1969 C3 Corvette Baldwin-Motion Catalog Car Brought Back to Life
What makes B-M cars such gems is their somewhat complicated connection to Baldwin Chevrolet.
Online Sleuthing FTW
For all the barn finds, garage relics, and long-forgotten wrecks scattered across America, restoration connoisseurs like Joe Tandle can also find gems in more obvious places such as online auction sites. That’s exactly where Tandle came across this 1969 Corvette with “Motion” fiberglass body. Tandle knew right away that the ‘Vette was not originally a Baldwin car and did not go through Motion Performance production. So, the larger question remained: what was left of this car’s Motion heritage?
Photos Courtesy of Jerry Heasley, Super Chevy
I Know That Flare Anywhere
There’s no doubt that Tandle’s extensive knowledge of Corvette history gave him a significant edge over the car’s other potential bidders. Joel Rosen built Motion Performance Corvettes in his shop at 598 Sunrise Highway in Long Island, New York. They were the supercars in the Fantastic Five: Impala, Chevelle, Camaro, Nova, and Corvette from 1969 to 1971. The cars are recognizable by their headlights, hood, fastback rear windows, reverse gills, and fender flares.
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A Stock Car Like No Other
Sometime in the 1970s, the car’s first owner bought parts from Joel Rosen to make his 1969 Corvette look like a Motion Phase III GT. The car was then sold with an L88 hood in place of the Motion hood, which Tandle did receive with the car. Cars that Rosen modified with the same Motion modifications, however, are not “stock.” That said, these cars were built by Rosen to a formula and are extremely valuable amongst the Corvette collector set.
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Certified Standard
This is where the story takes an interesting turn —pun intended. Cars with authentic vintage parts from Rosen are, technically, “catalog” vehicles —an interesting hybrid of Motion Performance that is gaining traction nationwide. What makes B-M cars such is their connection to Baldwin Chevrolet. These Chevys were invoiced brand-new with the Motion mods, so the window sticker gives them 100 percent stock authenticity.
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Clone Wars
Today, restoration hobby enthusiasts differentiate catalog cars from Motion cars built with reproduction parts, which are dissimilar from original parts. A car built with non-Motion reproduction parts would certainly be a clone.
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Clockwork Orange
Tandle purchased his 1969 Corvette with no engine, no transmission, no steering column, and no pedals. As found, this 1969 Corvette had the fiberglass components of a Motion Phase III GT, plus Ansen Sprint wheels that were also part of the car’s original package. Originally discovered as a barn find, the car had been painted yellow. But when the car’s production was completed on December 26, 1968, it actually was colored Monaco Orange.
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Red Devil Dawn
Joe spent 1,500 hours restoring the car after work and weekends across an 18-month period. The result of his hard work is nothing less than stunning. Tandle’s rebuild, adorned in a sharp red paint scheme, includes Fly Eye Motion chrome air cleaner, Ansen valve covers, Flex-a-Lite green fiberglass fan, chrome Hooker headers, and side pipes. The reborn ‘Vette is capable of a rocket-like 550 horsepower, same as Motion advertised back in 1969. No matter how you categorize it, this ’69 Corvette C3 is a champion.
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