Customer Reviews

Zora Arkus-Duntov: The Legend Behind Corvette (Chevrolet)

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Very very interesting book on the Father (but not creator) of the Corvette. The book brings the legend to life. If you have already put Zora on a Pedestal, then you may not want to read this book as it shows his human side (but does not tarnish it). On the other hand if you want to know the inside story on someone who had a tremendous influence on automotive history, then read this book. If you want to learn about how the Corvette happened and grew, then this book is for you.

You don't have to be a Corvette enthusiast to enjoy this book. Duntov's life was so colorful that it reads like a novel. This book is full of characters that make it a page-turner. He never became a true executive of GM but his influence was greater to the corporation's image than any of the people on the top floor. You will be surprised at his achievements thoughout the automotive industry.

Visit a book store with an automotive section or, look right here at Amazon.com. You'll find many books about Corvettes: engine building, racing, restoration, facts-and-figures, service manuals, coffee-table picture books, parts books, assembly manuals, collections of reprinted magazine articles and a variety of other titles. Like I said...there are lots of Corvette books.

As for great Corvette books?

Well...those are pretty darn rare. Karl Lugvigsen's classic, "Corvette: America's Star-Spangled Sports Car", is one. The late Jim Schefter's, "All Corvettes are Red", is another. Noland Adam's pair of Corvette Restoration and Technical Manuals are two more.

The newest member of truly outstanding Corvette literature is Jerry Burton's biography, "Zora Arkus-Duntov: the Legend Behind the Corvette". Finely-detailed, yet easy-reading, it's a spellbinding life's story of a man who became one of the automotive engineering giants of the 20th Century.

Corvette enthusiasts know Duntov as the guy who snatched Corvette from death at the hands of short-sighted General Motors executives in the early 1950s, then, improved its engineering, performance and image such that it went from a product Chevrolet dealers couldn't sell to the most successful high-performance sports car on earth. A good part of how Corvette became one of the rare automobiles to attain American Icon status is attributable directly to Zora Duntov's vision, personality and hard work.

This book also tells of Duntov's growing up in St. Petersburg during the Russian Revolution when young Zora was a street-wise, risk-taker who sometimes carried a pistol and more than once used it to defend himself. It also tells of newly-married Zora and Elfe's Duntov's frantic escape across southern France just ahead of the Nazi juggernaut in the early days of World War II? You'll read about Duntov's arrival in New York City, just before the U.S. entered WW2, where, inside of three weeks, he borrowed money, started a business and, within months was a runaway success as a defense contractor? The book explains Duntov's initial success in the car business came as a manufacturer of parts for Ford V8 engines? It tells about how he raced Porsches at Le Mans while he engineered Corvettes at GM? You'll learn that Zora was quite the "chick-magnet" jet-setter who hung-out with the high-society, political, entertainment and international motorsports personalities that made news in the 1950s and 1960s? All this and more of Duntov's amazing life is in Burton's book.

Not only was Zora a wonderfully talented and visionary engineer but he had his limitations, too. He cheated on his wife, partied too much, drove too fast and pissed-off half the executives at GM right up to the CEO. He loved the Corvette, worked hard to make it better and strived to promote it, not only to the public, but, also, to the company that was making it because, in the car's early years, half the time, GM didn't know what to do with Corvettes and the rest of the time it didn't want them at all.

Through painstaking research and a affable style, Burton weaves all these colorful aspects of Zora Arkus-Duntov's life into a highly-captivating story. The book is decidedly non-technical, one of its major strong points. Each chapter is a short-story in itself, encompassing a particular period or aspect of Zora's life. The book is remarkably unbiased, covering Duntov's strengths and his weaknesses but expressing few opinions. It's smooth writing style and easy reading make it outstanding entertainment as well as an excellent work of biography.

Even casual students of the history of the American automobile industry must have "Zora Arkus-Duntov" in their library.

A die hard Corvette fan will love this book and it's associated history that accompanies the Corvette. It will also appeal to any person that wants to read a story about someone who sets his sights high and makes something out of himself. He is one of the true icons of the auto industry standing shoulder to shoulder with some of the greatest engineers to date.

Zora Arkus-Dontov was an important part of the American automotive scene for decades. This book covers his entire life, not just his career at General Motors. It is more than an in-depth look at the man, his accomplishments, and his shortcomings. It is as much a story of corporate personalities and politics as it is the story of an individual.

The author keeps his focus on Duntov and doesn't wander off into related topics like the development of the Ford GT40 that would add little to the basic story and are well told elsewhere. Well done.

This is a Excellent Biography on A Man who deserves credit along with others including Harley Earl,Ed Cole,etc on the Birth and development of the Greatest American Sports Car,I would Dare Say Best Overall Sports Car. I find Jerry Burton's Book and Zora's (R.I.P.)life at times funny,other times tragic,and sometimes plain Shocking and a bit disappointing(his Immoral Behavior-Elfi is A Saint,God Bless her.)This Biography on Zora Arkus-Duntov,A Man born of A Communist philandering mother sadly.Who despite this and the distance his mother had towards him still become a Man who paved his way and overcame.He was not a Perfect man,none of us are. It's just disappointing to read on some of the cold things he did.
However,it was His Personal Life.there is one little problem I take issue with When Mr.Burton makes a quote in the book I have a problem with :Zora at a time in the fifties "during Mccarthy's Witchhunt".. I do sincerely believe Communism was a Threat and believe Mr.Mccarthy was a Good man,and It's no reason whatsoever for Burton to input his beliefs into a Otherwise Great Biography.That being said,This is a Book for The Corvette Lover,5+Stars! Several Pictures,All Black and white,Zora's interesting life and accomplishments and How he Improved Harley Earl's Car and has a right to Being Called One of if not to some the Father Of The Corvette.