[PICS] Bloomington Gold’s 2021 Gold Collection Salutes the LS6 Corvette

Our 2021 Bloomington Gold coverage continues now as we look at the invitation-only Gold Collection. The 2021 Gold Collection paid tribute to the 1971 LS6-powered Corvettes as they turn 50 years old this year.

Cars participate in the Gold Collection strictly on an invitation-only basis. They can be amazingly restored examples or unrestored originals. They can be factory racecars or GM styling cars. If it’s a unique or special Corvette and fits the given year’s theme, an owner can apply to show their car. From there, a selection committee will review the car’s resume and, if it’s good enough, formally invite it to participate in the Gold Collection.

RPO LS6 – a 425hp, 454c1 engine – was offered only in Corvettes for the 1971 model year. Thus, they are even rarer than L88 Corvettes. Total LS6 production was 188 (1% of 1971 production) cars compared to 216 L88’s over their 3-year run. The stump-pulling, aluminum head, big block added 22% ($1,221) to the coupe’s base price of $5,496. Less than 100 verified LS6 cars are currently known to exist. This year’s Gold Collection pulled together 14 of these special Corvettes in what we believe to be the largest-ever gathering of 1971 LS6 Corvettes in one location.

The LS6’s present in the Gold Collection ran the full gamut of our hobby. Several of the cars were unrestored originals with less than 10,000 miles on the odometer. Others were exquisitely restored examples brought back to their as-new condition. One car had even been restored back to its “Day 2” form in which the owner first saw the car many years ago prior to his purchase. The Collection even featured a pair of ultra-rare ZR2 convertibles – one of which was delivered in primer – and a cool silver/red convertible that was originally exported to Belgium.

Once again, the Bloomington Gold team assembled a fantastic grouping of special Corvettes for their annual Gold Collection. We can’t wait to see what they come up with for next year. In the meantime, enjoy our gallery of the 2021 Gold Collection below.

Source:
Photos by Steve Burns

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