What's your opinion of this eBay car?

[Mr70]

This is another example of a seller stretching the facts a bit and getting in the way of a really nice car.

Chevrolet made 9,791 <u>CONVERTIBLE</u> LS-3(BB 402),L-48 &amp; L-65 equipped 1971 Chevelles.No breakdown exists on specific engine to body.
Chevrolet made 17,656 LS-3 (BB-402) equipped Chevelles/Elcaminos &amp; Monte Carlos in 1971.
Chevrolet made 64,182 LS-3(BB 402) equipped Impalas in 1971.
Chevrolet made 1,533 LS-3(BB 402) equipped Camaros in 1971.
That's a total of 83,371 vehicles with the 300Hp/LS-3 (BB402) for 1971.

His 550 claim is way off balance,as he's probably referring to the 548 produced CLS suffixed LS-3 Chevelles.Those came with the RPO MC-1 Heavy Duty 3spd.M/T.His is carrying an Automatic,of which 80,697 1971 Chevelles/Elco/Monte C.-Impalas &amp; Camaros did,coded CLB and available in all bodystyles.
His M-40 TH400 came behind 21,333 1971 Big Block Chevelles.
The F-41 suspension was not Z-15 Super Sport specific in 1971.You could order it with any V-8.
16,994 1971 Chevelle/Elco/Monte C. came with the optional RPO U-14 tach &amp; gauges,and you didn't have to order the Z-15 Super Sport pckg.to get them.

Although close in shade,1970 code 43 Citrus Green metallic has a different receipe the 1971's code 43 Lime Green metallic and both are different from 1972's code 43 Gulf green metallic.

Although a fine example,it doesn't look to me like there's anything specifically "COPO" about this Chevelle.Everything was available as a public RPO.
A former GM employee might have ordered it through a dealer channel to get a GM employee discount,but I doubt he filed a Central Office Production Order for that.
..and that's a 1970 version USA-1 Taiwan reproduction license plate.

[RPOLS3]

Here are production figures from Rainer's website
www. malibu400.com

Did not format real well but the first # is manual trans, 2nd # is auto trans.

1971 Models with LS3 Engines

Manual Trans Auto Trans
Chevelle 300 Deluxe 2-door coupe 33 77
Malibu 2-door coupe 562 1287
Malibu Convertible 15 35
Chevelle 300 Deluxe 4-door sedan 29 67
Malibu 4-door sedan 119 278
Malibu 4-door sport sedan 66 155
Chevelle station wagon (including Nomad,
Greenbrier, and Concours models) 127 293
Totals 951 2192

Rare and desirable are 2 different things. They made some 3 speed manual transmission 67 Corvettes which are rare - but not many people want them.

Jake

[442w30]

[ QUOTE ]

If it can be proven F41 was only availible with RPO Z15 it supports the sellers claim.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, there are two points here:

1) If you're going to make such a grandiose claim as a COPO, why not back it up correctly?

2) If true about the suspension and the SS package (I personally doubt it), who cares? It's an interesting talking point, but it doesn't all of a sudden make the car more valuable heads-and-shoulders above any other Chevelle ragtop.

From Mr. Dykstra:
[ QUOTE ]
Here are production figures from Rainer's website

[/ QUOTE ]

But those are statistical estimates and not real numbers, so I don't think it is worth repeating something that people are using as factual information.

[Mr70]

The F-41 suspension was not Z-15 Super Sport specific in 1971.
You could option it on ANY Chevelle V-8...16,431 NON SS's did during 1971.

[442w30]

That's what I figured!

[RichSchmidt]

Unless it is totally bogus,this car is still something special.A bigblock convertable A body is something worth investing in.Despite the claims that it take at least 375 hp to be a supercar,maybe that defines super,but as a muscle car,this car offers far more appeal.if you lined this thing up against an LS6 car right off the showroom floor in a drag race this car might actually win since both cars are traction deprived,but this car would need less radical gearing and could better utilize an automatic trans.As far as I am concerend this car is way more driveable then any "super car".Solid lifter engines with no AC, that need tall rear end gears just to feel fast,are loud and now require race gas just to drive on the street arent something that appeal to many buyers,even many investors.If this car is as original as the seller claims,with all that paperwork,this car is something special,that might be worth more to some then a restored L78 car with a non numers block,or no paperwork,or extensive sheet metal replacement.

As far as the owner claiming it is a copo,it doesnt sem like that is the case just because the options werent listed as part of a package.To me a real COPO is a batch of cars that a dealer ordered that were totally outside the scope of RPO.This is still a very sharp car none the less.

[MultiMopars]

[ QUOTE ]
Unless it is totally bogus,this car is still something special.A bigblock convertable A body is something worth investing in.Despite the claims that it take at least 375 hp to be a supercar,maybe that defines super,but as a muscle car,this car offers far more appeal.if you lined this thing up against an LS6 car right off the showroom floor in a drag race this car might actually win since both cars are traction deprived,but this car would need less radical gearing and could better utilize an automatic trans.As far as I am concerend this car is way more driveable then any "super car".Solid lifter engines with no AC, that need tall rear end gears just to feel fast,are loud and now require race gas just to drive on the street arent something that appeal to many buyers,even many investors.If this car is as original as the seller claims,with all that paperwork,this car is something special,that might be worth more to some then a restored L78 car with a non numers block,or no paperwork,or extensive sheet metal replacement.

As far as the owner claiming it is a copo,it doesnt sem like that is the case just because the options werent listed as part of a package.To me a real COPO is a batch of cars that a dealer ordered that were totally outside the scope of RPO.This is still a very sharp car none the less.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think that anyone is discounting the fact that the car is not a somewhat desireable car. heck, it IS a big block convert Chevelle.

You may be a little behind the times with your other comment. There are MANY of these old hipo big blocks that run on pump gas and have street manners due to quenck motor building. They came from the factory with street legal exhaust and most any of these old cars regardly of big or small block/h.p. were available with a varity of gears. A/C was and IS a preference of the buyer/owner and I don't think it has a place in this senario. The factory typically limited the availability of A/C on the engines with hi rev cams so the belts would stay on and the compressors would not fail.