Zora Arkus-Duntov - The Legend Behind Corvette

By: Jerry Burton .

JERRY BURTON'S captivating biography, Zora Arkus-Duntov: The Legend Behind Corvette, tells the story of how a gifted Russian engineer brought up by Russian Revolutionary parents became the guiding force behind the quintessential American sports car, and in the process attained the elite status of American legend himself.

The story of Corvette's best known advocate begins with Zora's birth to Russian parents in Belgium in 1909, and continues on a turbulent journey through Zora's boyhood in revolutionary Russia and his eventual flight from Nazi Germany to America in the late thirties. These early years of struggle toughened Zora for the kind of battles he would later fight on behalf of the Corvette.

Zora's first grasps at international fame came with his invention of the Ardun engine in New York after World War II, and later in his unsuccessful attempts to become a professional race car driver back in Europe. Convinced that his engineering talents would be the key to satisfying his desire for fame and his passion for racing, Duntov was determined to find a position with a major American car company. When he saw the first Corvette at the 1953 Motorama, Zora was smitten and focused his efforts on General Motors, securing a job with GM in 1953.

As a European-trained engineer who had seen the all conquering Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Grand Prix cars in action, he was a stranger in a strange land at GM where selling high volumes of passenger cars took precedence over selling a limited production sports car. Though he never stopped rebelling against the culture at General Motors, Zora remained tirelessly focused on improving the Corvette and making it a legitimate sports car capable of winning races. Despite conflict with such GM notables as Maurice Olley and Bill Mitchell, Duntov spent an increasing amount of his time with the Corvette program until, ultimately, he was named chief engineer. Along the way, he brought forth such great Corvettes as the '57 Fuelie, '63 Split Window and the Grand Sport racers.

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