The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is celebrating its 31st anniversary by reintroducing a star. After a painstaking and thorough frame-off preservation, Zora Arkus-Duntov’s personal 1974 Chevrolet Corvette is back as the new centerpiece of the Corvette Hall of Fame exhibition.
Any fan of the Chevy’s sports coupe should be familiar with Zora Arkus-Duntov. Affectionately known as the Father of the Corvette, Duntov’s work alongside Harley Earl would birth the industry’s longest running sports car nameplate. He was responsible for sticking a V-8 in the Corvette for the first time with the EX87 development mule. It was under Duntov that we got the likes of the Corvette SS, Corvette Grand Sport, and the Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle (CERV) prototypes. Wth his promotion to chief engineer in 1967, Duntov continued to champion the idea of a mid-engined Corvette. There is a reason his face was on the windshield of every C8 Corvette through 2024 (Duntov has since been replaced by the likeness of Tadge Juechter).
This 1974 Chevrolet Corvette is somehow the only example that was ever purchased by Duntov during his GM tenure. The car was ordered in silver-over-black with options like power steering, power brakes, air conditioning, and light aluminum wheels. It should not be a surprise that the man behind the V-8 Corvette ordered his car with the biggest motor on the offer sheet: a bug block 454. Unfortunately this was the Malaise Era, so the lump is only good for around 270 hp, An automatic transmission backs up the motor. The car was sprayed green at one point, before Duntov tasked a friend with giving the car a fresh look. The resulting two-tone blue setup remains to this day.
The team at the National Corvette Museum worked to preserve every aspect of this car, opting against a deep restoration. The museum hopes to actively preserve more significant cars in the manner moving forward, capturing the history behind them.
“This car represents Corvette history in its purest form,” said Robert Maxhimer, Director of Curatorial Affairs and Education at the National Corvette Museum. “Preserving Zora’s personal Corvette is the first of many in-depth preservation projects that will ensure our collection lasts for generations.”
You can visit this special Corvette, as well as Zora (whose ashes are encased at the museum) at the National Corvette Museum. It is\ worth the stop for any American gearhead, especially if the track next door is having an event. We cannot wait to see what they have working behind the scenes.
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