Hi everybody,

while looking for a nice C3 I came across one from 1978 with a big block from motion performance, as far as I know. According to the given informations the car was purchased by motion motorsport in 1978 and directly "upgraded" to a show car with a 454 cui big block that has 400 hps. I found some old prospects listing some of the parts that can be seen on the pictures, like the wide body parts, but while digging further I found out that some people did some replicas of the motion era so that I am wondering about the credibility of this work.
Every help verifying this build or any informations are therefore much appreciated.

Best regards
Zari



Engine block

C3

 

I would try the Motion forum....

https://www.yenko.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=89

But it sure looks legit......A/C and Big Block in a 78......correct pulleys and brackets, etc.......

I think Joel Rosen is still alive......he was the brains and owner behind Baldwin-Motion.....

Look in the rear of the car underneath by the rear end....is there a traction bar that attaches to the spring plate to the crossmember? This "southside bar" was a Motion trademark for Vette's......if it is there....I would bet the car is real.

Jebby

 

Hi Jebby,

thanks alot for these informations. I will definetly check for the southside bar when I see the Vette.
I already tried contacting Joel Rosen but his E-Mail post box seems to be full and the phone number I found isnt working. From MadMike I unfortunately didnt recieve an answer in this regard.
I also registered at the motion forum but havent gotten the permission to post a new thread yet.

Best regards
Zari

 

Welcome to the forum Zari.

The chances it’s a real Motion car is pretty remote.

Every part that Rosen put on any car was available in his mail order catalog. The chances this car is a Motion conversion from his shop is very small. Without documentation it’s going to be just another custom catalog Corvette. If you want Rosen to document the car expect a over the top big fee. If you’re going to deal with him, be careful.

That said, if there is some form of verifiable docs on the car then that’s great. I was always interested and a fan of these cars since I was a kid. Long before these were popular. I still live 10 minutes from the old shop of Sunrise hwy. Seen lots of them growing up on Long Island, some right in my neighborhood. Joel made some nice cars.

Either way, that’s a pretty cool looking Vette. Nicely done body work.

 

I'd also point out, as I understand it, if Rosen even looks at the car, it's a pretty big fee, whether it's found to be a Motion car or not.

 

Correct…..be careful..

 

I don't know if it is a "real" Motion car or not but it sure is a badass looking car! I guess for value wise I might want to know but otherwise I'd just enjoy it and have a blast driving it around.

 

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts on this and the warning
The Motion Performance website lists fees from 1.000 to 1.500 $ for a verification which is really disproportionate much for a possible "no"-answer. (http://www.motionperformance.com/motion.html)

Thats what I thought too but in the end I need to estimate the value roughly to not getting overcharged.

 

If you think its the real deal it could be good to get it verified. If its the real deal Rosen will give you supporting documentation. May be worth $1500 for documentation which I would think increase the value.

 

Hi Mike, thanks for your reply. I will have a look at the available documents and might in the end have no other choice than contacting him to get the documentations for registering the car in another country.
Do you know how to contact Joel since his Mail account is full and his phone number isnt working?
You are not by chance MadMike who worked with him together? If so I would be very happy to have a quick chat with you.

 

I have no contact info.

 

Back in April of this year I bought a December 1978 built 79 model Corvette from the original owners son. His father passed and the car had been in the garage for years. But it was purchased at Sunrise Chevrolet in Uniondale NY not far from Baldwin NY by his dad and from the sons account it had a 454 in the car from the day he brought it home. All the old pictures he showed me that looked like early 80s it had the big block in it and even now except for the intake looks like a factory 454. He did also say the car had many makeovers during the decades since purchase and he didn't have documents but there is some things that make me wonder as well. I did do some research there is a few accounts from people that were around Joel that said he built Two late 78 early 79 C3 Corvettes for people but we're not True phase three motion cars. He also built a few Early 80s wide body Camaros. I believe like 84 or 85. I'm still working tracking down some documentation on my car. I don't really care about its value because of it just the coolness of owning a Joel Rosen Corvette.

 

To the best of my knowledge, Joel Rosen and Motion stopped doing engine swaps and new car conversions in 1974 when the Feds came down hard on him. The Feds didn't look kindly on the 454 Vegas he tried to sell in 1974, and told him to cease and desist or face possible fines, and maybe jail time too(?). After 74 I think Motion mainly stuck to body kits and maybe some engine swaps on customer's used cars, but as best as I know he didn't go near doing engine swaps in anything new or subject to Federal emission testing or standards.

If you're not aware, Federal law under the EPA requires the engine/trans combination of every car sold in the US to go through an EPA testing procedure to make sure they conform to and pass all Federal emission standards. This is what Motion got in trouble for. They were not in a position to put a car through the time consuming and expensive testing process, and what they were building would meet the emission standards in effect at the time anyway.

Welcome to the Forum! How about some pictures?

 

Just as a side note, Joel Rosen passed away in October 2023. I don't know if someone has access to his records and can verify the authenticity of his cars. He went to my high school in Brooklyn and was a living legend with the racers and street rod builders. Jerry

 

I read where either Rosen or Marty Schorr (Rosen's former partner) sold all of Motion's records to someone named Casey Alford. Alford planned to continue the Motion certification program. I don't know how he can be reached, but I think he's active on or somehow involved with Yenko Supercar Registry.

 

It ended in 74 the new cars from Baldwin Chevrolet being swapped and upgrade from motion performance as new Chevrolet car with warranty but Joel Rosen performance shop didn't close until the 90s. I've met multiple people at car shows that bought parts and had motors built from Joel after 74. He did also build a 2010 (don't quote more in the year) Camaro for Chevrolet as well. And I personally put a bid in a documented 85 Camaro he built that had wide body kit on it. It was being sold by one of Richard Rawlings guys. So as I said before I don't think the two supposed 78 am 79 Corvettes are phase 3 or any phase motion Corvette but they're is a possibility they were built by Joel.

 

Hi, thanks for bringing this topic up again, it’s always enjoyable to reflect on Motion history.

gbvette62 is correct: Joel Rosen officially stopped doing engine swaps in 1974 due to EPA requirements. That said, it’s known he continued swaps into the early 1980s, but those cars weren’t sold through normal channels. They didn’t receive standard street titles instead, they were marked for off-road use, race tracks, or showroom display only. Later on, when some of these cars were resold, the story was often that the original title had been “lost,” and in some cases, owners managed to secure a regular title because of their age and “vintage” status, making them street-legal.

With that in mind, I agree with you it’s possible that both cars could be true Motion cars.

I actually reached out to Baldwin Motion via Facebook in 2022 and exchanged messages with Larry Jaworske (the former CEO who revived the Baldwin Motion brand). I asked him if there was any documentation available to help prove a car’s Motion history. His response was that he “carried the torch” for many years, but now he’s retired just as Joel Rosen and Marty. Unfortunately, that means getting definitive paperwork today is going to be very difficult. At this point, I think the best thing is to enjoy the story, the legacy, and even the mystery around the car.

Do you have any photos of your Corvette to share? I’d love to see it.

 

As I said above, Kasey Alford (I misspelled his name above as Casey) acquired all of the original Motion and Baldwin-Motion records and documentation a couple years ago.

Alford is active on The Supercar Registry's forum under the name "Motion Performance" and can be contacted at: officialmotionperformance@gmail.com.

Rosen's old partner Marty Schorr is also a member on The Supercar Registry forum under his own name, "Martyn L. Schorr". https://thesupercarregistry.com

 

That era was amazing at many things but keeping track of paperwork was not one of them. My Dad had multiple automotive repair shops, dealerships and trailer building companies during the 60s 70s, 80s and 90s. I worked in most of them and most things that were documented got put in a cabinet somewhere and forgotten. So as long as someone not trying to pass off the car as a motion car without any evidence or real specific evidence. I believe your right the mystery and the possibility that it might be a true Joel Rosen car is simply cool enough. I'm never selling my 79, at some point


it'll just go into the garage next to my other toys until one of the kids gets it. so it's not like I care if it has anymore value or not. I just thought it was interesting story and finding a few tidbits that might support the argument that it was just makes the the cars journey even better.
My 79 from the previous owner has had many alterations from paint jobs to rear ends replaced but he said multiple times it was the original motor from his dad brought the car home. After checking the blocks date codes it is a 14015445 service replacement engine from 79. So again who knows. The car right now is at paint and body. They are taking off multiple paint jobs that are underneath. The son said it was blue originally so I think I'm gonna bring it back to blue.