Baldwin-Motion Phase III Corvettes – Part 1 of 3

From 1967 to 1969, the hottest street Corvette was the 427/435 L71. Not a bad ride for most folks. But Joel Rosen isn’t “most folks.” Rosen owned Motion Performance in Brooklyn, New York in the late ’50s and ’60s, and was having considerable success as a local drag racer-tuner. Read More

Baldwin-Motion Phase III Shark Corvettes – Part 3 of 3

Simply stated – Silva wanted the new Corvette to be the Mako Shark II show car Corvette. By the time Silva got around to designing a body kit for the production Corvette, Joel Rosen had already made a name for himself with his Baldwin-Motion Phase III Supercars. Since Rosen’s Corvettes had a considerable amount of custom fiberglass work, Silva worked out a deal with Mr. Motion. Read More

Vintage 1969 Baldwin-Motion Phase-III SS-427 Supercars PDF Catalog Booklet

One day in early 1969 on the newsstand, I spotted the screaming yellow Corvette on the cover with the cover copy saying something like, “Baldwin-Motion Phase III SS-427 Corvette Supercar!” As much as I loved the new Corvette, I loved the Phase III Corvette better! It had flared wheel wells and deep-dish Cragar Mags shod with FAT L60-15 tires. Atop of the stock 427 hood bulge was a ’67 Stinger hood scoop and a Pontiac hood-mounted tach. Finishing the setup was a set of 1965-1967 Corvette side pipes. WOW! Read More


1969 Baldwin-Motion Phase-III GT Corvette SOLD for $95,000! – VIDEO

Back in the day, this was a SUPER expensive custom car. In 1969 a fully-loaded 427/435 Corvette cost just over $6,000 – as much as a Cadillac! A Phase-III-GT could easily cost around $12,000! In addition to the basic Motion Performance package of performance parts, the Phase-III GT had extensive body work. The only part of the fiberglass body that was not modified was the doors! Joel Rosen even came up with a fastback rear glass setup that opened up the stowage area behind the seats as much as the 1963-1967 Sting Ray Coupes! Read More


An intimate conversation with Baldwin-Motion Phase-III Chevy Supercar Creators, Marty Schorr & Joel Rosen – Pt.1

This interview appeared in the July 2017 issue of Vette Vues Magazine. Part 2 coming soon! – Marty Schorr is the former editor of CARS Magazine, the founder of Vette Magazine, and is the current editor and chief of CarGuyChrolicles.com, and PMPR, an automotive public relations form. Joel Rosen is the former owner of Motion Performance, on Long Island, in New York, and currently owns and runs Motion Models, a world-renowned, scale military model company in Florida.
 
In June 2013 I had the pleasure of interviewing Marty and Joel on my radio program, “Far Out Radio.” And now, you get to read the story from the guys that made it happen – Marty Schorr and Joel “Mr. Motion” Rosen. The guys created a legend and we’re still talking about it over 50 years later! Read More


Motion Performance Survivor Story: Dave Ankenbauer’s 1972 Phase-III 454 ZL-X Corvette

Vietnam Vet and Paraplegic, Dave Ankenbauer got one of the BADDEST Baldwin Motion street 454 Phase III Corvettes ever built! By K. Scott Teeters. Photos by Dave Belk and the Family of Dave Ankenbauer Dateline:… Read MoreRead More

Dr. Rollings’ 1971 Phase III GT Corvette “The Most Expensive of All the Motion Corvettes”

Time has been kind to the Baldwin Motion Supercars. Today, complete and restored Motion cars are very valuable. Yenko cars have the pedigree of being COPO cars, but unlike the Phase III cars, they could not be personalized. Enter Joel Rosen, Marty Schorr, and the Baldwin Motion experience.

Rosen was the owner of Motion Performance in Baldwin, New York and Schorr was the editor of CARS Magazine (and founder of VETTE). The young men conceived of offering custom-built supercars through local dealer, Baldwin Chevrolet. Rosen knew how to build a Chevy muscle car into a dependable, supercar, with performance over-and-above the factory level. Joel spun the wrenches and Marty spun the spin. Schorr kept the sizzle hot with CARS Magazine “special road tests,” in-your-face ads, special features, and catalogs. A Motion supercar was guaranteed to run the quarter-mile in 11.5-seconds with a qualified driver. When a customer took delivery of their Phase III supercar, they were driving a custom-made supercar. It was all very heady stuff.
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NEW Motion Performance Corvettes Tribute Art Print

In November 2011 there were a few automotive bomb shells dropped on the MCACN Muscle Car Show. Namely three unique Baldwin Motion Corvettes. One Survivor Phase III 454 Corvette, one restored Motion Mako Shark Corvette, and one garage/barn find Corvette, the ‘76 Can-Am Spyder.

Since I have covered all of the Motion Performance Corvette cars in my Illustrated Corvette Series column, I decided to create a new print depicting all of the Motion Performance Corvettes. The basic Phase III Corvette, the Phase III GT Corvette, the Motion Maco Corvette, the Motion Manta Ray Corvette, and the Motion Moray Eel Corvette. Hopefully, more of the Motion Performance cars will surface. From survivor cars to extreme barn finds, it’s a good thing when they are brought back to life. Read More