Interview With VETTE Magazine Founder & First Editor, Martyn L. Schorr – Pt. 1

Dateline: 7.31.11
An intimate conversation with good-guy, car-guy – Marty Schorr

Go to the magazine stand and the number of car magazines is amazing. But way back in the ‘60s, most of the car magazines were west coast publications. CARS Magazine was one of the only east coast car magazines that included road tests, feature cars, and race event coverage. When muscle cars party were hot in the late ‘60s, CARS editor, Marty Schorr was right on top of the east coast muscle car and specialty car scene – especially the Baldwin-Motion Phase III Supercars of Joel Rosen. Talk about muscle cars with attitude! Every Phase III Chevy was carefully built under Rosen’s supervision and was guaranteed to run 12.5 in the quarter mile.

By ‘71 the muscle car party was over and we all adjusted to somewhat bland cars. The only “performance” cars that survived were the Z-28, the Trans-Am, and the Corvette. By ‘76 I had been into Corvettes for 12 years and regularly scoured the magazine stands for special “Corvette editions” magazines. One day I saw “VETTE Quarterly.” Finally, a Corvette-only magazine! Marty Schorr from CARS was the editor, so I knew this was going to be a fun publication. The magazine was so cool I wrote a letter with some article ideas, along with some samples of my art, and sent it off to Marty. A week later, I was on board with VETTE.

VETTE Quarterly went bi-monthly in ‘78, was retitled, “VETTE” and eventually became a monthly magazine in 1980. When CSK Publishing bought the title, Schorr stepped out of the editor’s chair and was for many years a contributing editor. Marty started his own automotive PR company, PMPR, Inc. and I went on to become a commercial artist, toy designer, and artist/writer for VETTE and many other car magazines.

In ‘07 I reconnected with Marty when I was researching the Astoria-Chas L-88 ‘67 Corvette drag car. We kept in touch and I thought that it was time to get Marty’s story out to today’s VETTE readers. Last December, we talked for three hours about Marty’s career in the automotive publication business, and yes, Corvettes. – Scott


ST – Marty, it sounds like a cliché, but, how did you get started in this crazy business?

MS – I was just a kid in Yonkers, New York in the mid-’50s when I joined a local hot rod club, the “Dragon Wheels.” I wasn’t a mechanic or mechanically inclined, but it was a lot of fun to be around. We had all kinds of homemade hot rods. One guy had a fuel dragster and another had a fuel coupe. There weren’t any race tracks around, so we used to race the cars on a section of the Bronx River Parkway late at night. A lot of the guys got nailed by the cops with early versions of radar. Back then, if you ran away, the cops would shoot at you! It wasn’t uncommon to see club cars with bullet holes in the back of the car! I wasn’t much of a mechanic, but I could write pretty well and soon became the club’s PR director. I had a little 620 Browie camera and got my first article published in ‘57 about our club’s Cadillac-powered dragster in a small digest-size magazine. I got paid $25 and said to myself, “I LIKE this!” I kept practicing my photography and writing skills, eventually landing a job as an editor for $100 a week.

ST – Marty, most publications these days require an editor to have a degree in English or journalism. What kind of formal education did you have?

MS – I didn’t have the means to go to school full-time, so I took night classes for about five years in English, advertising, and public relations. I didn’t finish college and never got a degree because my freelance career really took off. My career paralleled a guy from my school that graduated two years before me, Ralph Loren. We didn’t know one another or travel in the same circles.

ST – And what kinds of cars were you driving back then Marty?

MS – Let’s see, I had a ‘51 Pontiac, a ‘40 Mercury, and a ‘32 Chevy Cabriolet. My hot ride was a little MGTA with a flathead Ford V8 and a four-speed trans. It had been converted to left-hand drive and had the big 19-inch wire wheels, no side windows or top, and I drove it all year around while I was freelancing. It was quick, but it handled terribly, had awful brakes, and the wire wheels had to constantly be realigned. I was always taking the car to a Rolls Royce dealer because they had mechanics that knew how to fix wire wheels. (I’ll be they loved having that car in for service. ST)

ST – Back in those days Marty, all young men had to do military service, unless you got a deferment or were classified 4F. What did you do for Uncle Sam?

MS – I was actually in the Army two times. I enlisted for six months of active duty, plus 100 years of reserve. After boot camp I was in the transportation corps as a non-officer and eventually got into the photography lab and did a lot of documentation photography. It was great experience that I applied to my freelance journalist work for small car magazines. After my six month stint I got called back because of the ‘61 Berlin crisis. I didn’t get to do anything interesting, but while stationed in Virginia, my wife and I were renting a place and one of our neighbors was astronaut Alan Shepherd. So I worked my Army job during the week and was shooting cars and doing stories on the weekends. Continue reading “Interview With VETTE Magazine Founder & First Editor, Martyn L. Schorr – Pt. 1”

The Baldwin-Motion Phase-III GT Corvette – Version 2.0

The Phase III GT was only a few months old, and Joel Rosen rolled out an even WILDER version of his ultimate Corvette GT.

A few months after Joel Rosen and Marty Schorr rocked the house at the ‘69 New York Auto Show with the Baldwin Motion Phase III Corvette, plus, got the official blessing from Corvette chief engineer, Zora Arkus-Duntov, the next version of the GT was shown on the September ‘70 issue of High-Performance CARS Magazine. The fixed-headlight was a real polarizer, but it was definitely unique. It’s too bad that federal regulations did not allow for the clear lexan headlight covers, because the covers were available for “show” or “off road” use only, and looked great.

From 1969 to 1971 only 12 Phase III GT Corvettes were built. Due to the extensive custom body work on top of the performance enhancements, the Phase III GT Corvettes were THE most expensive of all of the Baldwin-Motion Phase III Supercars. Continue reading “The Baldwin-Motion Phase-III GT Corvette – Version 2.0”

CARS Magazine Archive: The First Phase III GT Corvette

Here’s how Rosen’s Sharks got started. MORE TO COME!

As if the Phase III SS-427 wasn’t enough, Joel Rosen unleashed his version of what he thought a GT, or “Grand Touring” Corvette should be at the New York International Auto Show in April 1969. The European GT concept was based on a car with a strong chassis, big engine, heavy duty breaks, room for two, plus space for luggage. Rosen ascertained that the only American car that would fit that bill would be a 427 Corvette. While I didn’t get to see the car at the show, I could NOT miss the August 1969 issue of CARS Magazine with what looked like a stunning, blazing red, ‘68 Corvette with some very interesting body work. Actually, the car was Monaco Orange, but it sure looked RED in print.

The standard Baldwin Motion performance enhancements were applied to the already heavy duty Corvette as a starting point. The new big feature was the fastback rear window that opened up the interior space behind the seats, providing more storage space that a C2 Sting Ray Coupe. Continue reading “CARS Magazine Archive: The First Phase III GT Corvette”

NEW BaldwinMotionReport.com Website!!!

After many years, we FINALLY made it happen!

I’ve been a big fan of Joel Rosen and Marty Schorr’s, Baldwin-Motion Phase III Supercars since 1968. While they were not the only tuners that were offering packaged supercars, they were the only ones to offer a money back guarantee that their car would run 11.50 in the quarter-mile, or YOUR MONEY BACK! Plus, Rosen and Schorr came up with a signature look for their cars that has been imitated by many.

In all the years that Phase III supercars were built and sold, not a single customer ever asked for a refund because their Phase III car didn’t perform!

I’ll be covering all the RED HOT Baldwin-Motion Phase III muscle cars – the Phase III Corvettes, Phase III Camaros, Phase III Novas, Phase III Chevelles, and the ultimate sleeper machine, the Phase III Biscayne. Continue reading “NEW BaldwinMotionReport.com Website!!!”

Vote For Your Favorite Baldwin-Motion Corvette

Which Baldwin-Motion Corvette is YOUR FAVORITE?

(scroll down to cast your vote)

From 1967 to 1978 Joel Rosen, Marty Schorr, and the crew produced an astonishing array of Chevy supercars. “The Fantastic Five” included the Biscayne, the Nova, the Chevelle, the Camaro, and Corvette. If you wanted a true sleeper supercar, the Biscayne was the way to deliver one heck of a surprise. While the big 427 and 454 monster cars got most of the attention, Mr. Motion would build you whatever you wanted. So, there were also a few Motion cars powered with enhanced 350 small-blocks, and a few Corvettes that received turbochargers!

All of the Baldwin-Motion cars were special and unique, but let’s face it, the Corvettes were the halo cars. Since every Motion supercar was custom-built according to the customer’s wants and checkbook, every car is slightly different. The only thing standard was Joel’s selection of heavy-duty after market parts needed to keep the machine relatively bulletproof.

From ‘68 to ‘78, there were six distinctive Baldwin-Motion Corvettes. Let’s have a look-see… Continue reading “Vote For Your Favorite Baldwin-Motion Corvette”

Joel Rosen’s Motion Can-Am Spyder Corvette

The Last of the Motion Corvettes

By the late ‘60s, big-block Chevys were always contenders against anything from Ford and Mopar. Within the story line of muscle car history, the Baldwin-Motion Supercars are legends. For John Q. Public, a regular muscle car was often times more than enough. Then there were those who wanted more.

In the mid-’60s, Long Island speed shop owner Joel Rosen had areputation for building tough street and strip cars. Unlike Carroll Shelby’s deal with Ford to build quasi-SCCA Mustangs, Rosen struck with local dealer Baldwin Chevrolet to offer supercar versions of new Chevy muscle cars that were custom built to order and guaranteed to run 11.5 in the quarter-mile with a qualified driver.

From ‘67 through ‘73, Rosen and his team cranked out hundreds of unique Chevy supercars. But his most exotic cars were some of the Corvettes. Continue reading “Joel Rosen’s Motion Can-Am Spyder Corvette”

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

Joel Rosen’s Sharks

Joel Rosen’s meca for Chevy supercars – Motion Performance on Rising Sun Highway, Long Island, New York. Note the custom fish-scales paint job! The Phase III Vega behind the Maco Shark was the car that brought the Feds crashing down on Motion performance.

As the new ‘63 Corvettes were hitting the showrooms, GM’s Chief of Styling, Bill Mitchell, was dreaming up the next Corvette. With the help of stylist Larry Shinoda and a small team of designers, the radical Mako Shark II was shown to GM’s management in Spring of ‘65. The non-running full-size mock up made jaws drop. Before the car was shipped to the New York International Auto Show, the order was given, “build a running version!” By October ’65 the running version of the new design was complete and headed out to the show car circuit where it received rave reviews. It was obvious – the Mako Shark II HAD TO BE the next production Corvette.

You can catch Part 1 HERE.

And Part 2 HERE.

Continue reading “Baldwin-Motion Phase III Shark Corvettes – Part 3 of 3”

1969 Baldwin-Motion Phase III GT Corvette – Part 2 of 3

Joel Rosen Builds A Grand Touring Corvette

The term “GT” is arguably one of the most misused automotive designations. The term is an abbreviation for “grand touring.” A GT car is a road-going, lightweight, semi-luxurious coupe built on a high-performance chassis, for long trips, you need a car with plenty of power, a strong chassis, and loads of creature comforts to make the journey pleasant. Most high-priced European car companies all offered GT cars for their affluent customers.

In the ‘60s, Detroit carmakers started to use the GT term on pony and mid-size cars. Many enthusiasts wanted more and sought the help of specialty shops to build a package car. The original Shelby Mustangs were turn-key supercars. But at a small shop in Baldwin, New York, Joel Rosen was making his own machines called the Baldwin-Motion SS and Phase III Supercars.

You can catch Part 1 HERE.

Part 3 is HERE.

Continue reading “1969 Baldwin-Motion Phase III GT Corvette – Part 2 of 3”

The Sights & Sounds of the Baldwin-Motion Experience

Here’s one of the early Phase III SS-427 Corvettes that Rosen worked his magic upon. The side-pipes weren’t designed for the C3 but they sure looked “boss.”

Sometimes special “teams” organically seem to come together. You know, duos, such as, Abbot & Costello, Burns & Allen, Martin & Lewis, Lennon & McCartney. The specialty car market has a similar dynamic duo. But because what they created was so brilliant, it mostly took the spotlight off of them and on to the real stars, the Baldwin-Motion Phase III Supercars. “They” happen to be former editor of CARS Magazine, Marty Schorr and owner of Motion Performance, Joel “Mr. Motion” Rosen.

Be sure to catch our other Baldwin-Motion Stories,

Part 1  is HERE.

Part 2 is HERE.

Part 3 is HERE.

Continue reading “The Sights & Sounds of the Baldwin-Motion Experience”

Baldwin-Motion Phase III Corvettes – Part 1 of 3

Joel Rosen & Marty Schorr Create a Corvette Legend!

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. In ’67 Joel struck a deal with the owners of Baldwin Chevrolet, in Baldwin, New York, to make 427-engine versions of the new Camaro. When the ’68 Corvette came out, Joel knew that he had to make a special red-hot version. The ’69 Baldwin-Motion SS-427 Phase III Corvette was born.

You can catch Part 2 HERE.

Part 3 is HERE.

Continue reading “Baldwin-Motion Phase III Corvettes – Part 1 of 3”

The Last Baldwin-Motion Phase III GT Corvette!

Adam Tuckman’s “Dr. Rollings'” 1971 Baldwin-Motion Phase III GT Corvette To Debut At Muscle Car & Corvette Nationals!

Story & Photos by Martyn L. Schorr

1971 Baldwin-Motion Phase III GT Corvette

Intro: I was just a car-crazed lad when I saw my first Baldwin-Motion Phase III Corvette on the cover of CARS Magazine. The bright yellow machine had ‘67 side-pipes, the Baldwin-Motion signature-style ‘67 big-block Corvette hood scoop on top of the ‘68 big-block hood dome, a GTO hood-mounted tach, flares on the wheel openings and deep-dish Cragar mags. WOW! What’a sight! Joel Rosen made sure the cars had a heap’n help’n of red meat and Marty Schorr, CARS editor and Motion coconspirator, made sure there was plenty of sizzle!

Baldwin-Motion cars went on to delight Chevy lovers for years and quickly became legends. In ‘69, Rosen turned the Phase III Corvette to the Baldwin-Motion Phase III GT – the most expensive of all of the Baldwin-Motion cars. After specialty cars roll (or peal out) out the door, many live hard, hard lives, with less than happy endings. But then some become cherished members of their owners families. This is the story of a much loved and enjoyed Phase III GT Corvette.

So, with much delight, let me turn this story over to the ultimate Baldwin-Motion spin master, Martyn L. Schorr. Take it away, Marty! – KST

Dr. Rollings 1971 Phase III GT Corvette

Not all Vettes are red. Many of Duntov’s mule Corvettes were white – so were most of Bill Jenkins race cars and Jim Hall’s Chaparrels. Sano white was Dr. Rollings color  choice for his personal Grand Touring Corvette.

Purchased from the original owner’s family in 2008, Adam Tuckman’s 1971 Baldwin-Motion Phase III GT Corvette is the last built, highest-optioned and most original known. Between 1969 and 1971, Joel Rosen produced just 12 GTs. Continue reading “The Last Baldwin-Motion Phase III GT Corvette!”