The Second Annual Baldwin-Motion & MOTION Reunion at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals kicked ass and took names!
If you want to see the finest antiques, grand classics and exotic sports cars, you make the annual pilgrimage to Concours at Pebble Beach (CA) and Amelia Island (FL). When it comes to the ultimate muscle cars and Corvettes, cars that ruled the streets and drag strips from the 1950s to date, you have just one choice: Chicago (IL) and MCACN. Dan McMichael's MOTION Maco Shark, above, stole the show!
Last weekend, the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) showcased more than 500 street, show and race vehicles, including Dan McMichael's two of the three MOTION Spyders, above, a massive swap meet, hosted celebrities like Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins, Joel “Mr. Motion” Rosen, Mr. Norm and created special displays of truly iconic performance cars from Carroll Shelby (Cobras & GT-350 Mustangs), Baldwin-Motion & MOTION (SS & Phase III big-block Camaros, Chevelles & Corvettes) and Chevrolet (COPO & ZL1 Camaros).
Our good friend and radio personality, Dennis Pittsenbarger, Hot Rod Magazine Live, was on hand broadcasting non-stop interviews with both celebrities and car owners. Stock vintage Corvette enthusiasts were treated to an awesome display of 18 Corvettes ranging from 1953 to the 1970s, all from one collection. Show goers were treated to John Greenwood’s legendary Stingray racer, in full patriotic livery, before even entering the show floor. It was a larger-than-life festival for car guys (and gals)!
It was the second year for MCACN’s Motion Madness, the official Baldwin-Motion & MOTION Supercar Reunion, packed with 15 documented vehicles. It was the first public showing of two survivor cars – Dave Belk’s Phase III Corvette and and David Boland's LS6 Chevelle, above, presented by Brian Henderson’s Supercar Workshop; a barn-find rare (one-of-three) MOTION wide-body Spyder Corvettes needing a total restoration.
The legendary Roberto Schneider 427 (green) Camaro and (black) Chevelle tow car, above, owned by Jim Lynch and Mark Murphy, respectively, displayed for the first time together at Amelia Island, was a major attraction. The complete story on these two incredible vehicles can be found in MOTION Performance, Tales Of A Muscle Car Builder.
Other first-time reveals at the Reunion included Adam Tuckman’s Phase III 427 Chevelle, Lud Renner’s like-new Bronze 427 L88 Camaro survivor, Jim Lynch’s ex-Otis Chandler Phase III 454 Chevelle, below, and Dan McMichael’s barn-find Spyder, restored Spyder and Maco Shark Corvette. For the power-hungry, there was a pair of ’68 Baldwin-Motion Camaros powered by race-prepped L88 engines, owned by Mark Hassett, and Lud Renner, above.
Retired drag and road racer Tommy Felten (and daughter, Alisa Bloomfield) brought his ’57 Fuelie Corvette, below, all the way from Phoenix, AZ to surprise Joel Rosen. Back in the early-1960s, Rosen regularly dyno-tuned Tom’s Corvette and he hadn’t seen it in approximately 50 years. Felten owned a speed shop and later a road race prep facility just a few minutes from Rosen’s Motion Performance.
Other head turning restored Baldwin-Motion Corvettes on display included original owner Phil Schwartz’s Phase III and Rick Manetta and Guido Dire’s ultra-rare Phase III GT, above. Ray Pennington wowed the crowds with his fantastic Manta Ray, below, a MOTION Corvette featuring Maco Shark and Phase GT styling.
Joel Rosen and Marty Schorr, above, in Adam Tuckman’s Phase III 454 Chevelle, were kept busy signing a pair of Fender Stratocaster guitars (for charity), newly-restored cars and dozens of copies of Schorr’s award-winning MOTION book, http://www.amazon.com/Motion-Performance-Tales-Muscle-Builder/dp/0760335389
For more information about the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, please visit, http://www.mcacn.com/