Back in September 2020, Kerbeck Corvette discovered Zora's figure etched into the passenger side of the windshield of a C8 Corvette. As it happens, that’s not the only tribute to the Father of the Corvette.
Ryan Jaycox has recently serviced his mid-engine sports car, and up on the lift, he spotted Zora “stamped on the bottom” of his Corvette. Located towards the center of the underside, the legendary engineer’s figure serves as a reminder that GM refused to take a risky decision in the 1970s.
The first advocate of the midship Corvette dreamed of this layout since the first Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle rolled out in 1960 with a 283-cu in V8 rated at 350 horsepower. The subsequent rotary-engined Aerovette concepts predated the fourth-gen Corvette, which should have featured a midship layout if the 1973 Oil Crisis didn’t put that plan to rest.
Belgian-born Zora would retire from General Motors in January 1975 without realizing his dream, feeling disappointed with the beancounter-driven strategy of the biggest automaker in Detroit. Automotive engineer Dave McLellan replaced him as the head of the C4 program, and he remained the chief engineer for the Chevy Corvette until his retirement in 1992.
Arkus-Duntov’s legacy doesn’t stop here, though. When he was the director of High Performance Vehicles at Chevrolet, the one and only Zora helped introduce the small-block V8 to the Corvette in 1955. The Father of the Corvette is also credited with making fuel injection possible in 1957.
Last but certainly not least, Zora pushed the Golden Bowtie for independent rear suspension and four-wheel disc brakes. Had he lived today, Arkus-Duntov would be genuinely impressed by how far the Corvette has gone.
Still, the Stingray is only the first specification of many for the C8. In chronological order, Chevrolet prepares to roll out the flat-plane crankshaft Z06, the hybrid E-Ray, the twin-turbo ZR1, and twin-turbo hybrid Zora that's estimated to crank out 1,000 horsepower. In other words, the legendary engineer’s legacy will come full circle for the 2025 model year.
The first advocate of the midship Corvette dreamed of this layout since the first Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle rolled out in 1960 with a 283-cu in V8 rated at 350 horsepower. The subsequent rotary-engined Aerovette concepts predated the fourth-gen Corvette, which should have featured a midship layout if the 1973 Oil Crisis didn’t put that plan to rest.
Belgian-born Zora would retire from General Motors in January 1975 without realizing his dream, feeling disappointed with the beancounter-driven strategy of the biggest automaker in Detroit. Automotive engineer Dave McLellan replaced him as the head of the C4 program, and he remained the chief engineer for the Chevy Corvette until his retirement in 1992.
Arkus-Duntov’s legacy doesn’t stop here, though. When he was the director of High Performance Vehicles at Chevrolet, the one and only Zora helped introduce the small-block V8 to the Corvette in 1955. The Father of the Corvette is also credited with making fuel injection possible in 1957.
Last but certainly not least, Zora pushed the Golden Bowtie for independent rear suspension and four-wheel disc brakes. Had he lived today, Arkus-Duntov would be genuinely impressed by how far the Corvette has gone.
Still, the Stingray is only the first specification of many for the C8. In chronological order, Chevrolet prepares to roll out the flat-plane crankshaft Z06, the hybrid E-Ray, the twin-turbo ZR1, and twin-turbo hybrid Zora that's estimated to crank out 1,000 horsepower. In other words, the legendary engineer’s legacy will come full circle for the 2025 model year.