The 1971 Corvette Saw Big Improvements In Sales, But Little Changes

The 1971 Corvette would prove to be much what the 70s brought in the way of Vettes.

The machine would be more balanced then the previous year's model but because of increasing federal regulations on fuel economy and emissions control, the model would also prove to be a bit tamer. Unfortunately for the engineers at GM this would become commonplace for some years to come.

The 1971 Corvette's base model small block had a reduction in compression ratio and it only ran on an extremely timid 8:5:1 compression which saw a decrease in power to a measly 270 bhp.

In 1971 the mighty LT1 small block was stripped of its power and only put out 330 bhp as opposed to the 370 bhp it's used to.

The decrease in compression was responsible for the loss of horsepower, just like the base model engine. This ill-fated development also bled into the big blocks and the LS5 saw a yield of 365 bhp and the latest LS6 with an aluminum head yielded 425 bhp. No matter how you look at the impressive numbers, the upset enthusiasts were able to notice the loss of power at the time.

The engineers, with their hands tied, squeaked out as much power as they possibly could.

The truth had remained that the end of an era had occurred and of course no one wanted it to happen. GM made the best of their situation once the unsupervised and unrestricted muscle car engine had vanished. GM came up with a couple of unique packages for the 1971 Corvette to try and fight the Federal regulators.

These packages include:ZR1: This was offered with the LT1 and featured a special racing package that incorporated solid lifters for the small block. Other distinguished improvements were a heavy duty four-speed transmission, upgraded suspension, power brakes, and an aluminum radiator. Even with the package being extremely nice, it was also expensive and saw a modest amount of the 1971 Corvettes equipped as such. ZR2: This was essentially the ZR1 package with the LS6 424 V-8. Whilst the installation of the ZR1 only tallied 176, the installation for the ZR2 package was a rare total of 12.

The 1971 Corvette optional performance boosting packages of the ZR1 and ZR2 were probably hurt by the added costs and the fact that the packages could not come with such power options as power locks and power windows, because it was a performance package. With virtually non-existent changes that came with the 1971 Corvette, sales were reasonably impressive. With the combination of a full year of production and a strong supply, the 1971 Corvette saw 21,801 units sold for the model year which was a very good rebound from the poor sales in 1970. Federal Regulations continued as the years passed on, but the Shark Generation of the Vette would demonstrate to be a stubborn one and the Vette would continue to hold its own ground; even if it wasn't as much as the big bosses at GM wanted.
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