Interview: Dick Guldstrand

Two names have become synonymous with Corvette over the years—Zora Arkus-Duntov and Dick Guldstrand. From the airport circuits of California to the open roads of Le Mans, Guldstrand’s list of racing accomplishments is long and legendary, and on the occasion of his recent passiing we remember him by rerunning Casey Annis’ January 2000 interview with the man they called “Mr. Corvette.”

How did you originally get started in racing?

Guldstrand: I think it was being a California hot rodder. In my day, you were either a candy-ass or a race driver when

you were in high school. I had a soap box racer when I was a little guy, and I was always going downhill on somebody’s skateboard thing. Then when I was just going to go into high school, I started building this Model A out of bits and pieces. I got my driver’s license and registered the car all at the same time when I was 15 years old. Anybody took me on in my Model A, man, I’d blow their doors off! For whatever reason, I had some technical aptitude, and pretty soon I was doing everybody’s car. It was really the typical Southern California thing, you know? You’re getting greasy footprints on your mother’s rug, you’ve got carburetors in the sink, your father’s throwing you out of the garage… know what I’m saying?

My parents wanted me to become a lawyer, but I had no interest! I ended up going to UCLA, but that was for aerospace… for electronics. It wasn’t automotive oriented, but always in the background I was working on cars and racing sprint cars. I went up to El Mirage dry lake nearly every goddamn weekend—all summer long—running my old ’27 T and all that. It’s part of your California heritage, you know? You’re either a candy-ass or a racer here in Southern California.