the American Dream: Corvette

the American Dream: Corvette by ric gustafson


In December 1953 came the debut of a car made by Chevrolet. It had a curvy sleek body and a six cylinder engine. It was called the Corvette. Early sales of the car was low despite the price tag of $4000. Chevrolet was going to discontinue the model.
After World War II, kids wanted cars with extra horsepower so they could race them. A man by the name of Zora Duntov started working for Chevrolet and observed the EX 122. He thought that he could design a better one. He talked to the management at Chevrolet about the Corvette and suggested that it become the symbol of the hot rod movement. He was also asked to develop a new fuel injection system.
The Corvette had it's share of problems. It did not have exterior door handles nor windows. Instead it had plastic side curtains. At the time the Corvette's main competition was the Ford Thunderbird. In 1955, Chevrolet came out with a new V8 engine.
In 1968, Duntov became the chief engineer for the Corvette. In 1994, Duntov helped with the opening of the National Corvette Museum. Duntov died in 1996 at the age of 86. His ashes reside at the Corvette Museum.
In 2008, the new Corvette ZR1 was launched.


research help: ' Engines of Change' by Paul Ingrassia


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric