Corvette icon Duntov added to Bloomington Gold hall

Zora-Arkus Duntov, the first chief engineer for the Chevrolet Corvette, is among 10 people who will be added to the Bloomington Gold Corvettes USA's Great Hall next summer.

The Great Hall is a form of hall of fame started by Bloomington Gold, an annual Corvette restoration and car show event that rewards cars for being maintained in original or factory-correct condition. The event is held in late June. The 2013 event is scheduled for June 28-30 in Champaign, Ill.

The Great Hall effort was started in 2010 and runs through 2014. It adds 10 people and 10 Corvettes each year, recognizing key people and vehicles in the sports car's 60-year history.

Other inductees for 2013 include Corvette tuner Reeves Callaway, former Chevrolet general manager Jim Perkins, former General Motors design chief William Mitchell, Corvette racer Dr. Dick Thompson, Corvette Black Book author Mike Antonick, Corvettes at Carlisle co-founder Chip Miller and Corvette parts seller and collector Mike Yager, owner of Mid America Motorworks. The list of inductees includes two promotion companies, Bloomington Gold and Carlisle Productions, which produces the Corvettes at Carlisle annual show in Pennsylvania.

The cars added to the Great Hall for 2013 are:

-- 1953 Corvette with serial No. 3. This car is being carried over from the 2012 group.

-- 1957 Corvette Fuel Injection Icon. This car had 1 hp per cubic inch of displacement.

-- 1961 Gulf Racing Corvette Icon.

-- 1962 Corvette, the first with the 327-cubic-inch V8.

-- 1963 Corvette Grand Sport Icon.

-- 1965 Corvette Big Block Icon.

-- 1967 Corvette L88 Daytona Racer.

-- Chevrolet Corvette Factory Series Racer

-- Callaway Cars Icon.

-- 2006 Corvette Z06 Icon, factory production car with 500-plus hp.

-- 2009 Corvette ZR1 Icon, factory production car with 600-plus hp.

Information on the Bloomington Gold event is available at www.bloomingtongold.com.

By Dale Jewett