ZORA ARKUS-DUNTOV

Zora Arkus-Duntov



Zora Arkus-Duntov

Introduction

Name Zora Arkus-Duntov has long been inextricably linked with the Corvette in the minds of automotive historians and enthusiasts. But the story of Zora Arkus-Duntov runs far deeper than twenty years of professional involvement as a primary act as a Corvette in the General Motors chief engineer and first fiberglass sports car's. Author Jerry Burton, founder and chief editor and current editorial director of Corvette Quarterly, has written that only authorized biography of Zora Arkus-Duntov. Telling the full story of this complex and fascinating man, Burton takes the reader from the roots of Zora in revolutionary Russia, his relentless pursuit of the American dream against the background of New York and Detroit in the midst of a love affair with the American automobile.

Discussion

Zora Arkus-Duntov was a risk of the seller, a brave driver to race, brilliant engineer and an opportunist. He proved to be reckless, resourceful, and resilient. Zora Arkus-Duntov, all these things. Car enthusiasts know as the patron of Dante's Corvette. But he was so much more. He was the man who packed the experience of nine or ten lives in a one-man, which defines the term "life on the edge."

Zora Arkus-Duntov was born in Belgium and grew up in Leningrad and educated in Berlin. He jumped over the hip of war and revolution in Europe and in this way, married a dancer from the Follies Bergere. After World War II began, he joined the French Air Force, and then organized the escape of his family from the Nazis. Then he came to America to create Ardun Mechanic, a company of war munitions, which eventually employed 300 people. In the postwar years, Zora has changed position in the high performance arena, the design of the cylinder head conversion for the V8 Ford Flathead. He became a favorite of hot rodders everywhere.

After joining GM in 1953, Zora Corvette has changed from an expensive player in one of the most respected sports cars in the world. He started slowly ... suspension settings, some aerodynamic work, the V8 high-performance camshaft and fuel injection. Later comes an independent rear suspension, thoroughbred racing cars and prototypes bold. Suddenly, the "General" was more alive than ever. Corvettes began to appear in the race paddock at places like Pebble Beach and Sebring, along with Mercedes, Jaguars and Porsches. Years passed, Corvette will be the biggest-selling sports car in the world, and how, blue jeans and Marlboro, Corvette will be known for its brash American character.

Duntov knew that the American sports car should be, despite the fact that his main influences were European. His pedigree was taken from some of the greatest names in automotive history Ettore Bugatti, Luigi Chinetti, Dr. Ferry Porsche, Sydney Allard, and Carroll Shelby. Dante, in fact, interact with all of them, like these great men and their own brands, Corvette, at least in its early years, was the product of singular vision of Dante, and not a committee or focus group.

One car, which always catches my eye sporty ...