The man who would be Zora: Meet the engineer who'll shape the C7
Zora Arkus-Duntov, Dave McClellan, Dave Hill. And now Tom Wallace. Only the fourth chief engineer in the 55-year history of the Corvette, Wallace has some big shoes to fill. And he has a much different job from the two Daves and the Belgian-born Russian. Besides the Corvette, Wallace's title, vehicle-line executive and global chief engineer for GM performance cars, means he's also in charge of the Cadillac XLR and the Kappa cars-Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, and Opel GT. No surprise, then, that a Kappa C7 is one possibility, albeit a slim-chance one.
Wallace joined GM as a co-op student with Buick in 1970 and became a Buick project engineer in 1971. Like many GM employees, he cycled through several engine technology programs and was a key player in the Buick Grand National's development. Before the Corvette/XLR/Kappa assignment, Wallace was vehicle-line executive for GM's small and midsize trucks, the Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon, Trailblazer, and GMC Envoy, et al.
I got to know the affable Wallace two years ago when he and John Heinricy were leading up development of the Chevy Trailblazer SS. Wallace, a Sports Car Club of America racer of more than 30 years, struck me as an enthusiast with catholic tastes. He seems the type who'd be at ease under the hood or behind the wheel of a Porsche or Ferrari as much as a Corvette or Camaro, even if he doesn't look the part.
After all, Wallace grew up in an age where high-strung foreign sports cars could count on catching more powerful Corvettes in the corners. Wallace understands handling, even if it's from a GM perspective. His racing interests are equally catholic: He's competed in amateur road racing, rallying, and drag racing.
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