[PIC] Throwback Thursday: The First Three Chief Engineers of Corvette

It’s time for Throwback Thursday where we feature vintage photos of Corvettes. Here’s a group shot featuring the first three chief engineers of the Chevrolet Corvette standing by the 1986 Corvette Indy concept.

Zora Arkus-Duntov (lower right) joined GM as an assistant staff engineer in 1953 after seeing the Corvette in person at the GM Motorama in New York City. His exploits and achievements are well documented and there is no doubt that it was Zora who infused the Corvette with the performance persona that would carry into the 21st century. Zora retired from General Motors in 1975, but was always part of the Corvette hobby right up until his death in 1996.

Dave McLellan (upper right) joined GM in 1959 and went to work at the Milford Proving Grounds as a noise and vibration engineer. He moved to Chevrolet in 1969 and worked mostly on the Nova and Camaros. He worked briefly under Zora as a staff engineer and then officially took over as Corvette Chief Engineer in 1975 when Zora retired. During his tenure, he launched the C4 Corvette platform and got Corvette back into the performance game with the ZR-1. Dave retired from GM in 1992.

Dave Hill (lower left) began his career at GM in 1965 where he worked as an engineer for Cadillac and eventually became the Engineering Program Manager for Cadillac in 1992. Later that year, he got the Corvette Chief Engineer title following Dave McLellan’s retirement. Dave oversaw the introductions of two new generations of Corvettes, the C5 and the launch of the C6. He retired on January, 1, 2006.

The Corvette Indy Concept made its debut at the 1986 Detroit Auto Show. Although it had a Lotus built mid-engine twin-turbo 2.6L V8 rated at 600 hp, later prototypes were powered by an experimental 32 valve all-aluminum 5.7L V8 engine. Advanced technology showcased on the car included 4-wheel drive, 4-wheel steering, active suspension, traction control and a rear view camera with in-dash screen.

Source:
GM Heritage Center and Corvette Action Center

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[PIC] Throwback Thursday: 1978 Corvette Paces the Indy 500
[PIC] Throwback Thursday: William Shatner and a 1963 Corvette Sting Ray Sport Coupe
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