May 1, 1953: Duntov Joins ED Cole’s New Corvette A-Team
May 1, 1953 – Zora Arkus-Duntov reports to work at the largest corporation in the world – General Motors
Zora Arkus-Duntov was always a ladies’ man, so it was no surprise that he fell in love with the Corvette when he saw Harley Earl’s Chevrolet “sports car” at the 1953 Motorama. Zora later said that the Corvette was the most beautiful car he’d ever seen, and he knew instantly that he wanted to be part of Chevrolet’s new enterprise of building an American sports car.
General Motors was literally and figuratively on top of the world, and many have written that GM was a world unto itself. The corporate culture was like the royal courts of Europe, with a rigid structure and hierarchy – a corporate culture that didn’t officially inspire individualism. Duntov was the ultimate corporate misfit. Fortunately, the 43-year-old engineer with premature silver hair and an accent as thick as Bela Lugosi’s had the ultimate corporate angel behind him – Ed Cole, Chevrolet’s Chief Engineer.
Cole ascended to his position as a result of his work on the revolutionary 1949 Cadillac 331 Overhead Valve engine, which was later developed into the most successful automobile engine ever designed, the small-block Chevy, and released for production in 1955. Cole was a maverick, but he knew the lay of the land inside GM. One of his famous quotes was, “Kick the hell out of the status quo!”
Harley Earl wasn’t just GM’s top designer; he had profound cultural insights, and he keenly saw social trends. Earl saw the need and place for women in industrial design when he formed his “Damsels of Design” department to oversee interior fabrics and colors, as well as exterior paint colors. When Earl witnessed the fun and enthusiasm at the 1951 Watkins Glen race, he knew that Chevrolet needed a sports car.
And when Earl wanted something, he usually got it.
Since no major American car maker had ever mass-produced a limited market “sports car” before, Ed Cole was charged with assembling the best automotive design engineers and racers of the day. Remember the automotive state of the art in 1952. Also, Ed Cole was a true “car guy”; he loved fast cars and racing. Cole was the Team Leader.
Cole tapped the renowned engine and suspension engineer, Maurice Olley, to design the frame and suspension layout. Olly was one of the chief engineers for Rolls-Royce during WW-II.. Three-time Indy 500 winner, Mauri Rose, was also a mechanical engineer with the Allison Corporation (as in Allison Aircraft engines).
Zora Arkus-Duntov was already well known in Detroit manufacturing circles thanks to his Ardun Hemi Head Kits for flat-head Ford engines. His European racing activities, building and driving cars, were also well known. In late 1952, Zora was shopping his engineering services to most of the major car makers, but was getting no offers.
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He really kicked it into high gear when he saw the Corvette at the January 1953 Motorama Show. After many letters and meetings, on May 1, 1953, Zora Arkus-Duntov was hired by GM. But it would take a little while for Zora to get on Cole’s Corvette A-Team. That is a whole other story.
Photo: Don Hunter
One of Duntov’s first juicy assignments was analyzing drive shaft vibration on one of GM’s buses. Another assignment was to analyze suspension options for a tail-heavy car. Obviously, with Duntov’s background, this was work beneath him – a little “trial by fire.” The task was part of the early-stage R&D work that eventually became the Corvair.
Cole liked to shake things up by bringing in corporate misfits, such as three-time Indy 500 winner Mauri Rose, Maurice Olley, and Frank Winchell. Misfit Smokey Yunick was only hired as a contractor. But he, too, was in the performance design mix in the ’50s. But no doubt, Duntov was the hardest to control. “Duntov’s antics” stories are legendary. I’m certain that Cole’s piers told him, “He’s all yours, Ed!” – Scott
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