For Sale: 1971 GMC Sprint in Ft Worth, Texas

If you're unhappy with your Chevelle's lack of trunk space, allow us to suggest an alternative: this awesome red 1971 GMC Sprint, complete with a 454 cubic inch big block under the hood, a few choice power options, and a comfortable A/C interior. Styling was a high-water mark for the 1971 A-bodies and many find them to be the most attractive of all. With a high-quality restoration that looks and drives extremely well, this Sprint belongs at the top of your shopping list if you're looking for fast yet practical fun.

Looking extremely handsome in bright red with painted-on black SS stripes, this GMC Sprint was repainted not too long ago and it's holding up very well today. Thanks to a thorough restoration and great care by a hobbyist, its working days are over, so shining up the paint on a Saturday afternoon is routine. Panel gaps are very good considering that this is half truck, and the cowl induction hood gives it an aggressive look. Black SS stripes were added, along with a blacked-out grille up front, although SS badging was left off because this Sprint is not pretending to be anything that it's not. All the chrome and stainless, including the bed trim around the pickup bed, is in very good condition with few signs of hard labor behind it, providing great contrast to the red finish. The single headlights up front tell you this is an early '70s ('71-'72 only) model, and the split blinkers at each flank denote that this is a 1971 model, just like on the Chevelle and Malibu models. Looking in the painted bed you can see that this Sprint has carried some loads in its day, but it's still very presentable and ready to haul half of Home Depot away if you should so choose.

This Sprint carries a handsome black interior, which uses a bench seat to permit three-abreast seating. Most of the interior appears relatively recent, including the door panels, headliner, and even the seat cover, all of which are correct reproductions. A bench seat is probably a smart choice in a UTE, just to maximize passenger capacity, and the column shifter means nobody's uncomfortable. The standard gauge cluster is little more than a speedometer and fuel gauge plus some idiot lights, so a trio of auxiliary units were added below the dash to keep an eye on the big block's vitals. There's a Clarion AM/FM/CD/AUX stereo in the dash that sounds great, and you'll not that this is an A/C car, and the unit blows hard and cold inside the cab. But for the most part, there's nothing inside to detract from the original look and that's a good thing.

The engine is a stout 454 cubic inch V8, built with big power and torque in mind and dressed for duty in the GMC. With chrome Bowtie valve covers, a chrome open-element air cleaner, Chevrolet Orange on the block, and original style exhaust manifolds, it could almost pass for an OEM installation. However, under the air cleaner lives a polished Edelbrock intake manifold, a 4-barrel carburetor, and an HEI ignition system. A Flowmaster dual exhaust system gives it a fantastic big block bark, and the slick-shifting TH350 3-speed automatic transmission doesn't mind the occasional hard shift in the heat of combat. A heavy-duty 10-bolt rear end with an upgraded cover doesn't mind the horsepower one bit and power steering and power front disc brakes help the Sprint's road manners. Finishing the look, it rolls on a set of handsome 15-inch Rally wheels wearing beefy 225/70/15 BFGoodrich T/A white-letter radials.

Look at the photos again. This is a clean, solid car with big block power and a great paint job. For a fun, big block muscle car with enough practicality to work for a living, you could hardly do better than this great-looking '71 Sprint. Call today!