John Greenwood of the legendary "Monster Corvettes" in IMSA Camel GT Racing in the 1970s and former promoter of the 12 Hours of Sebring passed away yesterday after a long bout with cancer. In a business full of characters, John Greenwood stood tall among them. My colleague, Louis Galanos, passed along this information... Services for John Greenwood will be handled by Loomis Funeral Homes of Apopka, Florida. The family has created a Life Tribute page on the funeral home web site where you can share your thoughts and memories of the racing legend. You can also order flowers through the site. If interested or just in need of more info on the service go to: Mr. John A. Greenwood Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information BHW
I remember seeing the Greenwood Corvettes at Le Mans in 1973 and 76; they were very spectacular to watch, even if short-lived on the track.
I saw a few recently at the Daytona HSR. They were pretty awesome. I had no idea he lived in my neck of the woods.
My first Locker Pin-up was a Greenwood Corvette. Gawd what a dork He led a full life and that's all you can expect.
RIP! My in-laws live right next to Apopka, also didn't realize he was in that area. A legend - my dad was a Corvette owner, Greenwood Corvette pics all over my garage growing up.
A lot of great Greenwood memories at Sebring. His breakthrough victory in 1971 with the BF Goodrich Corvette winning the GT class with Dickie Smothers. IIRC, the car ran the race with BF Goodrich street radial tires shaved to racing depth which at the time was landmark. Success in the long distance races at Daytona and Sebring eluded the "Monster Vettes" but they were always fast at least for one lap as he was usually on pole position during those days. I had met Greenwood a few times as a kid. He was a bigger than life personality, very tall with that jet black hair and handlebar mustache. He was trying to get the Sebring locals behind him in his attempt to build (get this) an oval to rival Daytona at Sebring. This all kind of went no where of course and he left promoting Sebring to Charles Mendez in 1978. BHW
John Greenwood was THE MAN back in the day. He won SCCA titles, an IMSA Championship, the IMSA Daytona finale 3 hour race(driving solo) in 74 and 75. His Corvettes were pioneers in multiple ways-introduced the wide body(both Porsche and BMW followed his lead), the integrated "factory" chassis, production based ground effects, incredible fuel injection and five link suspensions for his Batmobiles(called this before the BMWs). His Corvettes remain the fastest cars to ever run the Daytona banking(faster than any Ferrari,Porsche,GTP,etc) at over 230mph. Although he enjoyed back door support from GM, he still took the fight to full factory juggernauts from BMW and Porsche-beating them in many races. He would have won many more except for a nearly Andretti-like run of bad luck(far in the lead at Daytona when a crew member punctured the radiator during a pit stop,etc). Additionally, he was a very nice man. When I was building one of my first cars, I called John and he spent an hour on the phone with some dumb kid from California explaining the advantages of his giant oil pressure gauge(it read like a tach!) and other suspension ideas. He was(and is) one of my racing heros. Probably why I have so many Corvettes to this day. Including a real 74 over the counter wide body, a secret street build with the full Greenwood suspension,etc. You will be missed Big John and RIP.
He wowed us back in the seventies at Daytona - no chicane on the back straight back then . . . . Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks so much for posting all of this. Every American enthusiast "of a certain age" knows those cars, and his career. R.I.P. We should deluge the mail box at that apartment, with mail......
The cars of Greenwood and Tullius (Group 44 XKE & XJS) were my production-based track fantasy cars in my my teens. Wasn't aware of Greenwood's passing until catching this thread today.
I too remember the legend of the Greenwood Corvettes... I remember the Bob Tullius '64 Tempest he almost won a Trans-Am race with, until the rain came and he had to pit for rain tires, and he pretty-much didn't have a pit crew or equipment to handle it. We all have our heroes, and those of us who had legends in our minds from the '60's and 70's are going to start seeing more of our legends passing... reach out and enjoy life while you can, while our friends are still with us.
Greenwood knew what he was doing and had a very keen sense of aerodynamics and how to use them with applied power. Peter Gregg used to relate that on the banking at Daytona, Greenwood would actually be sliding the "Monster Vettes" in the banked turns (you read that right) in order to cause turbulence and disrupt the downforce to the cars following behind. Back in those days, turbulence on the banking was very hazardous as any slight loss of downforce could pitch a light car like a Porsche or BMW into the wall. So, they'd let Greenwood have his way and jump out to a lead until he either burned his tires out or the Vette would break and then the smaller cars would pounce. Greenwood and Gregg had a rivalry akin almost to Hunt and Lauda in those days. Not only were they on track competitors, but there was a lot of stick off the track as well when Gregg also made a run at being the Sebring promoter. BHW
He will be missed. This car is at one of this forums sponsors: 1996 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Greenwood
What a shame. He really put the bang in group 5 even more than the European teams back in the mid 1970's with the Greenwood Corvette's. Reading the French press period articles when he took it to Lemans in 1976 tell it all. They loved it as did the French and European fans(the marching men painting on the hood and French assistance during the red coat ass kicking helped). The fact that it was right on the tail of the Porsche 936's early in the race makes one wonder what it could have done if he had learned to conserve the car better during endurance races.
A Greenwood Corvette is still circulating on the vintage circuit . . . . this was Monterey 2013: Image Unavailable, Please Login
