Zora Arkus-Duntov was an automotive genius. After barely escaping the Nazi invasion, he and his brother invented an overhead cam conversion kit for the Ford flathead V8. His ARDUN heads are worth a fortune today because they doubled the power of the engine. His shop was not far from the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, so he decided to check out the 1953 concept car in the lobby.
What he saw was a sports car powered by a six-cylinder engine with a lame 2-speed automatic. He wrote Chevrolet a letter addressing the Corvette’s issues, and they hired him to fix it. The rest is history and he retired in 1975. To recognize the father of the Corvette, the Petersen Museum is hosting a Zora Duntov Tribute Weekend.
It kicks off Saturday night at 7 pm with a VIP dinner. Attendees will be treated by food and entertainment while being surrounded by Zora’s Corvette Prototypes. Guests will be able to interact with the new 2020 Corvette Stingray. Sunday starts at 7:30 am at the ArtCenter in Pasadena. Corvettes from around southern California will enjoy a scenic rally to the Petersen Museum for a massive Corvette show and Panel Discussion. Click the link below for all the info and stay with us for all your Corvette news.
He always wanted a mid-engine supercar, so here is the first prototype being assembled:
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