Elfi Duntov is a charming, energetic lady with an impish twinkle in her eye. She's a talented dancer and accomplished artist. As the wife of Zora Duntov, she's had a close association with the Corvette. Speaking with her, it's obvious that she thoroughly enjoyed Zora and Corvettes.

Born in Berlin, Elfi move to Paris at the age of 17 where she worked with the Blue Bell Dancers. She did tap, modern, and African dancing, which was her favorite. Elfi laughs as she explains, "We were the girls who kept our clothes on." Elfi met and married Zora in Paris. The couple traveled to New York, where Elfi continued to study and perform. A talented dancer, Elfi's career came to a turning point in 1953 when she was asked to join Jackie Gleason's June Taylor Dancers.

Zora had just joined Chevrolet, so Elfi had to decide whether to stay in New York or move to Detroit. She moved to Detroit. Though Elfi's hectic schedule of auditions and performances ended, she did not sit idly at home. Whenever Zora traveled for more than a couple of days, Elfi went with him. Chevrolet didn't encourage or subsidize wives' accompanying their husbands, but Zora always took Elfi at his own expense.

Elfi admits that there were times when she worried about Zora, especially when he was testing cars. When he was racing, she helped with timing and other tasks that kept her too busy to worry. Elfi points out that Zora was always safety conscious and usually tried to ensure the best conditions whenever he test drove or raced; this too helped ease her concern.

On one occasion, however, Zora broke his own rules; Elfi vividly remembers that Saturday in 1956. Zora had been asked to test drive a car that wasn't handling properly. Though he never drove without a seatbelt or helmet, the car didn't have a seatbelt and no helmet was available. Zora was uncomfortable and asked a mechanic to sit beside him during the test drive. As they drove around the test track, the car went sideways and jumped a ditch, throwing Zora against the top reinforcement. Though the force of the impact had broken his back, Zora pulled himself out of the wreck, fearing a fire. After his hospitalization, Zora returned to work in a body cast, wearing a kilt that Elfi styled for him. The body cast was so heavy and uncomfortable that Zora threatened to ask the Styling department to design and fabricate something more lightweight. Zora's recovery was slow, but his injury didn't leave him with many physical restrictions. He did, however find that he had to give up "riding the waves" at the beach because it put too much strain on his back. In spite of the accident and ever present dangers of test and race driving, Elfi adopted a stoic attitude. " realized it was something he liked, so why shouldn't he do it."

Unfortunately, Zora didn't have quite the same attitude toward some of Elfi's wishes. When she approached him expressing a wish to try parachuting, he was adamantly against it. Elfi didn't need to take up sky diving to add excitement to her life with Zora, it was always full of unexpected turns and close calls.

On one auto trip through Europe, Elfi and Zora were driving in an open Allard with a windshield only on the driver's side. As they drove through the war-torn city of Āln, the residents pelted the foreign car with rocks. Continuing to Munich, Zora drove at speeds of up to 160 mph on the open road. Though she ducked down, Elfi's face was a rough wind-burned red by the time they reached Munich. But the wind-burn might have been the least of their problems. While in Germany, Zora had the car tested by some friends at Mercedes, and discovered that the tires were not suited for high speed driving. During the tests, the tires heated and expanded to dangerous levels and the engine blew. With a borrowed engine, the managed to complete their trip.

Though Zora's driving feats are renowned, Elfi too has spent many hours behind-the-wheel. She has had the pleasure of driving many Corvettes. Like many Corvette enthusiasts, Elfi has a difficult time choosing a favorite. The only Corvette to which she still has a strong sentimental attachment is her home-built 1956. Elfi's 1956 Corvette convertible was a special car. It was a 4-speed with an 8-cylinder fuel-injected engine and had Positraction-traction. Originally painted yellow with a green interior, the styling group repainted the car silver blue and added racing stripes. At the time she owned the Vette, Zora and Elfi had no garage, so the car stayed outside. Elfi mused that they would just get it cleaned up after one rainstorm when another would soak it. The side curtains couldn't keep the water out. Eventually, Elfi and Zora sold the car to their former newspaper boy. Since then, it has changed hands several times. Though she lost track of it for a while, Elfi believes that it is now owned by a Chevrolet dealer in Washington state who's returned it to its original yellow color. She hopes that someday she'll be able to visit the dealer and see her car.

Elfi and Zora test drove many Corvettes, and some of their most interesting discoveries weren't made on the test track. On one trip from Michigan to Florida, Zora and Elfi drove a Corvette that had been outfitted with a new upholstery fabric on the seats. For extra strength, metal fibers were included in the weave. As they were driving along, Elfi noticed a tear in the crease of Zora's trousers. By the time they reached their destination, the metal fibers in the fabric had cut through Zora's trousers like razors.. Elfi suggested that Zora show the designers the trousers a s evidence that the new upholstery fabric had a few drawbacks that might annoy Corvette owners. After seeing the trousers, the designers went back to the drawing board.

Zora's interest in transportation vehicles wasn't limited to Corvettes and race cars, and most of the time, Elfi has shared his enthusiasm. When they lived on a lake, they enjoyed power boats. Zora worked on the engines while Elfi took care of the varnishing and painting.

In the early '70's, Zora sold his 40-foot Criss Craft and bought a single-engine Rockwell Commander airplane. Elfi enjoyed flying with Zora on trips, but wasn't keen on flying in circles just for something to do.

Elfi has had plenty of opportunity to fly, though not always in Zora's plane. After his retirement from GM in 1975, they traveled often to attend Corvette shows. They received their first invitation in 1975 to attend a show in Canada.

Elfi remembers how enthusiastic her hosts were and how much she enjoyed meeting everyone. She clearly enjoys attending Corvette shows, as much for the people as for the cars. She admits that being Mrs. Duntov has allowed her to meet many people, bet feels the even without the title, she would have made many friends at the shows.

With her sparkling eyes, gentle effervescent personality and genuine enthusiasm for Corvettes, there's no doubt that she's right. Elfi has many fond memories of the places he's been, things she's done, and the people she's met. The charms on her charm bracelet provide constant reminders of some of her more treasured experiences. Many are miniature landmarks from places she's visited. Some, like the camel and the whiskey barrel have special stories behind them. Perhaps the most unique charm on her bracelet is a miniature Corvette. It stands out from the others, and Elfi explains that it was one of the first Corvette charms made.

In spite of her promising potential for a career as a dancer, Elfi chose to turn her attention and support to Zora and his Corvettes. When she speaks, she shows no sense of regret. Rather, there is a strong sense of satisfaction. She has obviously enjoyed actively participating in Zora's many adventures. She shares his love for Corvettes and has taken advantage of her many opportunities to enjoy them. Her artistic talents are now directed toward painting and she finds that Corvettes are the subject of many of her paintings.

Elfi is a self-confident woman who embraces life and new adventures with a youthful enthusiasm. A creative and accomplished individual in her own right, she has been without a doubt, the perfect companion the legendary Zora.

Elfi plans to continue attending Corvette events so Corvetters should look for her and ask for her autograph. Clubs interested in inviting Elfi to an event should contact Dan Gale PHFZ82A@prodigy.com to express their wishes. Hosting clubs are required to pay all of Elfi's expenses including transportation, lodging, and meals, and provide member escorts for Elfi at all times.