1971 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray LT1 Convertible â?" Numbers-Matching, M21 4-Speed, Mulsanne Blue Why This Car Is Special The 1971 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is one of the most important years in C3 history, and not for reasons that are always obvious at first glance. By 1971, General Motors had mandated that all its engines be capable of running on regular low-lead fuel, and compression ratios were dropping across the board. The base 350 fell to 270 horsepower. The big-block 454 saw similar cuts. But the LT-1 â?" the solid-lifter, high-revving 350 developed largely by Zora Arkus-Duntov â?" held the line.
