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Zora-Arkus Duntov was not the father of the Corvette, but it was he who had made it a real sports car. Born in Belgium to Russian Jewish parents, Duntov and his family emigrated to the United States just as the Second World War began. He joined the Corvette team after the launch of the car in 1953 and immediately set out to compete with the best in Europe.
It was Duntov who propelled the Chevrolet compact V-8 into the 1955 Corvette and led the engineering of the legendary Sting Ray. He transformed the car, but his ambitions were even greater. Duntov wanted a mid-engine car. He has created a number of central engine prototypes over the years, but none of GM's executives has pushed the company to put such a Corvette into production.
Chevrolet
Now, things are different: the Corvette C8 will have its engine in the center. And to pay tribute to his godfather, the Corvette team paid a subtle tribute to Duntov in the camouflage of the C8 prototype. First spotted by Corvette Blogger, the Corvette team placed stickers with a silhouette of Duntov's face on the car. There are at least two: one on the mirror and one on the door. You will, however, need to zoom in on the picture below of GM CEO Mary Barra standing with the car to see the stickers.
Chevrolet
It's a small tribute, but it's significant. Duntov knew that the Corvette had the engine behind the driver and that he had never seen such a car reach its production – he died in 1996 at age 86 – it's finally become a reality. A bigger tribute could also come – there is a rumor that a high performance version of the C8 could be called "Zora".
The C8 will break with years of Corvette tradition, but retains an important connection to its history. It is clear that the people behind that realize it.
GM
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