[PIC] Throwback Thursday: Zora Duntov and the EX87 Corvette Mule Hit 163 MPH

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[PIC] Throwback Thursday: Zora Duntov and the EX87 Corvette Mule Hit 162 MPH


It’s time once again for Throwback Thursday where we feature vintage photos of Corvettes. Last week, we featured one of Zora’s personal cars, the 1955/56 Corvette that was originally listed for sale for $3,500. Boy, if we only had a time machine for that sale!

For today TBT, we’re featuring a vintage photo and what we think is one of the more endearing pictures of Zora who was driving the EX87 Corvette we know today as Zora’s Mule.

It was back in December of 1955 – almost 60 years ago from today – that Zora first installed his signature “Duntov Cam” into the 1954 test Corvette called EX87 or EX87/5951, the 5951 being another engineering number that was assigned to the same car. The Corvette was then tested at GM’s Arizona Proving Grounds where it ran an astounding 163 mph!

Zora had increased the displacement of the regular 283 ci engine to 307 and with the new cam, was ready to take on the Daytona Speed Record. That same engine was pulled from EX87 and installed in a 1956 Corvette with the engineering number of 6901 and that car set a new record on the beaches of Daytona in January 1956 with a run of 150.583 mph.

One of the distinctive elements of the EX87 Mule was how Zora fabricated a special fiberglass headrest/tailfin for high speed stability. The car also had the regular windshield removed and in its place was a cut-down curved plexiglass windscreen. To help further the aerodynamics, a fiberglass tonneau covered the passenger side of the cockpit.

Today, Zora’s Mule resides in the Ken Lingenfelter collection where you can occasionally witness the car being started up or even taken for a spin. But sixty years ago almost to the date, EX87 became the Chevrolet’s first high performance Corvette.

Here’s the full size photo of Zora sitting in the EX87 Corvette Mule:

[PIC] Throwback Thursday: Zora Duntov and the EX87 Corvette Mule Hit 163 MPH


Do you like this week’s Throwback Thursday selection? Let us know and please feel free to share this page on Twitter and Facebook.


Source:
Remarkable Corvettes

Related:
Throwback Thursday: Zora’s 1955 Corvette Listed for Sale at $3,500
[PIC] Throwback Thursday: 1963 Corvette Sting Ray On the Streets at Night
[PIC] Throwback Thursday: Downtown in a Classic Corvette
[PIC] Throwback Thursday: A Corvette Selfie Taken in 1968
[PIC] Throwback Thursday: Classic Corvettes Drifting at the Track
[PIC] Throwback Thursday: The First Three Chief Engineers of Corvette
[PIC] Throwback Thursday: Zora with a Couple of 1971 Corvettes

 



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1 COMMENT

  1. I was fortunate enough to have spent close to an hour with Zora one on one in 1992 at none other than the hallowed acres known as….The Glen….the home of American Road Racing….and home of the most memorable Formula One Races to have ever taken place (I attended from 1967 to 1980).
    Zora was reunited in 92 with his historic Allard race car and I ran into him in the Tech Center at the track. We had an extraordinary conversation about all the clandestine operations he orchestrated by supporting all the best race shops (Penske…Yenko…Dana…etc) with free engines, transmissions and drivetrain parts. We discussed his “Heavy-Duty” program which included the aluminum blocks, heads, and of course the M22 transmissions……the Chapparals, the L88s and the Can Am program.He confirmed that his objective was to beat the Cobras…at any cost. His true passion was racing above all.
    I feel very fortunate to have spent this time with him with no distractions and share what we both love…Corvettes…and Racing.

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