When Zora Arkus-Duntov was working on the 1957 Corvette SS and the 1963 Corvette Grand Sport, he probably never imagined the two vehicles would one day wind up in a museum, being viewed as works of art.
But the two super-rare Chevy sports cars will be on display through November at Revs Institute For Automotive Research in Naples, Fla.
Says Miles Collier, owner of Revs’ permanent collection of 100-plus vintage cars and founder of the museum and institute, the Corvettes – which made their debut at Revs on Friday night – are “two of the rarest and most spectacular versions of Chevrolet’s iconic sports car.”
The exhibit – labeled as “Duntov’s Stealth Fighters” – is a collaboration between Revs and Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, which loaned the SS in exchange for a Jorgensen Eagle. The Grand Sport, one of just five produced, is a permanent exhibit at Revs.
Zora, the Russian-born American engineer, is known as the father of the Corvette, with his enthusiastic support of the fledgling sports car playing a key role in its success.
“Without Duntov, the Corvette never would have become America’s star-spangled sports car,” Collier said.
While Corvette fans will no doubt flock to Revs to see the two rare cars, Revs expects others who have little interest in the world of racing to appreciate the vehicles as works of art, as elegant and creatively designed as a painting hanging in the Louvre.
Collier notes that the automobile in general is the single most important technological artifact of the 20th century, calling it “one of the defining legacy artifacts of modern culture throughout the world.”
“The history of the automobile shows us the evolution of one of the world’s most important disruptive technologies,” Collier said. “It gives us a glimpse of the future of genetic engineering, of the cyber world, of virtual reality, of artificial intelligence, of a host of imaginable, yet to be discovered unimaginable technologies.”
You can see the two vehicles at the Revs Institute, located at 2500 S. Horseshoe Drive, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays – with docent-led tours costing $25, general admission $17, faculty, students and active military $12, and children under 8 free. Reservations must be made in advance for specific dates and times, with no walk-ups admitted.
You can get more information at revsinstitute.org or by calling 239-687-7387.
Source:
RevsInstitute.org and naplesnews.com
Related:
How Corvette’s Legendary Chief Engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov Improved the Porsche 356
[VIDEO] The Revs Institute’s Original #004 1963 Corvette Grand Sport
[PIC] Throwback Thursday: Zora Duntov and the EX87 Corvette Mule Hit 163 MPH
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Hi Mitch, please, slight correction, at best ZAD is the Godfather of Corvette. Understand, I am a ZAD Disciple.
The distinction of Father of Corvette goes to Harley Earl, who conceived of an American sports Car of Franklin Street, Watkins Glen, NY during the Watkins Glen Grand Prix, September 15, 1951, which started the Top Secret Opel Project with the rest of the players; Ed Cole, Mauri Rose, Maurice Olley, Sidney Allard, et al.
Of that there is no doubt!
Mike Waal
First State Corvette Club, Corvette Racing Activities Reporter.
Revs Institute recently named #1 auto museum in the US. This is an impressive display and included rare ephemera on display.
Roc Linkov
NCM retired Events & Motorsport Mgr
Revs Institute Docent
Hi Mike, thanks for your comments! I’ve always considered the “father” of the Corvette to be Harley J. Earl while crediting Zora for taking his vision to the next level. Sometimes that fact is glossed over when talking about these high-performance racecars that Zora specifically was responsible for.
Thanks Roc. The Revs Institute and especially their historical photo archives were very helpful as I was researching for my forthcoming book on Corvette Special Editions. It’s about two hours south from me and I really need to get down there one day to check it out.
Contact me directly when you want to visit.
My wife and I recently visited the Revs Institute in Naples after going to the Amelia Island Concours. I would rate this museum as one of the finest in the world, with not only an historically significant collection but also for the first-rate display of the vehicles. There are no barriers around the cars so you can get very close and lighting is ideal for photography. I think I took about 250 photos, almost all of which came out very well. It is necessary to book in advance but our two hour planned stay was closer to 5 hours in all. The docents are very well-informed and happy to share information with you. We had previously seen the SS at the National Corvette Museum in 2015 but could not get all that close to it as the display area was pretty cramped. As a Corvette enthusiast I would have loved to see the new display at the Revs Institute but three days of driving each way is a bit much!
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