Corvette History 1968-1982 Corvettes (C3)1971 Chevrolet Corvette
1971 Chevrolet Corvette
Contributed by Mike Antonick, Editor "Corvette Black Book"
This was the last Corvette to have the fiber-optics light monitoring system introduced with the 1968 model; the system was phased out before the end of production. Compression ratios were lowered in all engines to permit use of lower octane low-lead and unleaded fuels. Although unleaded fuels were not yet required, it was common knowledge that air pollution concerns would require elimination of lead for automotive fuels. The lead itself was a pollutant, plus it fouled the catalytic converter, a critical new exhaust system component then on the horizon. By detuning its engines ahead of time, GM provided oil companies a couple of years of phase-in flexibility. Production resumed a normal cycle and sales rebounded to 21,801, although 1971 was one of Corvette's least changed models, really an extension of 1970 production. Dave Heinz won the GTO-class in the inaugural International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) race.
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