Rear Section Only: Greenwood C3 Corvette Sport Wagon
For most Chevrolet Corvette enthusiasts, especially those who are fans of the C3 era cars, the name John Greenwood is probably a familiar one. John’s interest in the hobby seemed to be two-fold, as he loved to race Corvettes in the International Motor Sports Association and Trans Am circuits, but was also into producing aftermarket items for these cars, in both the high-performance mechanical parts aspect and also some pretty far-out exterior pieces, such as flares, spoilers, and body kits. Even though Greenwood didn’t have the original idea for a station-wagon-type Corvette, he did take the idea and run with it, although the phenomenon never really took off on a massive scale. So nowadays, these things are kind of hard to come by, and if you’ve got a C3 with a good front end or just want some unusual lawn art, this Sport Wagon rear section might be calling your name. It’s sitting on a trailer in Tampa, Florida, and can be spotted here on Facebook Marketplace with an asking price of $4,500. Thanks go out to Chuck Foster for the tip on this one!
Pre-dating Greenwood’s improved idea for a station wagon concept was an offering by another name that’s also somewhat well-known in the land of custom cars, Chuck Miller, who’s been in the business of designing and creating custom rides since the early sixties. While I can’t positively confirm this, the story seems to go that there was a certain musician, we don’t know who, that was also a C3 Corvette owner. The car might have been OK if he had played guitar, sax, violin, or any number of easy-to-transport small musical instruments. But as fate would have it, he was a drummer, and not only that but he wanted to use his Corvette to travel to and from gigs. Apparently, this guy was the original commissioner for the first wagon concept, which caught the attention of Miller, who thought since the trunk had been eliminated from the earlier Corvettes that there may be other owners interested in this idea. So Chuck went to work and came up with the initial Sport Wagon, which was designed for the back-bumper equipped 1968 to 1973 cars with the outward-facing rear panel.
Greenwood surmised he could do it better, and after the re-designed sloped rear-panel beginning with the ’74 model ‘Vette was introduced, he went to work on a different design. John’s goal was to improve both the form and function of the wagon, which included a more streamlined roof with the side glass extending into part of the top. In the function department, the back glass was now designed as a hatch, allowing entry into the cargo area from the rear of the car. A prototype vehicle was made from Greenwood’s girlfriend’s 1975 Corvette coupe, and after an initial discrepancy with the hatch operation was remedied, molds were made from that Sport Wagon, followed by kits being fabricated. A company named American Custom Industries built some cars from them, as did Eckler’s, the latter of which also sold kits for DIYers, including just the wagon top or the entire rear clip.
We don’t get much information about how the seller’s car ended up in its current state of disarray. Perhaps it was wrecked in the front, or maybe the fenders and hood were removed to put on another car. This one is a true one-of-one, as it’s also equipped with that custom-crafted wooden rear axle. Oh wait, that’s just a support board that’s probably in place to help keep the body from touching the trailer. We only get two photos, so what you see is what you get, and no word on how much of the interior is still intact. Obviously, there’s no drivetrain, either. But the important pieces are there if you’re wanting to put together the C3 wagon of your dreams, including the rear inside panels plus the custom fuel tank for this application. This might also be an unusual solution if you happen to have a C3 that’s been hit from the back. In any event. I’d probably float the idea to the seller about throwing in the trailer, too. What are your thoughts on the future of this Corvette Sport Wagon rear section? Is $4,500 reasonable for what you’re getting here?
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Comments
Pretty expensive storage shed or dog house.
Good luck on selling this item as a am sure a buyer exist and this a good place connect.
Rear side glass reminds me of my 88 4 Runner.
Toyota steals most their ideas from US ..
Why in the world would anyone mess up a Corvette by doing something like this?
.. to make it better ;)
More practical, and if im correct, better weight distribution equals better handling; possibly even better aero dynamics with the longer roof..
Im a wagon fan though, so theres a definite bias.
Business in the front, party in the back. A Cormulette. What’s not to like?
Every car is better as a wagon. The finished version is beautiful, and that brown is perfect.
Depends on whether or not it includes the frame and running gear. With out those it is not worth much unless you have a ‘vette which has a rough rear with cracked or damaged fiberglass.
I’m w/Faster (1/2 way). This is not attractive(2 me). Drop the rear hump (over wheel) as the stang did for it’s waggy. I’d like that better.
Looks like the wagon part came from that early ’70’s
Camaro concept wagon.
A bit off track, but does anyone else remember the Jagwagen from Harold and Maude? I thought that was pretty well done…
These are pretty rare..many kammback conversions were made but i think only the Greenwood had an operating hatch so you could actually use the “stationwagon” function.The price seems reasonable to me,i love kammback Corvettes.
There was one of these things at auction in Memphis in the summer. It was a ’69 Corvette with the original 427 engine and ugly as sin. It sold for $6500. I figured it was going to sell for 30 or 40K.
A 69 427 Vette wagon for 6500 ?!?!
Ohhh im wishin i was there , thats an awesome deal !
If anyone knows where that car is.. i want it ! =)
I bought the 69 sportwagon, that was on auction north of Memphis tn.
427 4spd, it is now in Arkansas
Literally just order a new fuel tank for it today. 10/11/24
Yes,
I stole it for the price paid I for it!!!
I been documenting just about everything I’ve done on it with pics.
I enjoy looking at it everyday!
Just No
I am a corvette restoration expert.
If you’d like one of these wagons I’m willing to build it.
I only do vette customizing and that would fit the bill.
Million dollar car once restored. Run it through the Big Auction. Wait and see. Because if it’s “Rare” it’s valuable. 😂. Fools and their money, easily parted. The seller “Knows what he has”.
Kind of form meets function. Where’s the Woody version?