If Bill Mitchell had his work cut out for him when he succeeded the legendary Harley Earl, Jerry Palmer’s job was just as difficult. Palmer, named head of Chevrolet Studio III in 1974, took over responsibility for Corvette exterior design when Mitchell retired in 1977, and found himself following in the footsteps of Earl and Mitchell — fathering a new Corvette.

Palmer’s first experiences with Corvette came in the early ’70s as an assistant to Bill Mitchell. And when Palmer took the reins in 1977, he put developing the fourth generation ’Vette in high gear. “I really believe we've designed a car without compromises,” Palmer said of the 1984 Corvette. “But we've managed to retain Corvette identity.”

Palmer was one of a new breed of stylists, breaking ground by getting involved in all aspects of the car, not just the exterior. Every aspect of the car’s appearance was designed to contribute to its aura of high-technology.

“On this car,” said Palmer of the ’84, “stylists had input on areas formerly closed to us. The dipsticks have sculpted T-handles. We helped to locate every hose and wire in the engine compartment. I remember lengthy discussions concerning the eventual color of the high-tension cable leading to the spark plugs.”

Palmer’s concepts and the hard work of his team paid off. Following its introduction, the fourth generation was regarded as one of the most advanced production sports cars in the world, and went on to spawn the legendary ZR-1, the fastest production Corvette ever built.

David R. McLellan, Corvette Chief Engineer

Dave McClellan was born in Munising, Michigan and grew up in Detroit. In 1959, earned a Mechanical Engineering degree at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. In 1973, he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management and later earned a Master of Science degree.

Upon receiving his Mechanical Engineering degree at Wayne State University in 1959, he immediately began working as a noise-and-vibration engineer at GM's Milford Proving Grounds. In 1968, he moved into GM's vehicle dynamics testing program where he learned much of his knowledge on automotive handling and suspension technology. In 1969, he joined Chevrolet and worked for a short time on the 1970-1/2 Camaro and then moved on to the ill-fated Nova/Camaro/Corvette program originally started by John Delorean. During this time, he also worked as a chassis engineer on the Nova/Camaro platform. After earning his master of science degree, he began working as a staff engineer under Zora Arkus Duntov, Corvette's first chief engineer. He held this position for approximately 6 months until he took over after Zora retired. On January 1, 1975, he became Corvette's second Chief Engineer after Zora and retired in 1992.

After 17 years at Corvette's chief engineer, he continues to act as an automotive consultant and served as a board member at Porsche Engineering Services (Troy, MI). Consultant to the Tank Automotive Command (TACOM), Stewart and Stevenson, and Pinnacle Associates.

Dave was responsible for keeping the Corvette on the cutting edge of technology as seen by the following achievements:

• Introduced tuned-port injection on the 1985 Corvette.
• Added anti-lock brakes before the Corvette's top competitors did.
• Introduced the 1986 Corvette convertible.
• The last Corvette convertible built prior to 1986 was the 1975 model year.
• Responsible for the 1990-1995 ZR-1 and heavily promoted and supported the project at Chevrolet from concept to production.
• Introduced the ZF 6-speed manual transmission on the 1989 model year.
• In 1990, he achieved the prestigious Edward N. Cole Award for Automotive Engineering Innovation by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The award was presented to him for his adaptation of technology to the Corvette platform.
• In 1992, he introduced the 300 hp LT1 engine and Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) commonly referred to as "traction control".
• Authored a paper for the Society of Automotive Engineers entitled: "Increasing the Safe Driving Envelope -ABS, Traction Control and Beyond".
• He is responsible for much of the design and engineering that was seen in the C5 platform introduced in 1997.
• He has published a book entitled "Corvette From the Inside: The 50 Year Development History as told by Dave McLellan, Corvette's Chief Engineer 1975-1992", published by Bentley Publishers in June, 2002.

As written by automotive journalist, Michael Lamm in the January, 1993 issue of Corvette Fever magazine:

"McLellan nearly always used science in planning where the Corvette ought to be headed. He made his judgements and decisions based on careful reasoning and calculation and rarely, if ever, did emotion enter. Under his direction, the Corvette definitely took on McLellan's personality. Just as Zora put his stamp on the earlier cars, So Dave's comes through on the current generation....McLellan and his team have managed to place the Corvette into the first rank of international sports cars, a remarkable record considering the Corvette's price versus that of its leading performance competitors."

Since his retirement in 1992, Dave and his wife, Glenda, enjoy attending Corvette events around the world where many enthusiasts come to acquire his autograph on anything and everything Corvette related.