need help on 1 st Motion Vette?

[Pantera]

You guys would not beleive what I paid for this car back then. In fact all my friends thought I was nuts for giving $2,800 for it. (Big Grin)...

You could buy a nice big block '70 air car, for $2900 back then. I bought and sold many of them.

[COPO]

Pantera, In my previous post I confirmed that Zone 27 Dealer 19 is Baldwin Auto Company. Based on your tank sticker there is no question the car was originally shipped to Baldwin from the plant. given the value of this car, I believe it is foolish to not pay Joel R. $1,500 for the certification letter as soon as possible. You can buy me a beer at SCR6 [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

[Jeff H]

Tell us more about the car. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif[/img] And make sure you buy him a certified beer!

[Pantera]

That is wonderful info to me. I just wish that I had more time to get this car out and on a trailer to bring it up to the convention. You can now see why I want to find the origional pic's from the auto show.
The cover of Car's shows the car as red and mine is Monoco Orange which is almost red but not quite. Editors love red on covers and it is easy to make it look red when the actual car is orange using their color
tricks. Also the article does not say anything about the trans in this car. Oct 69 issue uses the same pic's and info = nothing new.

[Mr70]

Sounds like a Very Nice Vette.
I would not drag my feet on paying Joel the $1500.00 Verification Fee.
After the Reunion this weekend,that fee COULD go up.
Just a Thought.....

[JoeC]

The car on the cover of the magazine may be Monaco Orange eventhough it appears to be red. The photo/print work back then had trouble with reds and orange. I have that as the correct dealer/zone code in my notes. Does your other Motion car have same dealer code on it's tank sticker? Also check for signs of the bolt on traction bar. The early cars had clear plastic headlight covers but this was stopped because they were outlawed. If it is in fact a real Motion car, you should get the documetation from Joel while you can. If somthing happens to Joel then you may not ever get documentation and if you ever go to sell it the buyer will want to see the docs. I have been going through my Motion articles and have seen this car in a few other articles but not many color pics back then.

[Pantera]

Jeff, I seldom bought car magzines back then as I was a struggling barber student, but that Aug 69 issue with the "red" vette on the cover really got my juices flowing.
I took it home and drooled over it for weeks. I remember wishing that I could afford to have something like that. About Dec of '72, I about crapped when a guy that I was dating his sister showed up test driving this same car painted Black/Gold stripe.
By then I was just starting out as a used car dealer and had bought a lot of mussle cars and had a little money and I bought the car when he had trouble getting a loan on it. I loved that car and still do.
I auto crossed it and street raced it till the motor went bad. I went through it and was out crusing the restless ribbon one night when some dumbass was not looking and hit me hard in the R. Rear.
His insurance co paid me for the repairs and I just got busy and never got around to fixing it as I didn't want anyone else to be able to drive it and I had my own bodyshop by then but was too busy to get around to my own car.
So it has just been sitting in the back for years. And that is the rest of the story. It is still sitting in the back of my shop on blocks waiting for me to Get around to it. I did get the paint stripped on the entire body but that is all I have done to it since.
I am just pissed at myself for swaping out the seats with a '71 vette that I had on my car lot and sold cheap with black leather '69 seats in it. I guess I can find some origional seats to put back in it somewhere?
Just as soon as I get my scanner fixed I will post some pic's of my baby. I have a small swimming pool repair business and it runs me in the ground.
I am getting all revved up about my cars because of you guys and finding out about the conventions. I have a friend in the neighborhood that owns all the most collectable vettes in the world.
He has the first '53 on display somewhere and the original '57 Seibering race cars that he is restoring. I have been to his shop and it is just depressing what he can do with money that I just don't have.
His name is John Neese.

[Pantera]

Here is a shot of the area above the tag that was not damaged too bad in the rearend wreck it suffered.
You can see where there was something there at one time. I can feel the bondo on the backside where it came through.
I have the paint stripped on this car but not final sanded yet or primed back.

[Pantera]

Just to update those that are interested. Met Joel and what a nice guy. He was answering my question about how many Phase III GT's were made when he said that a white car was sold to a rich guy in Dallas. I perked up when he said that and he added that it had been totaled and didn't exist anymore. He proceded to tell me that the guys son had called him and said he totaled the car. He said he remembered "Lawler" ordering the "FASTEST" thing that Motion could make. I about had a heartattack right there. I then told him that that was the name on the bill of sale that I had found in the glove box of the vette that I bought in Dallas back in '75. he was suprised to hear that it was not a total and did indead still exist.
I will post a pic of this car. Sure felt good to know he at least remembered one of my cars. I will be sending him pic's of my other car just as soon as I can find someone that can verify if it was a TH400 when it was at the NY Auto show.

[SS427]

Larry,
It was very nice meeting you and talking with you in length Friday night. Sorry that my eyes were getting heavy. We also very much enjoyed looking at all those 70's photos you had. Not one but two!!! Motion Vettes sitting together in some of the pictures! If we could only go back in time! I am sure once you have a chance to go over it with Joel, you will likely worry much less about your retirement. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif[/img] See you next year at SCR07 or at VetteFest.
Rick Nelson