1969 Corvette Baldwin Motion Phase III
Baldwin-Motion was founded by Joel Rosen and is a legendary name as it represents some potent dealer built supercars from the American muscle car era. The name Motion came from a high-performance electronic ignition called 'Motion EI' that Joel had installed on many Corvettes, including his own, a '58 fuelie.
By 1968, one year into building 427 Camaros, Joel Rosen had spread his tuner magic to all the Chevrolet nameplates, except Corvair. The Baldwin-Motion Phase III GT Corvette (prototyped in 1969), of which approximately 10 were built between mid-1969 and 1971, remains one of the rarest and valuable of the Baldwin-Motion-badged cars.
Invoiced as new and complete cars, these cars came with a warranty, and could be ordered by mail. In their day, companies such as Baldwin-Motion, Yenko and Shleby, were pushing the envelope far beyond where the major manufacturers were willing to go. Not many other companies even attempted a twin turbocharged 454, Baldwin-Motion did.
Joel Rosen was the defining personality of Motion Performance Products which were sold through Baldwin Chevrolet of Long Island. His engine of choice was the L-88 which he installed in several Camaros, Corvettes and Chevelles. What separated Motion Products from its competitors, was not only a guaranteed 1/4 mile time, but radical styling packages which usually included distinctive stripes.
In 1969, Joel stripped down several big block Corvettes to create his Corvette Phase III GT. The Phase III Corvette received a comprehensive tuning program which more than doubled the cost of the base model. For reasons unknown, Phase I or Phase II were never offered.
Easily identified by their fixed headlights, only ten of these were lightweight vettes were made, and no two are identical. Custom exterior features included: recessed headlights, functional hood scoops, custom side louvers, slanted rear windows, Dodge fuel fillers, slit taillights, motion traction bars, custom side mirrors and flared wheel wells.
Joel Rosen with a prototype of the Phase III GT built on a leftover '68 427/435 Corvette.
