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Zora Arkus-Duntov in 1973

Known within General Motors as the "Godfather of the Corvette," Zora Arkus-Duntov’s enthusiasm for the Chevrolet sports car is legendary. In letters to Chevrolet Chief Engineer Ed Cole, he expressed strong opinions about the early Corvette’s lack of power and the way the brand was marketing the car as well even before he was asked to join the engineering team. His thoughtful opinions and his reputation as a highly-skilled engineer and accomplished race car driver helped him to win the respect of Chevrolet’s top brass as he strived to save Corvette from the scrap heap.

In 1955, Zora convinced chief engineer Ed Cole and the other leaders at Chevrolet to boost the performance of the Corvette by adding a V-8 engine to the production model. In July of that year, he made another proposal: Put me in charge of Corvette! In a memo to Ed Cole dated July 12, 1955, Zora writes (View the Original Memo):

"In Conjunction with my proposed talk on the Corvette I was again turning over in my mind the whole Corvette situation.

To cut it short what I think is:

I don’t believe that a product for competitive market has a fair deal or has a fighting chance unless pushed by determined enthusiastic all out effort.

There is no man or organization whose sole aim and responsibility is the success of the Corvette.

I propose to create a small group operating through existing design, development and other facilities to handle all problems pertaining to the Corvette.

In this manner your policy in regards to the Corvette will have a chance to be carried out as successfully as it is carried out in regard to our passenger cars and trucks.

I further propose to entrust me the charge of the Corvette and this is not because of what I do or do not know but because of enthusiasm and push I will put behind this project.

This is a skeleton of my thoughts and I am eager to know your attitude.

Z. Arkus-Duntov"

Despite acting as the de-facto chief engineer for Corvette for most of the 1950s and all of the '60s, Zora was not officially given that title until December 1, 1968. Since his retirement in 1974, only three other men have held that highly-regarded title: Dave McClellan, Dave Hill, and current Corvette Chief Engineer Tom Wallace. During his reign, Zora and his team crafted the Corvette into the legendary sports car it is today.

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