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The 1971 Corvette would establish to be much what the 70s brought in the way of Vettes. The increasing federal regulations on fuel economy and emissions control caused the machine to be more balanced then the previous year’s model. The model would also demonstrate to be a bit tamer. Regrettably for the engineers at GM this would become routine for several years to come.

The 1971 Corvette had a decrease in compression ratio and the base model small block only ran on a very timid 8:5:1 compression and saw a decline in power to a paltry 270 bhp. The once mighty LT1 small block was also stripped of much of its power for 1971 and only put out 330 bhp as opposed to the 370 bhp it was used to. Like the base model engine, it was a decrease in compression that was responsible for the loss of ponies. This unfortunate scenario also bled into the big blocks and the LS5 saw an output of 365 bhp and the all new LS6 with an aluminum head put out 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: Notable improvements were a heavy duty four-speed transmission, upgraded suspension, power brakes, and an aluminum radiator. ZR1 was offered with the LT1 and featured a special racing package that included solid lifters for the small block. Though the package was certainly nice, it was also costly and saw little of the 1971 Corvettes equipped as such.

ZR2: This was basically the ZR1 package with the LS6 424 V-8. Even as the installation of the ZR1 simply totaled 176, the total installation for the ZR2 package was a rare 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.

Although there were virtually no changes done to the 1971 Corvette, sales were relatively good. With the combination of a complete year of production and a hearty supply, the 1971 Corvette sold 21,801 units for the model year which was a welcomed recover from the poor sales in 1970. The Federal Regulations continued as the decade went on, but for the Shark Generation of the Vette, it would establish to be a stubborn one and maintain to hold its own; even if it wasn’t as much as the top dogs at GM wanted.

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