Zora Arkus-Duntov -The Legend Behind the Corvette

Zora at the General Motors Desert Proving Grounds in Mesa, Arizona, behind the wheel of a 1954 Corvette test mule equipped with a small-block Chevy V8. Zora was testing his new “Duntov camshaft” in preparation for an attempt to break the 150-mph mark on the sands of Daytona Beach in January 1956. The Duntov Cam helped the engine produce 240 hp @ 5800 RPM, 15 hp more than the stock engine

The story of Zora Arkus-Duntov is a quintessential American success story. From growing up during the Russian Revolution, life in Paris during the late-Thirties, fleeing the Nazis during WWII, to coming to the U.S. and working on the first Corvettes, his life story would make great fiction if we didn't already know it was true.

Zora Arkus-Duntov: The Legend Behind Corvette, tells the story of how a gifted Russian engineer brought up by Bolshevik parents became the guiding force behind the legendary American sports car, and in the process attained the elite status of American legend himself.

Le Mans 1954: Zora parades down pit row in his 1100 cc Porsche 550 after winning his class in the 24-hour classic. Duntov used a smooth, consistent driving style to overcome his lack of horsepower. A major thunderstorm took its toll, with only 18 out of 58 cars finishing the race. The following year Zora drove a similar Porsche to another class victory and narrowly missed being part of the horrific crash that killed Mercedes driver Pierre Levegh and some 80 spectators.

Author Jerry Burton, founding editor and current editorial director of Corvette Quarterly, has worked with many of Zora's friends and colleagues, as well as his widow, to write the first major biography of Zora Arkus-Duntov.

For the first time in print and illustrated with hundreds of unpublished photos, blueprints, and archival documents, Zora Arkus-Duntov has been put in the perspective needed to understand his later achievements as a Russian-Jewish immigrant fighting to make his mark at General Motors. Burton’s research is exhaustive, based on scores of personal interviews and thousands of documents. Anyone who has ever had an interest in Corvettes, automotive engineering, Duntov, or the pursuit of the American dream will find Zora Arkus-Duntov: The Legend Behind Corvette an enlightening and riveting read.