1971 Chevy Corvette Jimmie Johnson Concept is a Modern Classic

10 years ago - 5 November 2014, Autoblog

The Autoblog staff is full of men and women who love cool cars, whether they are old or new, foreign or domestic. And there's a special place in our hearts for the Chevrolet Corvette, which has stood out as a performance icon at a benchmark price since well before the 1971 model you see above rolled off the assembly line in Kentucky.

Thing is, time marches on, and so do the standards of automotive performance. While there's certainly nothing at all wrong with the classic small- and big-block V8 engines the Corvette has been fitted with over the years, the latest pushrod V8 in the current C7 Corvette is the best ever designed and built by The General, equipped as it is with continuously variable valve timing and direct injection to pump out 460 horsepower while still meeting the latest efficiency and emissions requirements.

Chevrolet has teamed up with NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson on the creation seen here at today's SEMA Show. Behind the aforementioned Gen V LT1 V8 sits a six-speed manual gearbox that, like the engine itself, can be found in GM's expansive aftermarket parts catalog. Adjustable coil-over suspension bits replace the stock pieces, and the 18-inch blacked-out wheels were made to emulate the rallye wheels of the 1971 original.