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MECUM BLOOMINGTON GOLD CORVETTE AUCTION REACHES $5.8 MILLION

MARENGO, IL—June 28, 2011: Mecum Auctions sold a variety of noteworthy Corvettes during its annual Bloomington Gold Corvette Auction, which had total gross sales (excluding buyer's premium) of $5.8 million for the two-day event June 24-25, 2011, in St. Charles, Ill.

Headlining the offering was a collection of 23 Black Corvettes ranging from 1954-1969 with at least one example from each year. On Thursday afternoon, the collection turned heads through downtown St. Charles on the way to Pheasant Run Resort in a police escorted parade. With heavy interest and heated bidding on Saturday morning, the collection, offered at No Reserve, hammered for an aggregate of $1.65 Million. :bang

The top sale of the weekend was a rare 1971 Corvette ZR2 Convertible that sold for $410,000 (hammer price). One of two ZR2 convertibles produced, this Corvette is documented with the original tank sticker, which confirms a build date of mid-May 1971 - the latest known build date for an LS6 Corvette - making this the last ZR2 build and the last of all first generation LS6-powered vehicles built by Chevrolet. :bang:bang

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DESCRIPTION from Mecum catalog

The LS6 engine RPO has been offered once before in Corvette history, but only for one model year - 1971. With 454 cubic inches, a cast-iron block and aluminum heads, the first LS6 was second only to the full-blown L88 racing engine offered from 1967 through 1969 - in terms of both power and legend. The original LS6 produced 425 bhp and was the most powerful engine offered in 1971. Only 188 cars were produced with this powerplant, less than one percent of Corvette's 21,801 production run for the year. The option price was $1,221.00, or 22 percent of the coupe's $5,496.00 base price.

When tested by a leading automotive magazine, an LS6 with a four-speed manual and a 3.36:1 limited-slip differential produced impressive numbers: a 0 to 60 time of 5.3 seconds, 13.8 seconds@105 mph in the quarter mile and fuel mileage between 9 and 14 mpg. Building on the LS6 option was the ZR2 package. Priced at $1,747.00, the ZR2 included the LS6, a heavy-duty, close-ratio four-speed manual transmission, heavy-duty power brakes, transistorized ignition, lightweight aluminum radiator, special springs, shocks, and front and rear stabilizer bars. A total of only 12 ZR2-equipped Corvettes were produced, making them even rarer than the original Z06.

The ZR2 offered here is not only one of just 12 built; it is one of only two convertibles and the only completely original one in existence, untouched and retaining all its original components. The car won Gold at the Bloomington Corvette Corral in 1982, Gold “Special Collection” at Bloomington in 1984, and the Meguiar’s Award at the Palo Alto Concours in 2003. It is fully documented with the warranty card, Protect-O-Plate, partial tank sticker, Delco Remy transistor ignition tag, Bloomington Gold Special Collection certificate, Corvette Owner’s Card and letter of congratulations from General Motors GM John Z. DeLorean.

:cool I know the LS4 was still available later so this wouldn't be "the last big block vette" but I'm gonna call it "the last GOOD big block" instead. :lol

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I would love to slobber all over that vette, but I wouldn't but it because I don't think THAT one needs to be on the road.

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