We honor the life and legacy of Gibson (Gib) Hufstader, an icon in the Corvette community and a member of the Corvette Hall of Fame.
Gib’s remarkable career with Corvette spanned more than 45 years and left a lasting impact on the evolution of America’s Sports Car. A General Motors engineering retiree, he began his career at Chevrolet in the early 1950s as a development engineer for Chevrolet Research and Development. In 1960, Gib contributed to the clutch development for the 427 “Mystery Motor,” helping bring this Daytona race engine to life.
Throughout his time with Chevrolet, Gib was involved in many significant Corvette programs, including the Grand Sport, AeroVette, and Twin Turbo LT5. He held seven United States patents, including innovations such as the electric air pump, cog wheel belt disc drive, and the arrangement of two-rotor engines with transaxle and accessory drive.
Gib also served as a design release engineer for chassis systems, working closely with Zora Arkus-Duntov. His responsibilities included brake development for Corvette’s racing brake package. Among his many accomplishments were designing the original engine package for the twin turbo Corvette, developing the packaging for the ZR-1 engine, and building lightweight cars for drag racing exhibitions at the 1968 long-lead press event.
As an amateur race driver within the Corvette production group, Gib applied his firsthand racing experience to create an internal exchange program, allowing racers to collaborate and share insights.
Thank you, Gib, for your decades of dedication, innovation, and passion. Your legacy lives on in every Corvette and in the hearts of those who admire and preserve its story. You will be deeply missed.
Learn about Gib Hufstader’s journey in his Corvette Hall of Fame biography here.
