Gorgeous 1971 Corvette 454 4-Speed on Craigslist

A Corvette with 454 power and a 4-speed is rare, but there is one for sale right now in California.

By 1971, power figures were beginning to drop, but the C3 Corvette with the 454-cubic inch big block was still one of the baddest American performance cars on the street. Big block Corvettes were far rarer than the small block-powered counterparts and at a modern car show, few things draw more attention than flipping open the hood of your fiberglass-bodied, 454-powered Chevy sports car.

To many people, a Corvette with a 454 big block and a 4-speed manual transmission is a dream car, but for someone who has $40,000 to spend on a new-to-them classic car – that dream could become a reality.

1971 big block

In 1971, the Chevrolet Corvette was offered with four engine options – a 270-horsepower 350 small block, a 330-horsepower 350 small block, a 365-horsepower 454 big block and the LS6 425-horsepower big block. Since the listing on Craigslist doesn’t mention this being an LS6 car, we are going to assume that it is the less potent version, but it is still a gorgeous big block Corvette.

Most importantly, this is a numbers-matching Corvette, so it is a factory 454, 4-speed car, making it one of the more collection C3 Corvette models. Thanks to a full restoration, the paint and chrome are spotless, with Wilwood front and rear brakes tucked behind the chrome Cragar wheels giving the car a slightly more modern look, while still preserving the stock looks of this flawless classic Corvette.

Upgrades

The engine of this C3 Corvette has been fitted with a set of aftermarket valve covers, an aluminum radiator, a high volume water pump and twin electric fans in addition to the standard flex fan. With these changes, this car should be a great summer cruiser and when you hit a car show, there is a good chance that you will take home a trophy.

This car is currently available for sale in Monterey, California, with a listed price of $39,500. Considering that it is a beautifully restored, numbers matching big block car, that price seems pretty reasonable.

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