Barn finds and classic restorations are big business in the US with the aftermarket car scene exploding in recent years, and what better way to celebrate this booming culture than with a 1971 Chevrolet Corvette that shows a mere 7K miles on the clock. That's more than the first Chevy C8 will ever see.
The car in question is believed to have been one of the last cars to be produced for the 1971 model year and was sold as new at Matt Slap Chevrolet in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The car has been through four owners who have all done their best to keep the car as original as possible and they seem to have done a sterling job, with this C3 receiving a number of accolades, including the NCRS Bowtie Award, and the NCRS Duntov Mark of Excellence.
This time warp of a car's fiberglass body is painted in War Bonnet Yellow, rolls on a set of 15-inch rally wheels with factory chrome center caps, and is equipped with the original T-top roof panels. We love the period-correct chrome slit bumpers and those iconic rectangular dual exhaust outlets. The rest of the exterior seems to be as stock as the day it rolled off the factory line. Under the hood lies a 270-horsepower 350 cu.in. V8 and three-speed automatic transmission which sends its power to a posi diff in the back.
The interior of this low mileage Corvette features power steering and black-trimmed vinyl seats with matching carpets, door panels and headliner, as well as air conditioning, AM/FM radio, a hopeful 160 mph speedo, 7k tach, and retractable seat belts. It's all as stock as the final C7 Corvette ever sold, which is truly saying something.
After all these years, and four different owners, this Corvette still comes with a copy of the window sticker which lists factory options and equipment, and a final retail price of $6,521.45 when new. That's less than the 2LT package on the new C8 Corvette, which adds modern amenities such as wireless phone charging, a foreign concept back in 1971.
The team over at the Bloomington Gold Benchmark award states that "the car appears to be unrestored and maintained to at least 95% typical factory production condition. Paint chips and imperfections are noted in the photo gallery". This C3 is now on sale with all copies of previous titles, awards, a copy of the original window sticker, as well as an NCRS data report, and transferable New York registration. The current bid stands at $35,100 and the auction ends in four days.