<VV> is this right? Duntov Corvair connection Message-ID:

[wrsssatty at aol.com]

<
I have no recollection of ever reading or hearing that Duntov had anything to do with Corvairs. 
In fact I think it was not until the late 60s Duntov became chief engineer for the Corvette. >


Zora Arkus-Duntov applied for employment at Chevy in '53 after seeing and being impressed with the first Corvette. It was Duntov's idea to drop the V8 into the '55 Corvette and he raced one up Pike's Peak in '56 setting a record and later that year raced one on Daytona Beach.  As for the Corvair, Duntov developed the "hotter" cam that created the first horse power bump for the Corvair.  When an article appeared in an enthusiast magazine early in the 1960 model year reporting on a race of compact cars where a Corvair rolled over, Duntov took it upon himself to develop suspension upgrades for the Corvair.  His plans were initially shelved but were finally offered as an option on model year '62 Corvairs as R.P.O. 696, the heavy duty suspension system.  It was also Duntov who took the principles behind his IRS for Corvette to develop the rear suspension that debuted on the '65 Corvair.


~Bill Stanley