Saturday finale at Mecum Indy to feature myriad of vintage race cars

Mecum Auctions

By VM Staff | 5.15.23 10:17 AM

Dana Mecum’s 36th Spring Classic auction at the Indiana State Fairgrounds is already up to speed offering more than 3,000 vehicles throughout the 9-day event. The Mecum Indy auction is set to close Saturday, May 20 with its usual fireworks of vehicle offerings, including some choice vintage racers.

Among them is a 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88/ZL1 Greenwood Race Car – the cover car and salon feature of Vintage Motorsport’s Nov/Dec 2011 issue.

Reflecting the growing strength and success of Chevrolet’s Corvette on the international stage, John Greenwood’s devastatingly fast and boldly finished “Stars and Stripes” Corvettes of the 1970s kept America’s Sports Car at the forefront of road racing. While likely best-known for devising the outrageous “Greenwood Wide-Body” Corvettes, Greenwood was a master engine builder and tireless supporter of American racing. Among his many front-line achievements, Greenwood won back-to-back SCCA A-Production championships in 1970-71, defeating the famed Owens-Corning sponsored Corvette team of Tony DeLorenzo and Jerry Thompson. Powered by Chevrolet’s all-aluminum ZL1 427 engine, Greenwood led the Corvette charge at the 24 Hours of Le Mans starting in 1973 with this car.

It is one of three team cars built by John Greenwood and sponsored by BF Goodrich during the 1971-73 racing seasons to showcase the new line of T/A radial tires. The “Stars and Stripes” graphics were designed by John Greenwood’s brother, Bert Greenwood. Bearing No. 49, this car was initially designated for show and promotional use for BF Goodrich, but it was pressed into competitive use by necessity, as its No. 50 sister car was damaged in a crash.

This Corvette is currently equipped with a thundering, all-aluminum, race-spec ZL1 427/750 HP engine built by the Chevrolet racing experts at Traco Engineering, paired with a Muncie close-ratio 4-speed manual transmission. Other highlights include the specific Greenwood front and rear suspension systems with trailing arms and anti-sway bars, bodywork modified with factory L88 flares and molded clear Plexiglas headlamp covers, and a set of period-correct BF Goodrich tires and Minilite wheels.

Also on the docket for Saturday, May 20, is this 1960 Chevrolet Corvette Le Mans Racer.

Steeped in racing history, this 1960 Chevrolet Corvette, Chassis No. 2272, is one of two allocated by Chevrolet under a special “testing contract” to the Camoradi USA team. Factory-prepared for racing when new and powered by a special racing powerplant designed to Arkus-Duntov’s exacting specifications, this Corvette was delivered new to Camoradi USA via Don Allen Chevrolet in Miami.

True to purpose, the Corvette earned a strong front-line competition record, starting in Cuba in 1960, where Jim Jeffords won the 1960 Havana GT race on the car’s maiden outing on February 24. Three days later, Jeffords and Chassis No. 2272 finished 8th Overall and took the GT-Class win in the Cuban Grand Prix. Next, Jeffords and Fred Gamble co-drove this Corvette at 12 Hours of Sebring, finishing 32nd Overall. Across the Atlantic, the Corvette started the Nürburgring 1000 Kms with Gamble and Lee Lilley assigned co-driving duties, but retired due to a faulty wheel bearing.

At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Lilley and Gamble completed the grueling contest and finished 10th Overall and 2nd in GT 5.0. However, they were later informed they did not cover a sufficient distance and were not officially classified. Nonetheless, Corvette history was established by this car, the first and only “straight-axle” Corvette to finish both Sebring and Le Mans. Next, Gamble and Casner co-drove this Corvette to victory at the 1960 Swedish Grand Prix GT race, followed by a post-race road accident with future Lamborghini development driver and engineer Bob Wallace at the wheel.

Other race car offerings slated for Saturday include: