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Here's a poignant email sent in from a concerned Vette owner who completely tackles Duntov being the hero behind Corvette: Subject:
50th Anniversary (in 2003) of Corvette is Controversial; But, History Will Hold True In
Long Run While
Zora Duntov may have had some influence nurturing the Corvette along after it
was originally released, he is far from the legend behind the Corvette. Some
loyal owners of this American sports car are starting to smell the winds of
change (pertaining to Harley Earl's more accurate version of the story of
Corvette's real history) and are now referring to Duntov by his rightful title:
The Corvette Nanny. Chevy
didn't hire this Russian immigrant until mid-1953, well after the Corvette
had been prototyped, displayed, and marketed. It is strange, or perhaps not,
that some are going out of their way to not mention the name Harley Earl who, if
it were not for him, the Corvette would not exist today. To
purposely ignore one of the most talented and gifted engineers/designers of the
20th century seems almost a deliberate action by those who did not have the
vision, skills, and confidence, and are more concerned about a false legacy than
they are about accuracy, and proper recognition. If history holds true, Harley Earl will win out in the end. No doubt by the 100th Anniversary of GM in 2008, the deception concerning the expatriate Zora Duntov and his true role in Corvette history will be ferreted out and exposed. A.H. from Washington D. C. FACT: What's wrong with this 1996 newspaper tribute below? Prior to Harley Earl dying in 1969, not one person in Detroit's auto world recognized Zora Duntov as the father of the Corvette! Don't take our word for it, examine the auto magazine editorial below. Everyone who was anyone in the auto trade in 1969 knew the essentials on who was the King of the Corvette World...see red arrow. Obviously, something devious happened regarding telling the facts on Corvette History in the decades to follow.
Cut to the chase and see how Harley Earl's untold real Corvette story sets the record straight, click below .
If you continue reading here you'll find out how Zora Arkus-Duntov was "cut in" and Harley J. Earl was "cut out" of Corvette's storytelling piece of the pie beginning back in the 1980s. This website is in no way criticizing Zora, we're just pointing out how badly GM's finance guys wrongly began to taint the real Corvette history, among other things. It's an authentic fiasco on how one of this country's bedrock American icons: Harley Earl and his historic milestone of creating the success behind a new Chevrolet brand: First 15 years of Corvette. This flop started inside a GM boardroom by the then CEO Roger Smith, who remains notoriously known today as "the Detroit wreaking ball" and Smith and his minions decided from that point forward they would dramatically cook this corporation's history books pertaining to a number of GM's most elaborate modern milestones (the candles on the cake of Earl's greatest GM business/design triumphs) and/or accomplishments to satisfy their own narrow self interests moving forward. The "Corvette turning 50" article from 2003, shown below, is a sad reminder of the behavior of Smith and all GM's CEO's leading up to this company's 2008 bankruptcy, strictly adhered to in as far as perpetuating a false legacy around the Corvette's history. These "Realities in the Wrong" are proof positive of the arrogant hubris that was going on in the top leadership spots at GM and the following New York Times article shows how they put the blundering false legacy "of Duntov being the father of the Corvette" into the history books (actual transcript of shown article below is further down on this page).
This NYT article was not some isolated fluke of reporting because many other national newspapers also maligned the factual history (GM's press release for the 50th Birthday of Corvette completely left out the name of the Corvette creator) of the true hero behind America's sports car: Harley Earl. Mr. Earl was actually the Corvette's first engineer, but this multi-talented pioneer (an artist/engineer impresario) never wanted to be stereotyped as just an "engineer." Zora's Corvette story is all about a secondary player's role; one who came about much later on (Duntov didn't become Corvette's chief engineer until 1968 and he had absolutely no talent or knowledge of Auto Designing GM's production Corvettes. In reality, Duntov was just a "Johnny-come-lately" story spun into creation by a sad group of GM's worst leaders from a nightmarish timeframe when their was actually serious talks abounding inside General Motors and Chevrolet (freakin bean counters) of "eliminating the Corvette brand because it's a low volume car which really doesn't make GM or Chevrolet any money." Again, this was all part of a rub out job Smith schemed up and wanted to use moving forward to weaken, distort, erase the true role and name of the identity of GM's greatest 20th century engineer, Harley Earl, from GM's modern history books. Why you might ask? Primarily because Smith was a kind of modern-day Henry Ford, and like Ford, Smith hated "Design." So, being incredibly insecure Smith began to eliminate and/or entirely distort Earl's auto design legacy at GM. Plus, artists were enormously expensive to keep on the company's books when having simple engineers and graphic designers were not. Earl's "auto-great" image, likeness and identity in GM's modern history books made bean counters like Smith look really bad on account of all the invidious comparisons American consumers were beginning to make between GM's cars in the 80s versus the ones Earl and his mighty team designed so successfully in the decades beforehand...when GM had better product designs and was a better run company. Essentially, if the public knew the real story of the winning leadership role Harley Earl played, they'd certainly rebel against having weak "treasury office administrators" running the whole show. So, if you're asking yourself why Zora Duntov was ever heralded as the "Father of the Corvette" for a short period of time in auto history (only for a few years time back in the mid-1990s), and right after Duntov died in April 1996. Thereafter, Chevrolet and GM went back to referring to Harley Earl as the, "Father of the Corvette." Thanks to the realists and advent of the internet where it was hard to keep the truth a secret anymore. In any event, thank guys like Smith who clearly never gave a damn about the well-being of GM, Detroit or least of all anything to do with keeping the history pure around America's greatest company of all time. Creating false and misleading information and screwing up something that was never broke to begin with --- Harley Earl's Corvette Legacy --- is the type of swindle only a group of warped frustrated old men could have ever put into motion. Smith was just another one of the flunky clowns who handed Zora Duntov the keys (and big money, too for someone in his twilight years) to progress a false legacy forward. This historically inaccurate rubbish spun out of control and tainted the crown jewel car of General Motors, and Detroit's, modern motor car legacy.
June 29, 2003, Sunday AUTOMOBILES BEHIND THE WHEEL/2003 Chevrolet Corvette; At 50, You Should Look So GoodBy NORMAN MAYERSOHN (NYT) 1231 wordsTHE Chevrolet Corvette, a balm applied to countless egos bruised by midlife crisis, is celebrating its own 50th birthday this weekend in Nashville with caravans, parades, vintage-car displays and a rock concert. To reach the half-century mark, America's iconic sports car has persevered through trying times, starting with a so-what initial reception from buyers and, in later years, the upheaval created by antipollution regulations, all the while fending off rivals' repeated attempts to dethrone it. No matter that the Corvette never had to endure the creepy menu on some tropical island, or nerves boiled to the breaking point in an Amazon jungle. Chevy's two-seater is a bona fide survivor, having outlasted earnest contenders that were, at times, faster performing, better handling and lower priced. And although it represents the wane of the fifth-generation model, the 2003 Corvette is both tautly athletic on the street and thriving on the sales charts, posting its best-ever month in April (with a little help from manufacturer incentives, admittedly). Enthusiasts with long memories might point to the popular Ford Thunderbird of 1955 as the first real threat to the Corvette's existence, but in fact by then General Motors executives themselves had already tried to vote their slow-selling model off the island. Plans to cancel the Corvette -- justified by fewer than 4,000 total sales in the first two model years -- were rescinded late in 1954 after Zora Arkus-Duntov, the car's swashbuckling guardian angel and its first chief engineer, risked his career with an impassioned memo arguing that a high-performance sports car would make all Chevrolets more appealing. (In a twist of fate, it is the revived two-seat Thunderbird that faces extinction, partly because of its undistinguished performance.) Near-death experiences revisited Corvette in the 1960's as G.M. considered plans to make the car a four-seater; in 1975 when the output of the standard engine dipped to just 165 horsepower, as exhaust emissions and fuel economy took priority; and again a decade later when the fourth-generation car was so late going into production that the entire 1983 model year was skipped. A loyal following, which bought Corvettes in record numbers even when quality and performance were at their nadir, kept the Corvette alive. ''When you're in love with a car, you tolerate a lot,'' said Martyn Schorr, the founder of Vette magazine and a former public relations representative for G.M. A test drive of the 2003 model quickly reminded me of the formula that has sustained the Corvette in spite of those challenges. The willingness of a muscular V-8 engine, styling that pays homage to beloved predecessors (including scooped sides and a quartet of egg-shaped taillights) and the view forward from a two-place cockpit over a seemingly endless hood all register as hot buttons to the Corvette faithful, many of whom have aspired to ownership since grammar school. Less desirable traits carry over, too: it is not an easy car to enter or exit, and the switches are too obviously lifted from the same parts bin that supplies econoboxes to rental fleets. Commemorative-edition Corvettes haven't always been subtle, but the 50th Anniversary Edition is a model of restraint, painted a deep burgundy -- not gold, thank goodness -- with Champagne paint on the spoked wheels. Modest five-oh badges (especially in comparison with gaudy Indianapolis 500 Pace Car trim of the past) are affixed outside and embroidered into the seats and mats. The anniversary package is a $5,000 option and can be added to the hatchback ($44,435) or convertible ($51,335), though not to the higher-performance Z06 hardtop. Although the first Corvettes took to the road with a drivetrain ill-matched to the car's dashing profile -- a barely warmed-over six-cylinder from the passenger-car line and a lowly two-speed automatic transmission -- the 50th Anniversary Edition suffers no such indignity. The standard engine is the LS1 V-8, successor to Chevy's original small-block design of 1955. It still uses pushrods, rather than overhead cams, to actuate the 16 valves -- 2 for each cylinder. Forget what those specifications imply about outmoded technology: with 350 peak horsepower, and bountiful torque at low speeds, the Corvette is very forgiving if you're lazy with the six-speed manual gearshift. That's just as well, because the transmission, while much improved through the years, still doesn't feel like pulling a hot knife through butter. If you can live without the anniversary reminders and whatever dubious extra value the markings might command from future collectors, there's the 405-horsepower Z06 hardtop, too. Though I am as susceptible to the charms of a Corvette as any red-blooded American, Chevrolet's sweetheart hasn't always been a favorite in my driveway. Often, it seemed too much of a chore to enjoy on anything but smooth country roads far from city traffic. The current generation -- dating to 1997 -- is a pleasant surprise, however. The incessant rattles of earlier models were almost entirely absent in the 2003 test car, partly because of vastly improved assembly quality and somewhat attributable to a ride that is no longer slam-bang harsh. Anniversary models are equipped with G.M.'s Magnetic Selective Ride Control, a variable-rate suspension system that adjusts the stiffness by using the action of electromagnets on iron particles suspended in fluid within the shock absorbers. The suspension computer can fine-tune the system to driving conditions and road surfaces 250 times a second. The driver can toggle between touring mode (for a better ride) and sport mode (for optimum handling) when the desire strikes. Low production and a legion of forgiving owners make the Corvette an ideal platform to experiment with new technologies and features like the heads-up display, an optional readout of essential information projected in front of the driver. Chevrolet's product planners have done an effective job of carving out a niche for Corvette. It offers V-8 performance well in excess of two-seaters like the Audi TT and BMW Z4 (though at a somewhat higher price), yet undercuts the cost of less well-rounded, more powerful offerings like the Dodge Viper SRT-10. This clever positioning encourages buyers to base their choice on emotional issues, where Corvette's legacy and race-bred image stand out. The next-generation
Corvette will make its debut at the Detroit auto show next January and arrive in
showrooms later next year as a 2005 model. (The '04 Corvette will be the last of
the current generation.) Recent history suggests that the changes will not be
radical, which is appropriate considering the performance and refinement of the
2003 model. ''For the first time, the outgoing car is not an anachronism,'' said
Jerry Burton, editorial director of Corvette Quarterly and author of a new
biography of Arkus-Duntov. ''You can't help but respect it.'' CAPTIONS: Photos:
Five generations of Corvettes, clockwise from front: 2003 50th Anniversary
Edition; 1960 roadster; '64 Sting Ray convertible; '96 Grand Sport; '73 Stingray
convertible. (pg. 1); The late Zora Arkus-Duntov, the Corvette's guardian angel,
with a '66. (pg. 4) # # # Here's another New York Times article "Exploring the Cult of Corvette" that perhaps is far worse at getting the historical facts right on this American icon. This historical fabrication got out of hand when GM started hemorrhaging market share in the mid-80s. This was when GM Design was being overtaken by GM's traditional engineers and they entirely kicked the designers and their illuminating part of Corvette history out of the picture. The writer of the following story just foolishly says, "Duntov is the Father of the Corvette" because that's what GM's vernacular was for that current period. Today, Chevrolet "does not recognize Duntov as "The Father of the Corvette" because now they have no choice but to print factual history. That's how it always should have been! All the guys interviewed in the story below and above were primarily devoted disciples of Duntov's scam and the way Chevrolet execs and all their advertising yoyos at Campbell Ewald perceived the Corvette legacy. Narrow self interests drove GM forward into the 21st century...another reason behind why this company quickly went bankrupt in 2008.
Conclusion: During the first 18 years of Corvette's existence from 1951 to 1969 (the most seminal period of this sports car's history) things were always kept pure and unadulterated behind this all-American classic. That's because most people in Detroit's titanic auto world were well aware "Corvette" was always Harley Earl's baby. For example, it's a little known fact in Detroit today, but if any other GM exec had stuck their head up in the 50's or 60's and said, "I'm the father of the Corvette" they would have been simply laughed at, demoted or fired. The Chevrolet Corvette brand did not come to reality by any work done by some white-haired Russian expatriate named Zora Arkus-Duntov. The scheme behind this historic swindle only came together long after the inspirational figurehead Harley Earl had died in 1969. Traditional GM engineers vying for power over the hybrid appearance-engineer or "stylists" were the ones to originally dream up the plot to fudge things around and cook the Corvette history books. Creeps like Roger Smith latched on because they saw how distorting GM's illustrious history could serve two purposes...save the GM treasury office money and confuse the American public and or people in the auto world of the hierarchy of who should make all the important decisions on what GM's cars should be when they come off the assembly lines (Smith didn't want the masses knowing the leader should be more like a "Harley Earl" type figure than a "Smith bean counter" type. Smith's plan was all about taking GM backwards in history...not forward. So, in order to take the system back to the way things were done in Henry Ford's day, a certain number of greedy but powerful players inside this giant corporation went on to change the entire modern landscape of how General Motors did things. Today, GM should be following Earl's more harmonic modern system that's naturally part of this American company's foundation. Yes, Harley Earl had tremendous auto passion and vision—that's why he was allowed to create GM's long-term business model! Read the following quote made by him in 1957. Slowly but surely, this order is being restored...but it might be too late: "General Motors was the first high volume manufacturer to take the appearance design of it's automobiles out of the engineering department and place it in the hands of the Stylists." Want more proof, read the May 1956 DETROIT FREE PRESS article below that lists many of Harley Earl's contributions and or milestones...one of which was introducing the CORVETTE (second to last column).
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