Vehicle Description
• The odometer reads just over 7,360 miles and this Corvette is in
outstanding original condition • Bloomington Gold Certified�, Gold
Survivor� and Benchmark� Certified • Original judging sheets
included for both Bloomington Gold and NCRS • Complete ownership
history included and well-documented • Highly original condition
with numbers-matching 350/270-HP V-8 engine and Turbo 400 automatic
transmission • Includes Protect-O-Plate, window sticker, tank
sticker, build sheet and more • Original paint code 979
Bridgehampton Blue with matching vinyl interior • Recipient of NCRS
Top Flight, Zora Arkus-Duntov Mark of Excellence and 5-Star Bowtie
awards • Includes shipper's report from St. Louis Assembly Plant to
Scheer Motors in Grayling, Michigan Corvette is truly the American
sports car. When these cars were new, they were not sold to be
collector items, they were sold with the intention that they would
be used for exciting road-hugging adventures, even if it were for
the day-to-day drive to work or the country club. And customers
responded, sometimes using them hard, very hard. Most owners of new
Corvettes could describe their purchase as being the start of a
love affair and create memorable motoring memories. But then there
were a few, so very few, where the owners treasured their
magnificent rolling treasures so much that they were barely used.
One such owner was Ernest A. Spring Jr., who just a few days before
his 49th birthday, on July 14, 1971, took delivery of this
beautiful 1971 Corvette coupe. Though he had purchased this new
Corvette from Scheer Motors in Grayling, Michigan, he took delivery
from Alcona Motors in nearby Lincoln. Everything had been checked
out, under the hood, the body and chassis and the undersides of the
car. It had been given a brief road test during which a dozen
features were tested. It had been washed and detailed and was ready
to hit the road with just three miles showing on the odometer.
Ernest loved the car and unlike those who chose to drive the wheels
off of their cars, he used it very sparingly. After his passing,
the car was sold in 2003 to an avid Corvette enthusiast, Tony
Woodward. At that time, the odometer showed just 4,326 miles.
Woodward recognized the importance of this well-preserved coupe and
relished the chance to show it off. Shortly after acquiring this
rolling time capsule, he campaigned it at numerous NCRS judging
events where it would go on to win every major award possible from
Top Flight to the Zora Arkus-Duntov Mark of Excellence. Around
2008, the car would change hands and was acquired by another
collector wanting the ultimate in preservation, Peter Hendricks
from Georgia. He would continue to show this stunning example of
Chevrolet's masterpiece at numerous Bloomington Gold judging events
where it again scored top honors being certified as a true
"Survivor." Later it was acquired by Brady Como and he displayed
this coupe at the NCRS Deep South Regional meet in 2013. It was
later acquired by our consignor who has gone to great lengths to
preserve this car's originality and authenticity. Today, the
odometer reads just over 7,360 miles and this Corvette is in
outstanding original condition. It is riding on its original
Firestone F70X15 whitewall tires and is very well-documented from
the day it left the St. Louis assembly plant to be delivered at
Scheer Motors. Two notebooks are presented in a neatly arranged
format with all the original documentation from the owner's manual,
warranty cards, Protect-O-Plate and more. The original window
sticker shows this Corvette was fitted with the 350-cid, 270-HP V-8
engine backed by the Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission. It is fitted
with important options such as tilt-telescopic steering wheel,
power brakes, power steering, AM-FM radio, and as the window
sticker described them, "F70X15 White Strip Tires." Our inspection
found this car to be exceptional with the Bridgehampton Blue
metallic paint retaining all of its original luster and dep
