The legendary CERV-1 created by Zora Arkus Duntov is selected for the Bloomington Gold Great Hall honoring the most influential cars and people in Corvette history.
The 1959 Chevrolet Corvette performance-research vehicle CERV-1 created by chief engineer Zora Arkus Duntov will be inducted into the Bloomington Gold Great Hall on June 22 at the national Corvette show in St. Charles, Ill.
Mid America Motorworks, a key supplier of aftermarket parts and accessories for Corvettes, is the current owner of the legendary research vehicle and company founder Mike Yager will accept the award at the Bloomington God induction ceremony.
The Bloomington Gold Great Hall started in 2010 as an annual celebration of the most influential Corvettes and people in the hobby. In 2014, the comprehensive list of 50 Pioneers and 50 Premiere Corvettes will be complete, and CERV-I will be among them.
Duntov used his aviation background to incorporate many firsts into CERV-I to engineer a research vehicle that went on to break records at Pike’s Peak and turn laps at Indianapolis and Daytona. After a successful career as a test-bed for the 1963-1982 Corvette suspension and Grand Sport engine, CERV-I was ordered destroyed by GM, but Duntov convinced executives to preserve the car. It was restored before being donated to the Briggs Cunningham Museum in Costa Mesa, Calif.
From there, CERV-I moved to the Miles Collier Museum in Naples, Fla., and later to Pro Team Corvette where Yager found it for sale in 1997. Soon after, the car joined Yager’s collection of one-off Corvettes in the MY Garage Museum on Mid America Motorworks’ corporate campus in Effingham, Ill.
“To me, this car is a shining example of Corvette innovation and is a true piece of American automotive history,” Yager said.
Other 2012 Great Hall inductees include the 1953 Corvette s/n 003, 1961 Mako Shark, 1967 Corvette Coupe Le Mans L88 and 1990 ZR1. The Great Hall ceremony and medal presentation will be held June 22 in the St. Charles Ballroom at the Pheasant Run Resort. The exhibit will be open to the public on June 23.