1971 Maverick Grabber

Ford's Maverick debuted for the 1970 model year as a compact intended to compete against the likes of Chevy's Nova and the Dodge Dart. It was initially only available as a base two- or four-door sedan, but for the 1971 model year, a sportily-styled version was introduced, known as the Maverick Grabber.

While it came with snarly-looking scoops on the hood and a ducktail spoiler on the decklid, it was all bark and no bite. The scoops were non-functional dummies and the base motor was still the 170 cubic inch pushrod inline six with a one-barrel carb making a bare hundred horsepower.

The base transmission was a three-speed manual. Optional engines for '71 were the 200 and 250 cubic inch sixes, rated at 115 and 145 horsepower, respectively. With the bigger sixes, a buyer could also order a three speed C4 SelectShift automatic.

Late in the model year Ford finally offered a V-8 option for the Maverick, albeit a two-barrel 302 Windsor rated at 210 SAE gross horsepower. Hot Rod magazine tested a 302 Grabber with a three-on-the-tree in April of 1971 and recorded a best quarter mile e.t. of 17.1 seconds at 85mph. 

The example in the photos, in Medium Yellow Gold, has lost its original grille and front bumper. Since the grille is where the turn signals were mounted, the current owner has rigged amber lamps in the dummy hood scoop inlets to serve as front turn signals.

This one was photographed in Peru, Indiana in April of 2014 using a Canon EOS Rebel XTi and an EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens.

1971 Chevrolet El Camino

The third generation of Chevrolet's El Camino ute debuted for 1968 and would be replaced by the fourth gen for 1973, so that makes this '71 example the second to last year for them.

From the A-pillar forward it was basically a Chevelle and, like the 1971 Chevelle, single large headlights on each side had replaced the previous year's smaller dual lamps.

The El Camino came in base and SS trims and the base motors were the 250 cubic inch Turbo-Thrift inline six or the 307 cube Turbo-Fire V-8. Optional choices included two different 350s making either 240 or 270 horsepower, a 300hp 400cid big block, and the 454 cubic inch big block in either 365 or 425 horsepower flavors, although the 454 could only be had with the SS package.

The Tuxedo Black example in the photo has the four-barrel, dual-exhaust 270hp 5.7L V-8 and was photographed with a Nikon Coolpix P7000 in New Hampshire back in April of 2015.

1971 Pontiac Grand Prix Model J

The third generation of the Pontiac Grand Prix, which had been new for 1969, received a pretty serious nose job for 1971. The quad headlamps were replaced by larger dual headlamps faired into the hood on either side of a jutting grille, giving the snout a sort of neoclassical appearance.

It was available in two levels of snarliness, the regular "J" model, which came with a 400, and the sportier "SJ", which had a 455 for a base motor. If the retro prow and SJ model designator made you think of the vanished Duesenberg, well, all the better. (Besides, they weren't around to protest, anyway.)

Personal luxury in the sporty grand touring mode was the name of the game, and plush bucket seats were separated by a console, while the instrument panel curved, cockpit-like, ahead of the driver.

The V-8 under the hood of the regular Grand Prix Model J was Pontiac's small-journal 400. For the 1971 model year, General Motors ordered all engines must take a compression haircut so as to run on regular gas, so the 6.6L Poncho motor now sported an 8.2:1 compression ratio. Horsepower was advertised in both gross and SAE net terms for '71, which meant 300 and 255, respectively. The standard transmission was a three-speed manual, with a four-speed and a Turbo Hydra-matic on the options list.

The hot-rodded example in the photo was snapped with a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and an EF 24-105mm f/4L zoom lens in October of 2022.

1971 Fiat 124 Sport Spider

The Fiat Spider is a hard car to date at a glance. Barring detail changes like side marker lights and bumpers it was sold in the US with its appearance largely unchanged from 1968 through 1985.

How do I know this is a '71? Via the clever detective technique of yelling "Nice car! What year is it?"

These older ones were imported with a 1.6L DOHC and a five-speed manual gearbox which was still pretty exotic stuff in the late Sixties. With twin carbs it put out a bit over a hundred horsepower and could manage a zero-to-sixty time a few ticks under ten seconds, before emissions and the weight of post-'73 bumpers took their toll.

This one was photographed in May of 2017 using a Leica D-LUX 3.

1972 Ford F-250 Custom

1972 was the last model year for this fifth generation of Ford's F-series trucks. They'd been released as 1967 models and got a mild styling refresh for '70, but the new sixth generation trucks were already waiting in the wings.

This one has a blacked-out '71 grille and aftermarket striping over its Grabber Blue paint.

The lone drinking straw exhaust outlet makes me suspect it has the base motor, a 4.9L (300 cid) inline six rated which had been rated at 165 SAE gross horsepower, but was now advertised as 119 net ponies.

It was photographed in February of 2026 using a Nikon 1 V1 and a 10-100mm f/4.5-5.6 VR zoom lens.

1971 Triumph TR6

The lack of grotesque rubber bumper warts and Signal Red paint job mark this Triumph TR6 as an earlier car, unlike the later one we've previously seen on these pages.

Other than the Spitfire, the TR6 is the Triumph you're most likely to spot here in the Unites States, since over 83,000 of the roughly 92,000 built were shipped over here.

This one was photographed in September of 2022 using a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and my trusty EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

1971 Dodge Demon

A 1971 Dodge Demon in Go-Mango, featuring one of the great giant-slayer small blocks of the Muscle Car Era, Mopar's 340cid V-8.

The 340 was designed to be a drag strip terror from the jump off. Chrysler engineers started with the 318 cubic inch LA-series small block and bored the cylinders out to 4.04", which made it pretty over square relative to the 3.31" stroke. They gave it heads with enormous valves and ports, forged aluminum pistons, a shot-peened forged steel crank, and a racy cam. The single-4bbl version of the 340 had a 10.5:1 compression ratio and was ridiculously underrated at a claimed 275bhp SAE Gross horsepower.

How do we know it was underrated? Well, there are two big clues.

First of all, when you stuck it in one of these little A-body coupes and didn't weigh it down with a bunch of options, they were capable of flirting with legit high thirteen quarter mile times off the showroom floor...on bias ply street tires. That was normally the province of the more wild-eyed big blocks.

The other way we know that it was underrated was that in 1972 they went to heads with smaller ports and a lower 8.5:1 compression ratio for emissions and fuel economy reasons, and switched to SAE net horsepower ratings. Somehow this only resulted in a drop to 240 SAE net, indicating that the "275" number had probably been closer to the net output all along.

This one was photographed with a Nikon D800 and 24-120mm f/4 VR zoom lens in October of 2023.

1971 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Convertible

Originally only available as the SS396 and then the SS454, for the 1971 model year Chevrolet made the SS package available with any V-8 in the Chevelle lineup except the lowly 307.

That meant you could get the snarly looks and sporty suspension of a Super Sport Chevelle with a Turbo-Fire small block 350 V-8 in L65 245 or L48 270 horsepower form, the Turbo-Jet LS3 400 cube big block rated at 300 ponies, or the snarling LS5 454 cubic inch big block, making 365 cowl-inducted dual exhaust horses.

The lack of "454" designators on the fender badges would indicate this '71 regtop is one of the lesser SS models. Well, maybe it's an SS. A lot of generic midsize GM A-body coupes got "upgraded" to SS, GS, or 442 status during the first muscle car boom in the late '80s via the Year One catalog and some judicious badge engineering.

I seen't it! (A faux GTO was a lot more expensive to gin up from a garden-variety Tempest, since you needed a hood and an Endura nose.)

When Motor Trend tested a 1971 Chevelle SS coupe with the L65 2-barrel 350, they clocked a 9.7 second zero-to-sixty time and a 17.1 second quarter mile at 80mph through the traps. Price as tested was  $4,160, or about $33,000 in 2025 dollars.

This one was photographed in April of 2022 using a Nikon D200 and 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom lens.

1971 Chevrolet C10 Cheyenne

The second generation of Chevrolet's C/K pickup trucks, launched for 1967, received a mid-cycle refresh for the 1971 model year. The most immediately noticeable change was the full-width eggcrate grille and the double horizontal side marker lights.

Hardware-wise, front disc brakes became standard on the light duty pickups. The 396 cubic inch Turbo-Jet big block was replaced as the top motor by the 402 cube (sold as a 400). The Cheyenne, new for '71, was the top model, positioned above the Custom and Custom Deluxe, and could be had with such niceties as bucket seats and a center console.

The base motors were the 250 High Torque inline six or the 307 two-barrel V-8, rated at 110 and 135 SAE Net horsepower, respectively. Optional motors included a 292 cubic inch inline six making 130 horsepower, the aforementioned big block, which was rated at 240 horses, or the four-barrel 350 small block putting out 190 ponies. According to the fender badges, the 350 is what's under the hood of this Dark Blue (they saved the cool name for the color, "Fathom Blue", for passenger cars) '71 model.

The '71 and '72 were nearly identical but you can tell this is the earlier of the two by the fact that the rearview mirror is attached to the cab roof rather than glued to the windshield.

This one was photographed in October of 2023 using a Nikon D800 and a 24-120mm f/4 VR zoom lens.

1971 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

The Monte Carlo was launched for 1970 as a personal luxury coupe to compete against Ford's Thunderbird. Riding on a 116" wheelbase shared with the midsize A-body Chevelle sedan's, it slotted in between the Chevelle Sport Coupe and the two-door Caprice, price-wise.

Featuring classic "long hood and short deck" lines, its longer wheelbase and more rearward engine placement brought it to the attention of NASCAR teams and it became the preferred Chevy in that motorsport starting in 1971.

For '71 the base Monte Carlo came with a 245 horsepower (165 net) two-barrel Turbo-Fire 350 V-8, and an optional four-barrel Turbo-Fire 350 made 270 horses (175 net). There was also a Turbo-Jet 400 rated at 300 (260 net), and 1971 was the last year for the Monte Carlo SS with the 365 horsepower (285 net) LS-5 Turbo-Jet 454 V-8.

In a comparison test of 1970 models, Motor Trend's sample Monte Carlo SS ran a 7.0 second zero-to-sixty dash and laid down a 14.9 quarter at 92 mph, showing its heels to the Ford Thunderbird and Pontiac Grand Prix competition.

The Tuxedo Black example in the picture is one of 112,599 Montes sold in 1971, with production having been interrupted for two months due to an auto workers' strike. Only 1,919 of those were SS models.

This one was photographed in September of 2022 with a Canon EOS 7D and EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS zoom lens.

1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Holiday Coupe

With its more formal notchback roofline and standard bucket seats, the Cutlass Supreme Holiday Coupe could be looked at as the top-of-the-line midsize two-door Cutlass...or else as a budget entry in the burgeoning personal luxury coupe market.

The dual-scoop W25 forced air induction fiberglass hood was not on the option list for the Supreme in '71, being a 442-only option, but judging from the stance, I don't think this guy's going for maximum points at the Concours d'Elegance.

Standard motor in the Holiday Coupe was the four-barrel Olds Rocket 350 V-8 making 260 SAE gross horsepower. As a sign of the times, GM advertising for 1971 also included the new SAE net measurement, which was 200 for the Rocket 350. Optional was the L32 Olds Rocket 455 V-8, which made 320 gross horsepower (250 net) and was only available with the 3-speed Turbo Hydra-matic 400 slushbox.

The 1971 and 1972 models are hard to tell apart in these views. The chrome side trim is a '71 thing, for '72 it was gone, replaced with chrome rocker panel trim. Also the headlight surrounds on the '72 were painted black, while these are still chrome.

This one was photographed in June of 2022 using a Nikon D7100 and 16-80mm f/2.8-4E zoom lens.

1971 Cadillac Coupe DeVille

The redesigned fourth generation of the full-size C-body Cadillac DeVille debuted for the 1971 model year. Overall length grew almost an inch from the '70 model, to 225.8", while the wheelbase got a half-inch stretch to 130".

Motive power was provided by the same 472 cubic inch OHV V-8 that had been under Caddy hoods since 1968, but compression was reduced from 10.0:1 to 8.5:1 in order to comply with a GM corporate edict that all engines be able to run on unleaded gasoline. This dropped the rated horsepower from 375 SAE gross bhp to 345. (SAE net horsepower was listed parenthetically in the brochure as 220bhp.)

The Sausalito Green Firemist '71 Coupe DeVille in the photo would have come standard with variable-ratio power steering, power front disc brakes, and a Turbo Hydra-Matic 3-speed transmission with a 2.93:1 rear end.

Motor Trend magazine tested a '71 Sedan DeVille and the 472 cube motor had enough grunt to haul the 5,100+ pound barge to sixty in 10.1 seconds and through the quarter in 17.1 seconds at 82mph through the traps. The slightly lighter Coupe DeVille would have been a corresponding couple of ticks quicker.

The one in the photo was captured with a Nikon D200 and a 24-84mm f/2.8-4D zoom lens in August of 2021.

1971 Ford Mustang Convertible

Of all the days to leave a camera at home while running errands, I had to pick one where this '71-'72 Mustang convertible was parked out in front of the local car stereo installer.

Fortunately the longer lens on the iPhone 13 Pro Max is a ~77mm focal length equivalent and will take a pretty undistorted pic if you have room to back up, unlike the regular ~28mm camera, which always gives funhouse proportions.

'71-'72 was the beginning of the end for the original Muscle Car-era Mustangs. Mustangs are, properly, pony cars, not muscle cars, but that's another post.

The body was widened to accommodate the Lima-series 429 big block V-8s, after squeezing the Lima-derived Boss 429 hemi motor into the eponymous '69-'70 Boss 429 cars required engine bay surgery at Kar Kraft of Dearborn to shoehorn the motors in.

For '71 you could get your Mustang with anything from a 145bhp (SAE gross) Thriftpower 250 cid I-6 to a snarling 375hp 429 Super Cobra Jet big block.

Motor Trend tested a sampling of 1971 model 'Stangs: A Boss 351, a Mach 1 with the 429 Cobra Jet, and a base hardtop coupe with the 220hp two-barrel 302. The base hardtop had a three-speed automatic and managed a 9.9 second zero-to-sixty time and a 17.5 quarter at 78mph. With A/C, an AM/FM stereo, power front discs and power steering, the car was fairly well-optioned and stickered at $2,983, which is about $29,600 in current dollars. 

By comparison, the snarling Boss 351 with a four-speed sprinted to sixty in 5.8 seconds and cracked off a 13.8 quarter at 104mph; one of the last hurrahs of the Muscle Car Era.

In just three years, the Mustang would be a Pinto.

1971 Opel GT

Like a surprising number of industrial companies, German automaker Opel got its start as a sewing machine manufacturer in the mid-19th Century. They branched out into bicycle-making and produced their first motorcar in 1899.

After they went public in the late 1920s, General Motors acquired a majority stake and they became entirely owned by GM in 1931.

GM never set up Opel as a freestanding brand of its own in the U.S. market, but over the years they rebadged some, and sold a couple others as Opels through other GM dealerships.

Probably the best known of the latter is the Opel GT, made from 1968 through 1973 and sold in the U.S. alongside hulking Centurions and Electras on Buick lots in the waning days of the Muscle Car Era.

Looking almost like a five-eighths scale C3 Corvette, the GT is a steel unibody car with transverse leaf spring front suspension and a live rear axle.

The Jade Green car in the photos is a 1971 model. For 1971, compression on the 116 cubic inch "cam-in-head*" four cylinder was dropped from 9.5:1 to 7.6:1, which dropped horsepower from 102 to 90 bhp.

The car was still reasonably perky by virtue of a slick-shifting 4-speed and a curb weight right around two thousand pounds. Road & Track recorded a 0-60 time of 10.8 seconds from the earlier 102hp 1970 model, which was spritely for a little 4-cylinder hardtop GT at the time. It'd certainly kick sand in the face of the Karmann Ghia or the 1.8L MGB GT. The quarter took 17.7 seconds at 77mph, and the motor kept pulling up to 113 miles per hour.

While it was being sold on Buick lots next to GS 455's, those weren't its real competition. Instead, it was discontinued rather than undergoing the redesign it would take to compete with cars like the 2.0L Celica and the new 240Z from Datsun.

The one in the photos was snapped in October of 2023 with a Nikon D800 and 24-120mm f/4 VR zoom lens.

*Opel's cam-in-head motor wasn't a true OHC engine, instead it was an OHV motor that had a camshaft in the cylinder head operating the valves via short tappets and rocker arms, rather than longer pushrods running up from a cam low in the block.

1971 Buick GS 350 Convertible

The lack of "455" badges would indicate that this 1971 Fire Red ragtop is a base GS 350.

For 1971 the 4bbl small-block Buick 350 in the GS had its compression reduced from 10.25:1 to 8.5:1, although it still had a functional cold air intake and dual exhausts. For that model year, General Motors ad copy quoted both SAE gross and net horsepower figures, and the GS 350's mill was rated at 260 and 195 bhp, respectively, down from the 315 SAE gross of 1970.

That 195 net horsepower had to propel more than 3600 pounds of convertible, so the Buick GS 350 was hardly the stoplight terror its bigger 455 cube sibling was, but it's still a pretty grand sport.

This one was photographed with a Canon EOS-1D Mark III and EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM zoom lens in May of 2023.

1971 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe

Here's a 1971 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe in War Bonnet Yellow with a black interior. It's got the base L48 350cid small-block, which saw its compression lowered to 8.5:1 for the '71 model year so it could run on lower-octane fuel. Rated at 270 SAE gross horsepower, this one's putting its power to the rear wheels via a 3-speed Turbo-Hydramatic slushbox.

Car and Driver tested a 1971 L48 Stingray coupe with the 3-speed Turbo-Hydramatic and the standard 3.08:1 rear end and recorded a zero-to-sixty time of 7.1 seconds and a 15.6 quarter at 90 miles per hour. With air conditioning, power brakes, AM/FM radio, and power windows, the nicely-optioned base 'Vette stickered at $6,539.

1971 was the last year that GM used SAE gross horsepower numbers in their advertising. For '72 the L48 would be advertised with a 200hp SAE net output, despite being identical in terms of carb, cam, and compression.

These photos were shot in September of 2023, using a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM zoom lens.