While custom versions of nearly every car have been crafted, C3 Corvettes always seemed to attract a large percentage of amateur and professional customizers. Why? Fiberglass is much easier to work with than steel or aluminum, and the ability to hot rod a Corvette has always been a feature of the car. In the seventies, we had more than our share of these C3 customs, but few had any sort of pedigree. However, Philbo427 has located for us a rare and documented custom from a company with Chevrolet history. If you are looking for a full custom C3 Corvette with a plethora of documentation, have a look at this 1972 Baldwin Motion Manta GT for sale on Craigslist in Smithfield, Rhode Island. A product of famed Motion Performance, this Corvette combines the lines of the Mako Shark and Manta Ray show cars. With an asking price of $125,000, is this the Corvette to mortgage your home to get?
In the sixties, if your Chevrolet product wasn’t fast or distinctive enough, you had a place to go to satisfy your needs and wants. In 1966, a gentleman by the name of Joel Rosen opened a speed shop called Motion Performance just down the road from Baldwin Chevrolet in Baldwin, New York. A partnership was formed where customers could order a new Chevrolet and have modifications done by Motion Performance. Focusing on Camaros, Corvettes, Novas, and Chevelles, the company modified these cars mechanically and often applied for their paint jobs, striping, and badging. They also sold parts through mail order.
The Moray GT you see here is a combination of several products Motion offered through the aftermarket combined to create a one-of-one show car. Before venturing into what parts, consider the time frame. C3 Corvettes were being customized all over the country. From relatively simple widening of the fenders to accommodate larger tires to full body kits from places like Ecklers, these custom jobs were fairly common. Motion capitalized on this trend by offering kits that replicated the Mako Shark and Manta Ray Corvette show cars produced by General Motors. The Moray GT combined those bodies in a very unique way. The front has styling from the Mako Shark (evidently spelled Maco by Motion) and the rear is from the Manta Ray.
Following Motion’s established pattern, this car didn’t lack horsepower. A 454 cubic inch big block V-8 with 475 estimated horsepower found its way under the hood. Fuel is metered by a Holley carburetor sitting on top of an Edelbrock intake. Exhaust is flowed through Hooker headers and out a set of side pipes. An M-22 Rock Crusher four-speed transmission and a Positraction rear end with a 3.73 ratio put the power to the ground for this car. We are not told in the ad what is original and what has been added to the car, but you can bet that the Motion branded valve covers that the ad references are original.
The interior did not escape customization either. While we are not treated to pictures, the buyer can expect button-tucked diamond pattern seats and door panels. Even the dashboard did not escape this seventies style of adornment. We are told that Motion plaques are scattered everywhere in and on the car so that nobody forgets where this car came from. When its restoration was completed, the founder of Motion inspected the car and signed it on the driver’s side T-top and in the center of the dashboard.
Inside, Motion’s custom interior adorns the Moray GT with button-tucked diamond-patterned seats, door panels, and a dashboard. Motion plaques can be found throughout the vehicle, from the hood to the cockpit and outside as well. Following a meticulous restoration that returned the Moray GT to its original splendor, Joel Rosen added the ultimate touch of authenticity by personally inspecting this Corvette and leaving his signature on the driver’s side T-top panel and in the center of the dashboard.
While the price is listed as $125,000, the seller is open to offers. While this car may be more of a gamble than a Bloomington Gold certified vintage Corvette of similar price, it seems that well-done period customs are coming back into the favor of collectors. A car with a known history like this may be a wise investment.
125K and only 5 pictures? At least the write up is good, too bad skimped on the pics.
There are dozens of articles on this car dating back to 2006, whoever buys it has probably known about it prior to this ad being placed. The Craigslist ad will get picked up by other enthusiast websites and be spread even further. The dealership that’s listing it (I got it’s name from the sign in the background, has many more pictures on its website) doesn’t need to treat this car like some random car where the ad itself is what sells the car. This sort of car will prompt serious potential buyers to start researching the car, first stop will be Google where they will find more information that could be placed in any ad.
Steve R
But we’re here reading this article. There’s no point in having an article that just tells you to do more research. What do you want them to make an article that’s just a headline that says Google this car. Very smart
I knew Joel Rosen personally from my time as editor of Hemmings Muscle Machines and talked to him on the phone monthly. Yes, he did get numerous requests to validate a car. He was more of a tuner. If he built you an engine, he guaranteed it to make a certain ET. I know of this yellow car. It was in my magazine about 15 years ago. Rosen died recently so these cars should rise in value. He was living in Florida at the time of his death. I own a 73 Corvette and while I dislike the body mods, if Rosen built the engine it will stay together and haul.
The Baldwin Motion cars are catching up to the Yenko cars of the same vintage. Anything under $100k is money well spent.
I’ve actually seen a Yenko car here in Aus, the fool parks it on the street.
In 1969 l had a 66 black 427 corvette with factory side pipes and was fighting in Vietnam . My Mother sent me a car magazine with a Motion car on the cover and article about Baldwin Motion. It was a red corvette. I told myself if I made it home I would drive to Long Island and get a license plate frame from them. I made it home and kept the roadster for 15 years. Thanks for the memories. Paul
Need more pixs and documentation
125 .. on Craigslist?
Ya ..think.?
Like, please do.
Thank you.
Lots of Go 😃🏁
I’m sorry. Love the drivetrain but dislike the car. Proportions are all wonky and wrong. Hood looks like my a/c vent. But hope someone will love it for the historics and the price.
Totally agree, why disfigure an already gorgeous ca?
I agree, it doesn’t look like Rosen’s style at all. And the only documentation are some plaques and a few signatures? I didn’t think that Rosen sold plaques with his cars, and never signed a car. Also, I spoke to him seven years ago about a Motion car I found and he said that he never kept records of each car, so could not verify if a car was authentic or not. He said over the years he got more calls about car authentications than cars that he made… This car seems suspicious.
In complete agreement. I’m a little bit in wonderment why a person would throw this kind of money at a pseudo want-a-be Iconic American classic.
Just because some shop somewhere takes a perfectly fine classic and do there thing primarily altering the body completely gasses me out. Everyone that follows this site knows all of the qualified bona-fide shops that do a splendid job of adding performance, handling and horse power and top it off with a personal touch of class. WITHOUT screwing the whole body up.
Best wishes to all!
I agree also. The front fenders look cartoonish.
I’m in agreement with the others. There are many other cars I’d buy before this one, if I was in the marketing with $125,000 in my pocket.
It fit in with the crazy show cars of the 70’s. Not so much now.
Lemon yellow seems appropriate for this…thing.
Kids, don’t let your folks do drugs.
It’s the painfully bright color scheme that throws your eyes off – I’d Reverse it & or go with the original Mako Shark 🦈 2 tone fade of Blue-silver metallic up top fading to the Silver Greyish/white belly below.
OR Scarab ruby wine metallic with a darker fade to black belly
It being a Motion Performance car there’s no limits on colors
A Reversed paint scheme Black w/yellow rear accent works anything but that glaring LEMON yellow ouch
Original Mako Shark 🦈 fade is best suited & has the most historic value
looked better when I owned it
The modifications made to this car are like breast implants on Dolly Parton – over the top and completely unnecessary.
I always though the customizations done by Baldwin-Motion were too garish compared to the customizations from Yenko or Nickey, and seeing this C3 rests my case.
I’d love to see a photo of the drivers view out the windshield. Those raised front fenders, I’m sure, will obscure most of the road. But of course it’s a show car so that hardly matters.
I agree with the majority view that the performance modifications get a thumbs up…but that the elegant looks of a factory-original ’70-’72 Stingray have been desecrated.
I’ve seen some ugly Corvettes but this takes the cake! It looks like it’s on a 4X4 truck frame.
Utterly grotesque.
How ugly is that. $125.00 would be to much.
Maaco Shark??
Well the car looks very cartoonish. That is all I can say. It would fit right in with one of the Speed Racer episodes. The C3 1968 – 72 was a very clean looking car certainly one of my favorites of the era they certainly did not need the Motion body work. The ’70-’72 were the best of the chrome bumper cars as they had the slight flairs. If I’m not mistaken didn’t some of these have a LS-7 conversion? That would certainly be the drive train to have vs. the more pedestrian LS5.
Ugly then and still ugly now! Pricing is out of line.
I absoluyely LOVE this car and would buy it if I had the money!! Always thought the Mako was the perfect vette and this Baldwin version of it is even better!!love the color and design
I love the Baldwin Chevelle’s, but this thing is ugly.
Looks like Ford racing mirrors here!
I can see why they only made one