Duntov Turbo Corvette Found in North Carolina

Duntov Turbo Corvette features a widebody kit, a pop-up headlight delete assembly, turbocharger, and is one of 201 built.

In the late seventies, speed-shop owner and Corvette enthusiast Robert Schuller set out to offer something much more than a Corvette. His vision was a drastic improvement on what Chevy was putting out, including Bilstein suspension upgrades and modifications to the power steering assembly to make these big beasts handle like a dream. However, the most dramatic change came with the addition of a turbocharger. His plan to sell them with then-retired Corvette engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov‘s name plastered on them for the world to see. The result was 201 of these Duntov Turbo Corvette’s being produced, the first going to Duntov himself. All of them are C3 models, as well.

Fast forward over 40 years. These things are insanely hard to come by. It makes it all that much more exciting, then, to find this Hotrod story of a fluke-found Duntov Turbo Corvette in North Carolina. Tim Childers, who is the new owner, recounts his story of finding this sleeping beauty.

When a friend gave Childers a tip about a Corvette for sale, he was immediately interested. Though his friend couldn’t quite recall what was unique about this Vette, he kept using the word “Diablo” to describe it. There is no Corvette with “Diablo” branding on it. However, not everyone is a car person, so we can’t fault him for that. The interesting name usage was enough for Childers to take a look at the Corvette and see what he was dealing with.

A Rare Sight

Though Childers is a Corvette enthusiast who estimates he has had between 60 and 70 Corvettes over the years, nothing could have prepared him for what he found when he showed up to look at this Vette.

“We went around and looked at it, looked under the hood, looked in the interior. It looked like he was getting ready to restore it years ago. He had the weatherstripping pulled out on the T-tops. The windshield was broken,” said Childers

This is where it gets fascinating. This Duntov Turbo Corvette has no turbo on it. The then-owner claims he bought the car thirty years ago, and after the turbo started giving him trouble, he removed it. While this is quite frustrating, it’s understandable. After all, from what we can find, nothing states these Duntov Vettes had any upgrades engine wise to support the addition of the turbo.

Despite its condition, the owner’s asking price was $5,000. Childers happily paid it and went on his merry way.

This Corvette gets even odder the more you look into it. Various reports are claiming contradictory about these Duntov turbo models. Some report that they only came convertible, and others say they only came in white as well. This particular one contradicts both those claims, but it just seems like a lot of effort to make a fake. It seems Schuller and ACI never really kept records of these things. We will, however, assume that this is the real deal. It even has a plaque with the original owner’s name and states it is number 25 of 200.

Now, Childers is deciding whether or not to restore it completely. He is actively seeking anyone with info on what turbo would be correct to the original. Everything else seems to be present. Whether or not this thing ever sees the road with a turbo again, it is very cool to see this rare Corvette in the hands of a true enthusiast.

Photos: Hotrod

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