1971 Corvette ZR2 Convertible - 1 of 2
Below is a general listing of specifications for the 1971 Corvette LT-1 engine.
Mecum Auction Listing: May 17, 2009
The 1971 ZR1 LT-1 small block and the ZR2 LS6 big block became the final statement of Corvette high performance for years to come. Only 12 ZR2s were built, only 2 of which were convertibles.
The ZR2 package included the awesome LS6 aluminum-head 454 rated at 425 horsepower, M22 4-speed transmission, heavy duty power brakes, transistor ignition, special springs, shocks and front and rear sway bars. No "creature comforts" were available with the ZR2 package, which was intended for all-out performance.
This particular car was delivered through GM Dealer Code 001 — or Central Office — and was exported to Germany and its first owner, Harry Thompson, a U.S. citizen living there. The car was returned to the U.S. in the early 1980's. The full ownership trail to today is complete with copies of DMV historical registrations.
The ZR2 option on this car is documented per the original factory Corvette Order Copy which accompanies the car. The Order Copy confirms a build date of mid May 1971, the latest known build date for an LS6 Corvette, making this the last ZR2 built, and the last of all first-generation LS6-powered automobiles built by Chevrolet including Chevelles and El Caminos. It is simply THE last higher performance production big block produced by Chevrolet…period.
Accolades for this rare piece include:
- 1999 Bloomington Gold Special Collection
- 2000 National Corvette Museum's Concours d' Performance Exhibit
- 2003 Bloomington Gold Corvette Hall of Fame
Ownership and restoration associations include such Corvette notables as:
- Bill Mock
- Sandy Brannan
- Naber Brothers
- Roy Sinor
This is by any measure the rarest of the rare not only in the history of Corvettes, but the history of the big block in the Chevrolet line.
Photos, descriptions and other information on this page are provided by the consigner to Mecum Auction and have not been verified by Mecum Auction - May 17, 2009.
Mecum Auction Listing: Lot S164 1971 Chevrolet Corvette ZR2 Convertible - Bloomington Gold Hall of Fame
Kissimmee, FL Auction
January 18-27, 2013
This Lot scheduled to be sold SAT 4:00PM
DESCRIPTION
Corvette aficionados take note: this Ontario Orange 1971 Stingray convertible is not only one of just 12 Corvettes built that year with the ZR2 Special Purpose LS6 Engine Package; it is one of only two convertibles and is in fact the very last of Corvette Chief Engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov's factory-built extra-high-performance specials, an august group that includes the original 1963 Z06, the 1969 ZL1 aluminum block L88 and the ZR1 Special Purpose LT1. As the very last of the so-called Z-cars, it holds an exclusive position as one of the most historically significant cars in General Motors history. Rarer than even the vaunted L88, the ZR2 was a one-year-only production package comprising the best high performance components available from the factory: a dual plate clutch, M22 "Rock-Crusher" 4-speed manual transmission, J56 dual-pin heavy duty power brakes, F41 heavy duty suspension with special springs, shock absorbers and front and rear stabilizer bars and a heavy duty aluminum radiator without shroud. Power steering, automatic transmission, radio and air conditioning were not available as options.
Documented by its GM Shipping Data Report as exported by GM Overseas Distribution (dealer code #1 in zone 79), this car was built on May 25, 1971 and was shipped to its first owner, an American living in Germany; it was returned to the United States in the early 1980s. It has been body-off restored to immaculate condition and was inducted into the Bloomington Gold Special Collection in 1999, the Bloomington Gold Corvette Hall of Fame in 2003 and was part of the National Corvette Museum's Concours d'Performance Exhibit. In addition to its LS6 454/425 HP engine, it is optioned with aluminum heads, shoulder harnesses, auxiliary hardtop, 3.55 Positraction differential, A.I.R. smog controls, aluminized exhaust, Soft Ray tinted glass, Rally wheels and Blackwall tires. This historically significant Zora Corvette is also accompanied by prodigious documentation that includes the two-page tank sticker, build sheets and owner history.
HIGHLIGHTS
- 1 of 12 produced in both Coupe and Convertible
- 1 of 2 known ZR2 Convertibles
- Export per NCRS/GM Shipping Data Report
- Aluminum Heads, heavy duty radiator, radio delete
- M22 heavy duty 4-Speed, J50/56 power heavy duty brakes
- Special heavy duty suspension, 3.55 Positraction
- Auxiliary hardtop, aluminized exhaust
- Tinted glass, Rally wheels, smog A.I.R. System
- Body-off Restoration
- Bloomington Gold Special Collection in 1999
- National Corvette Museum's Concours d'Performance Exhibit
- Bloomington Gold Corvette Hall of Fame in 2003
- Exported in 1971 by GM Overseas Distribution
- The last known LS6 and ZR2 car ever built by Chevrolet
- Tank sticker, build sheets, owner history
- Two huge 3 Ring Binders, show related invitationals
- The last Performance LS6 and Z (Zora) car
- An important piece of GM History