/435, and put a huge price tag on it. Problem solved!

Anyway, the block in this gorgeous ‘Vette is a later 454 unit but from the outside it looks every bit like a 427 so nobody will know it’s not an L88 without checking casting numbers. It was built by Dave Petit Racing up in Detroit and we have full documentation on the build, including receipts and dyno sheets. It’s beautifully tuned to run far better than any 500+horsepower engine with a carburetor should. Turn the key and it fires instantly, even after it’s been sitting for a few weeks. It takes about 30 seconds to warm up enough to come off the choke, but it never gets fussy. Yes, there’s a big cam inside and those side pipes thunder with each compression stroke hitting you in the chest, but on the street it’s incredibly docile. It’s content to putt along at 35 MPH in fourth gear, but even a little goose of the throttle and it lunges forward. I don’t know how fast it’ll go, but it never runs out of breath and you’ll bump into that 6500 RPM redline if you’re not careful, because this is a big engine that loves to rev. There’s a Crane roller cam inside with roller rockers, a set of L89 aluminum heads on top, a steel crank on the bottom end, and a set of 9.5:1 Speed Pro aluminum pistons that seem to be perfectly happy with pump gas.

It’s also very nicely detailed, showing a mostly factory look with that unique air cleaner assembly that inhales directly through the big block hood. There’s also a set of polished aluminum finned valve covers, Chevy Orange paint on the block, and proper ignition shielding over the distributor, and other details that look right. A few chrome pieces add a little dress-up, but in a car with this much eyeball appeal, nobody’s going to complain about that. And when you turn the key and all the horses show up ready to party, well, it all becomes redundant anyway. This sucker is for real.

That is the original, numbers-matching 4-speed Muncie gearbox living behind the engine, and it obviously shrugs off the insane amounts of power churning through it. There’s a new clutch hooking it up and although the paperwork says there are 3.70 gears in back, it cruises at speed like there’s something more reasonable, say 3.36 or even 3.23 gears, inside. The big block doesn’t need a lot of gear to get things going and it’s very street-friendly, not peaky, which is great. With just 28,000 miles on the chassis, it is still in great shape with no issues or needs, although there’s plenty of recent equipment, including the side pipes, bushings, radius rods, shocks, and front brake calipers. Big chrome Torque Thrust wheels certainly add to the flashy presentation and carry staggered 235/60/15 front and 275/60/15 rear Goodyear radials.

This car is EXTREMELY well-documented with a massive binder full of receipts, invoices, dyno charts, a cam card, even the machine shop’s hand-written calculations to get the compression ratio right. We have part numbers for all the hardware used in the engine, oil filter numbers, maintenance receipts since it was completed, manuals for the stereo, the carburetor, and the car itself. It is VERY impressive and anything you’d need to know about maintaining or tuning this car in the future is all right there. Few cars are this well documented.

If you can’t tell, we love this car. It’s not for purists, but it has an awesome look, incredible power, and the kind of road manners that make it very usable in the real world. It is not fussy, cranky, or difficult to drive, it doesn’t get hot, and it always starts quickly. Someone was sweating the details when it went together and it has obviously led a charmed life from day one. If you want a pedigree car, this isn’t it. But if you want one of the finest C3s we’ve ever seen, one that will humiliate all but a handful of modern supercars, and one that has a fantastic period performance look, you will not find more car for less money anywhere else. This car just gets everything right. Call today!