This is the single greatest honor in the motor vehicle industry, intended to honor a career and/or lifetime achievement. To become a "Hall of Famer" the nominee must be either retired or deceased. Recipients must have significantly impacted the development of the automobile or the motor vehicle industry. Typically, four to eight individuals are inducted each year.
Earned the title "Father of the Performance Corvette" through his improvements to the early Corvette
Designed the supercharger that increased power in many small European cars
Established records at Pike's Peak and Daytona, and won class honors at LeMans on two occasions
Zora Arkus-Duntov made his mark by transforming a stylish car into a legendary high-performance sports car.
Growing up during the Russian Revolution, Arkus-Duntov had to fight for survival. Fortunately, his parents were able to migrate to Germany where Arkus-Duntov earned an engineering degree. During World War II he joined the French forces, and migrated to the United States after the war.
When he first saw the Corvette in 1953, Arkus-Duntov thought it was the finest looking car he had ever seen. But when he raised the fiberglass hood, he was disappointed to find an ordinary street engine. Arkus-Duntov wrote to General Motors President Edward Cole suggesting improvements. Cole was so impressed that he hired Arkus-Duntov, who transformed the Corvette into a high-performance machine that has become an American icon.
General Motors and other manufacturers incorporated Arkus-Duntov's ideas into other vehicles...which today still bear "the mark of Zora."
