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Here's the story:
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 39 - Baldwin Motion 1969 Phase III
Corvette
"The Shelby Mustang of Corvettes"
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.
The deal
with Baldwin Chevrolet was that Motion would perform all of the
conversion work and the car's warranty would still be maintained. To
keep everything balanced, the car was beefed up, inside and out! You
simply could not miss these cars. Even sitting still they looked nasty
and serious. A '67 427-style hood scoop was grafted on top of the stock
427 hood along with a Pontiac hood-mounted tachometer. The wider tires
were covered with wheelwell flares. Side pipes were either '65-'67
style, '69 style, or Hooker Header side pipes. An optional fastback
window opened up the luggage space. Finished off with a unique stripe
design, the car looked like a killer.
The 427
received an 850 Holly three-barrel on top of a high-rise manifold.
Ignition used a modified Mallory setup with Ramcharger wires. Other
goodies included a close-ratio Muncie four-speed, blow-proof clutch,
heavy-duty suspension, and 60-series tires on Anson Sprint wheels.
Every Phase III car was guaranteed to run 12.50 et @120 mph with a M/P
approved driver at a NHRA or AHRA track.
Unfortunately,
Rosen was a high-profile, big fish in a small pond. In 1974, after
seven years of building super cars, the Feds threatened to shut down
and fine Rosen $50,000 per car for violation of the Clean Air Act.
Rosen's lawyer explained that he wasn't operating a huge assembly line.
Luckily, Joel got off with just a $500 fine, but the party was over.
That's what a little too much success, publicity, and horsepower can do
to you.
Recently,
Rosen was able to buy back the last Phase III Corvette he made, a 1974
model.
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