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Here's the story...
By 1971, the performance party wasn't "over," but it was getting quieter. Were it not for the Corvette's high demand, the GM bean counters probably would have killed the corporate performance flagship. What was hurting the Corvette was the perception of reduced performance and a Cadillac-priced car with very poor quality.
John DeLorean's involvement was something of a mixed blessing. After "Car & Driver" named the '70 Corvette "Car Of The Year," DeLorean pushed for higher production, hurting overall quality. The car magazines had been bashing the Corvette since '68 over the quality issue, so DeLorean initiated a quality improvement program that was at best marginally effective. He also initiated the luxury Corvette by adding interior trim upgrades. Also, he bumped the price of the '71 model to $5,496, up $304 from the '70 model. DeLorean reasoned that if there was a demand, the buyers would pay the extra cost. Production figures for 1971 were 26,844 units, up 4,258 from 1970, but down by 11,918 from 1969. When you factor in price increases, high insurance rates, and the performance car's fall from grace, it's amazing that this low volume car ever survived.
There were no changes to the body of the '71 Corvette. Under the hood, Corvette's bargain priced ($158) , L46 350-horsepower 350 was dropped in order to save the LT-1. Compression ratios of all GM cars were reduced so that cars could start running on lead-free gas. Also, power figures were listed at "net" ratings, creating, on paper, what looked like a huge power drop. However, on the street, the '71 Corvette could still rip up the pavement. The $1,221, LS6 454 optioned Corvette could run 0 to 60 in just 5.3 seconds, while the $483, LT-1 Corvette ran 0 to 60 in 6.0 seconds. Not bad for a car weighing in around 3,700 pounds!
While street Corvettes had their challenges, Duntov made sure that the racers could still order hot Corvettes. On the $1,010 ZR-1 option, nearly everything was heavy duty and no luxury options were available. Only eight ZR-1s were made. The ZR-2 option cost a whopping $1,747 and was the same as the ZR-1, except for the LS6 454 engine. Only 12 ZR-2s were made.
What saved the Corvette in the '70s wasn't horsepower, but loyalty and style. Considering the challenges of the '70s, the Corvette's survival was truly an automotive miracle.
Be sure to check out the NEW Illustrated Corvette Series Portfolio.
This portfolio of Scott Teeters' "Vette Magazine" series, covers every production Corvette from 1953 to 1996. Also included are all of the major Corvette show cars, engineering prototypes, concept cars, and several Corvette racers.
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