The people at Chevrolet have a great deal for you on their 1971 half-ton pickups. Check it out!
Courtesy of the fine folks at the GM Heritage Center, we have this neat little clip for the 1971 Chevrolet plckup that features a tradition of the car selling biz: the spring promotion. Around midway into the sales season when things start to get a little stale in the showrooms, the automakers boost the excitement level with new colors, special pricing, and option packages to lure buyers back into the sales managers’ offices. We couldn’t say exactly when the marketing practice began, but we know it goes back to the 1930s and it’s probably older than that.
The Chevrolet promotion below features the Inflation Fighter Special: a decently equipped ’71 Chevy Fleetside pickup with Custom Cab trim and your choice of engines, the famed 250 CID Stovebolt six or the equally venerated 307 CID small-block V8. According to one Texas dealer print ad we found, the V8 version of the ’71 Inflation fighter could be yours for $2575, a pretty nice deal. (Regular list prices started at $2927.) Inflation was a serious pain for American consumers in those days, shrinking the value of their dollars as quickly they could spend them, and price cuts were a welcome relief. Jump on the bandwagon and check out the deals in the video below.
My old man bought one of those stripper 71’s in 1972, a year old used truck. Blue with a white top, long bed, 250 I6 and 3 speed manual on the column, only options besides the two color paint was full gauges and an AM radio. Plain jane, no chrome, bumper was white, only brightwork was the grill surround. I learned how to drive a manual transmission in that truck. He kept it about 17 years, and had I know he was going to sell it, I’d bought it myself. Have thought many times about finding myself a 71 or 72 short bed version, but they are still popular, and prices for decent ones are high.
The guy with the mike was Barney Phillips, known for his deep voice. Had a long career in radio programs including Dragnet, then moved into TV. See him in a lot of westerns from the 60’s.
Seems like my old man got cheated on his 71, it had a white bumper and white wheels and hubcaps. It must not have been one of those specials after all.