Built by Joel Rosen for ‘Astoria Chas’ Snyder, KO-MOTION is much more than a record-setting 427 Corvette. It's a four-wheeled memorial that speaks volumes about Americans and their dreams.
In 1967 Charlie Snyder was 20 and living the American dream in Astoria, NY. He drove a very fast 1967 427/435 Corvette convertible, race-prepped and converted to L88 power at Motion Performance, above. A regular at local tracks and at Metro NYC’s Connecting Highway and other street racing haunts, “Astoria Chas” Snyder and his Marlboro Maroon, hardtop-fitted Sting Ray were tough to beat.
“I rode with Charlie two or three times to the Connecting Highway in Queens to participate in street races. The KO-MOTION Vette was simply the meanest, baddest car to run the streets at the time. Charlie was in his glory behind the wheel. I was hanging on for my life – and loving every minute of it,” said boyhood friend, Jim Palam.
In 1968, his drag racing fun was interrupted by the war in Southeast Asia. Charlie’s life was cut short on August 27, 1968, just a few months after arriving in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne. His family and friends were devastated; some never recovered from the shock. Everyone who knew Charlie Snyder felt the loss.
KO-MOTION is now owned by Glen Spielberg; the AHRA A/Corvette World Record it set by Charlie’s friends after he died, honors the memory of this young man. Charlie may not be with us anymore, but his dream lives and Spielberg is the keeper of that dream.
"I wanted KO-MOTION because it was built by Joel Rosen in the shop where he produced Baldwin-Motion Chevy Supercars, and it was featured in some of my favorite magazines. It also held an AHRA A/Corvette World Record (129 mph/11.04 seconds) that was set in the owner's name after he lost his life in Vietnam. There's much history here," said Glen.
For the latest KO-MOTION coverage, please visit our friend and artist, Scott Teeters’ Corvette blog, http://www.corvettereport.com/from-the-archives-of-cars-magazine-in-memory-of-astoria-chas-1967-427-l88-corvette-roadster/#more-3202
Check out the legend of “Astoria Chas” Snyder and his record-holding KO-MOTION Corvette, and the history of Baldwin-Motion & MOTION Supercars, http://www.amazon.com/Motion-Performance-Tales-Muscle-Builder/dp/0760335389