Top 5 Chevy People Of All Time: #4 Zora Arkus-Duntov

The Russian-born Arkus-Duntov was destined for an automotive career, growing up in Russia and Germany around some of the greatest streetcars of that era. Duntov’s first vehicle was a 350cc motorcycle that he drove on the street and the local racetrack. Obeying his parent’s wishes, Duntov traded the motorcycle for something that was more like an automobile called a “Bob.” The “Bob” was a racecar that was set up for oval track racing, which used weak rear brakes and no front braking at all. Such was the beginnings for the would be racer.

Graduating from the Charlottenburg Technological University in 1934, Duntov began writing engineering papers for a German automotive publication called “Auto Motor und Sport.”

When WWII broke out, Duntov and his family fled to the United States where the two Duntov brothers set up shop in Manhattan. The Ardun (derived from Arkus and Duntov) company supplied parts to the military machine during the war.

Best known for manufacturing Ardun heads for the Flathead Ford V8 engines which transformed the engines into 300 horsepower monsters. Questionable business decisions and bad practices forced the company to close its doors.

Duntov began racing in the Le Mans races winning class victories in both the 1954 and 1955 Le Mans. He joined General Motors in 1953 where he convinced Chevrolet chief engineer Ed Cole to hire him as an assistant staff engineer.

Quickly rising through the ranks, Duntov became the director of high performance at Chevrolet where he set about to change the Corvette from a mild roadster to a sports car capable of beating the European counterparts.

Duntov became known as the “Father of the Corvette” as he closely monitored each and every change during his tenure. Duntov died in Detroit on April 21, 1996, and his ashes were entombed at the National Corvette Museum. The rest, as they say, is history.