Zora Arkus-Duntov Letter That Led to V8 Corvette Makes Public Debut

The father of the Corvette, Zora Arkus-Duntov, penned a simple letter in 1953 that led to a historic change.

As all Corvette fans are well aware, the father of that beloved model – Zora Arkus-Duntov – played a pivotal role in making the iconic car what it is today. That includes convincing General Motors to put a V8 in the Corvette, a true turning point that ultimately saved the car from early extinction. Turns out, Zora Arkus-Duntov penned a letter to GM brass making a business case for that particular move, and it’s been hidden away in the National Corvette Museum archives for years, until it recently made its public debut at the NCM Bash, where Corvette Blogger captured the moment on film.

The letter – dubbed Thoughts Pertaining to Youth, Hot Rodders, and Chevrolet – was written by the then-assistant staff engineer on December 16, 1953, and explained how the young men in the burgeoning hot rod market were overwhelmingly opting for Ford parts in their never-ending quest for performance. Arkus-Duntov’s belief, however, was that once those young men got a bit older, they would be looking to trade in their old, home-built hot rods for something newer and nicer. Thus, his plea was for GM to step in and develop products that would instead lure those folks to Ford’s cross-town rival.

The letter eventually worked, and GM offered a V8-powered Corvette for the first time in 1955. Arkus-Duntov’s team went to work developing performance upgrades for the ensuing small blocks that would follow, making the Corvette a truly enticing offering for the more mature hot rodder that wanted something that was equally stylish and capable.

Amazingly, as many good ideas often do, this one started with little more than a simple letter. It’s nothing but an astute observation of what the world of hot rodding looked like at the time, as well as a pretty obvious business case for giving the Corvette more power as a way to compete with another brand that already had a stranglehold on things at the time. Luckily for us, it worked, and this letter once again proves that Zora Arkus-Duntov was an influential figure who was always a bit ahead of the proverbial curve.

Photos: General Motors

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