1971 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (C3)

Highlights

• The coveted early chrome-bumper C3 Stingray, in blue over matching blue

• Rumbling 5.7-litre small-block V8 with the soundtrack to match

• Removable T-top roof panels for proper open-air motoring

• Genuinely low mileage at 45,430, backed by a long run of MOT certificates

• Recently recommissioned by a Corvette specialist and ready to enjoy

Overview

Some shapes just refuse to age, and the third-generation Corvette is one of them. Chevrolet took Larry Shinoda's Mako Shark II concept, gave it those bulging arches and a long, low bonnet, and created the most enduring silhouette the marque has ever produced. The C3 went on to become the best-selling classic Corvette of the lot, and to our eyes the early chrome-bumper cars, with their slim brightwork and Stingray script, are the ones every enthusiast really wants.

This one is finished in blue over a matching blue interior, a combination that suits the shape beautifully, and it presents as a clean, honest and largely original example. It's a left-hand-drive car, so you get the full Americana experience exactly as Chevrolet intended, complete with a lazy, offbeat small-block idle and an effortless slug of torque the moment you squeeze the throttle. Lift out the T-top panels and it becomes the ideal companion for a sunny Sunday and a favourite B-road.

There's substance behind the looks, too. The car has recently been comprehensively recommissioned by a Corvette specialist, so it wants for very little before its next owner simply turns the key and drives. Genuinely low mileage is the icing on the cake, and this is a car whose brief has always been to cruise, make a glorious noise and make you grin, which it does with real conviction. It's a lovely looking example that drives every bit as well as it presents.

History And Documentation

• Built in 1971 and first registered in the UK on 25 June 1992

• Originally a US-market car, imported to the UK and cleared through HM Customs in September 1993, with the original US title and import paperwork retained

• Comprehensive history file including the US title, import documents, a run of MOT certificates, period photographs and a Chilton Corvette workshop manual

• Comprehensively recommissioned by Corvette specialist Jentree Classic Cars in May 2025, on an invoice totalling £8,586.37, covering a full service, a recored radiator and cooling system refresh, a washer pump repair, brake caliper rebuilds all round with a new rear brake hose, and a rear suspension rebuild with new bushes and wheel bearings on both sides

• A consistent, advisory-free run of MOT certificates supports the indicated mileage of 45,430

• Current MOT valid to 26 August 2027

• Registered as a historic vehicle

Interior

• Left-hand-drive cabin trimmed throughout in blue, presenting as clean, honest and largely original

• Blue seats hold their shape with only light creasing consistent with age

• Full set of round instruments, joined by the centre-console auxiliary gauges for fuel, temperature, clock, oil pressure and battery

• Period Delco AM/FM push-button radio fitted

• Sports steering wheel with a crossed-flags centre boss

• Carpets, headlining and door cards all in good order, with bright stainless sill tread plates

• Carpeted luggage shelf behind the seats

Exterior

• Finished in blue with a strong, even gloss across the glassfibre bodywork

• The sought-after chrome-bumper early C3, complete with Stingray script and front-wing gill vents

• Signature quad round tail lights, pop-up headlamps sitting flush, and period American-style show plates fitted front and rear

• Polished Rally-style wheels with chrome trim rings and centre caps on whitewall tyres

• Light age-related pitting to some of the chrome

• Some paint chipping and scuffing to the leading edge of the lower front valance

• Removable T-top roof panels stow away for open-air motoring

• Underside is generally sound, with some light surface rust on underbody brackets, exhaust and sill edges in places

Mechanical

• 5.7-litre (350ci) small-block V8 driving the rear wheels through an automatic gearbox

• Rated 270bhp and 360 lb ft on the car's engine ID plate

• Fitted with an Edelbrock carburettor and intake under a chrome air cleaner

• Twin exhaust with a strong, characterful V8 soundtrack

• Radiator recored and the cooling system refreshed during the 2025 recommissioning

• Brake calipers rebuilt all round with a new rear brake hose in 2025

• Rear suspension rebuilt in 2025 with new bushes and wheel bearings on both sides

• Tyres showing healthy tread

Summary

This is a blue-on-blue chrome-bumper C3 Stingray that looks the part and drives just as well as it presents, freshly recommissioned by a specialist and genuinely low on miles. It's the kind of classic you buy to use, whether that's weekend blasts, summer shows with the roof panels out, or simply the pleasure of firing up a small-block V8 on a Sunday morning. Cosmetically smart, mechanically sorted and dripping with character, it's ready to be enjoyed from the moment it arrives.

To arrange a viewing, click the Book Viewing button located under the Place Bid button. Viewings can be booked up until the day before the auction ends, after which the option will change to Contact Seller for further enquiries. This seller is located in Uckfield, East Sussex.