Sales of Chevrolet’s sports car were on an upswing by the end of the sixties decade, with 38,762 finding homes for the 1969 edition alone, an increase of over 10,000 from the previous year.  But the numbers here are a bit fudged, as the UAW strike in ’69 caused this model’s production to be extended and the 1970 run cut short, with just over 17,000 produced and a decision made to leave the ’71 offering pretty much the same since the last car has such a short lifespan.  But the industry began to recover and 21,801 Corvettes were produced in 1971, such as this one for sale here on eBay.  The ‘Vette is up in Putnam Valley, New York, with 47 bids raising the price to $11,600 already yet still shy of the reserve.

The seller doesn’t give us a lot of specific historical details here other than saying the car sat for several years before finding its way into his shop, but we are informed the original color was yellow.  It’s unknown just how long ago it was changed to beige, but the respray wasn’t recent as the finish is showing some fading along with a few chips and touch-ups.  The headlights are stuck in the open position, but they work and the body is stated as excellent with no noticeable indications of past damage or repairs.  I haven’t seen very many C3 cars with a pinstripe all the way down the sides, but it’s growing on me and the outside looks good enough now that taking it down to fiberglass and aiming for a higher level wouldn’t be in my immediate plans.

The numbers-matching 350 is still in place under the hood, which the seller has gotten running and recently performed an oil change, drained and added new fuel, a new master cylinder, and a fresh battery.  Some aftermarket headers have been put on at some point, and it doesn’t look like too much effort went into detailing the engine compartment, which is fine with me as I prefer to see the components without lots of cleaning or a recent coat of paint on top.  No word on whether or not the automatic has received any recent attention, but it is said to be the original transmission.

New carpeting is now in place inside with the interior still appearing to be in reasonably good condition overall.  There are a couple of things not working such as the clock and wipers, but the gauges are functioning and more importantly, the platform is well-preserved, with the frame rails seeming solid along with the floors.  The seller mentions that his reserve is under the $20k mark, which doesn’t sound all that unreasonable for what we’re seeing here.  What are your thoughts on this 1971 Chevrolet Corvette?