Born of Russian parents, Zora later moved to Germany, where he started racing and earnt his engineering degree. During the war, he fought for the French Army, before he escaped to the US to set up a car parts supply firm for the Army, which eventually led to him taking charge of Chevrolet, during the 1950's. He was the father of the Corvette and continued, until just before his death, to attend most events celebrating the car. Zora was inducted in the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1991. Amongst Arkus-Duntov's achievements was designing the supercharger that helped develop so many small European cars. As a driver, he was no slouch either. He took two class wins at Le Mans and also took a few speed records at the Pike's Peak hillclimb.

Biography last updated 9 Dec 2016