Mecum to Offer a Mighty '71 ZL2 in Monterey

It may not be the last, but it is one-of-one

In describing Lot R406, Mecum starts out boldly: “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’s also one of only two ZR2 convertibles known to exist.” All true. But anywhere it says “last,” well, that’s debatable, as there are not only later VINed 1971 Chevys fitted with the 454 cu-in/425 hp LS6, there’s at least one later ZR2, too. Even so, this is a very valuable—and in toto, a true one-of-one—machine.

All images and text in italics courtesy Mecum Auctions. All photo illustrations by the author.

The heart of this superpowered Shark

“The ZR2 was a one-year-only production package comprising the best high-performance components available from the factory: LS6 454/425 HP engine with aluminum heads, a dual-plate clutch, M22 “Rock-Crusher” 4-speed manual transmission…and a heavy-duty aluminum radiator without a shroud.” All that in a vehicle that weighs around 3,577 lbs. means a pounds-per-hp ratio of 8.64—which compares quite favorably against, say, the ’71 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 “Daytona” Spyder’s claimed 10.2. And the ZR2 was more than just a monster motor holder…

All images and text in italics courtesy Mecum Auctions. All photo illustrations by the author.

>>Join the conversation about this 1971 C3 ZL2 right here in the Corvette Forum!

The haves and the cannot

According to Mecum, included were “J56 dual-pin heavy-duty power brakes, F41 heavy-duty suspension with special springs, shock absorbers and front and rear stabilizer bars.” And just in case you didn’t get the hint about this car’s racy intent, creature comforts—including big things like an automatic or A/C, and small ones, like an AM/FM radio or a rear defroster—weren’t on the menu. As it happens, this ZR2 has just about everything that was, as it’s “optioned with shoulder harnesses, auxiliary hardtop, 3.55 Positraction differential, A.I.R. smog controls…Soft Ray-tinted glass, Rally wheels and black wall tires.”

All images and text in italics courtesy Mecum Auctions. All photo illustrations by the author.

>>Join the conversation about this 1971 C3 ZL2 right here in the Corvette Forum!

Understated overkill

These days, once you advance beyond the base Corvette, you can expect to get at least a few “call-out” trim items slapped on its flanks. Move up to a higher-performance motor—as in the Z06 and ZR1—and you damn near get a full redesign, covered in as many vents, strakes, and winglets that’ll fit (with wings that barely do). That it requires running its VIN to be sure that you’re dealing with the apex ZR2 rather than its identically-styled sister ships—as all 454-powered cars featured identical hood-bulge badges—can come as a shock to modern minds. But not showing your hand to potential suckers was the point back then. Mission accomplished.

All images and text in italics courtesy Mecum Auctions. All photo illustrations by the author.

>>Join the conversation about this 1971 C3 ZL2 right here in the Corvette Forum!

Intercontinental hedonistic missile

“Documented by its GM Shipping Data Report as exported by GM Overseas Distribution (dealer-code No. 1 in zone 79), this car was built on May 25, 1971, and was shipped to its first owner, an American living in Germany.” If you wanted the baddest-ass ‘Murrican machine you could get your hands on to blow by Hans und Dieter on the Autobahn in 1971, this bellowing, a bright orange bullet was it. Sure, this brawny beast wouldn’t be ideal for the Nordschleife, but this buyer—like most Americans the world over—clearly didn’t care. 

All images and text in italics courtesy Mecum Auctions. All photo illustrations by the author.

>>Join the conversation about this 1971 C3 ZL2 right here in the Corvette Forum!

Sprechen Sie Stingray?

“This historically significant Corvette is also accompanied by documentation that includes the two-page tank sticker and ownership history.” Now, 1971 was before my time, but I was an exchange student in West Germany (ask your parents, kids) 19 years later. I mention this because—with the exception of the smog gear—to me adding everything optional makes perfect sense: You want a top you can drop when it’s nice—and a hardtop for the other ten months of the year—Positraction and shoulder belts for the illusion of safety, and Rally Wheels wrapped in blackwalls because… they just look better. Ausgezeichnet! 

All images and text in italics courtesy Mecum Auctions. All photo illustrations by the author.

>>Join the conversation about this 1971 C3 ZL2 right here in the Corvette Forum!

Don’t just take my word for it…

After “it was returned to the U.S. in the early 1980s” it was “body-off restored by the Naber Brothers of Houston to immaculate condition.” Following that, “it was part of the Bloomington Gold Special Collection in 1999” and has been the belle of pretty much all the balls, including the “National Corvette Museum's Concours d'Performance Exhibit, the Bloomington Gold Corvette Hall of Fame in 2003, [and it earned] an NCRS Top Flight in 2013.” If you want a well-known and -documented, über-rare, and high-powered piece of American automotive history, make your way to the Monterey Bay on Saturday, August 17. She’ll be waiting... 

All images and text in italics courtesy Mecum Auctions. All photo illustrations by the author.

>>Join the conversation about this 1971 C3 ZL2 right here in the Corvette Forum!

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