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'69 - ''71 Phase III GT
"60s Style GT Corvette"
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Greetings!
Wow! Another month has zoomed by faster than a speeding '09 ZR1.
Here's what we have to share with you this month...
* Illustrated Corvette Series No. 135
The '69 - '71 Baldwin-Motion Phase III GT Corvette
"60's Style GT Corvette"
* Vette Videos:
1. Speed Vision Phase III GT Corvette story.
2. Unveiling the '08 Indy 500 Pace Car
3. 180mph in the '08 Indy 500 Pace Car!!!
4. Dr. McDreamy takes a '07 Indy 500 Pace Car Corvette for a ride
* Let's Play Corvette Odd-Ball:
Did Chevy ever consider a Corvette without a piston engine?
* Rumor Mill:
Speculating the C7 Corvette.
Let's drop the hammer and burn rubber!
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The Latest Illustrated Corvette Series: ICS No. 135
'69 - '71 Baldwin-Motion Phase III GT Corvette
"60s Style GT Corvette"
As a young motorhead teenager growing up in the late '60s in New Jersey, I looked forward to every issue of Hot Rod and Car Craft magazine. There were only three east coast drag and muscle car magazines - "Super Stock & Drag Illustrated" (out of Alexandria, Va), "Hi-Performance CARS" and "Speed & Supercar" (out of New York). SS&DI covered drag racing and a little of the muscle car scene, while CARS and Speed & Supercar covered the muscle car scene and a little drag racing. I liked all three magazines because they covered the drag cars I enjoyed at Atco Dragway and the growing number of muscle cars I was seeing around town.
CARS editor, Marty Schorr was friends with Joel Rosen, owner of the Long Island, NY speed shop, Motion Performance. Rosen had a sweet deal with local Chevy dealer, Baldwin Chevrolet, to build brand new, under GM warrante, specialty muscle cars called "Baldwin-Motion Phase III Supercars." Marty applied his word-smithing and photography skills on Rosen's Phase III cars and helped to create a legendary muscle car brand.
Through the late '60s and early '70s, Phase III Chevy Supercars graced the covers of CARS and Speed & Supercar MANY times. Schorr's prose was always sparkling and read as if you were speaking to a well educated motorhead guy with gasoline in his veins. Marty liked to use wide-angle lens photos of the Phase III cars from unusual angles, so the pictures were always dynamic. As a young enthusiast, I couldn't wait to get each new issue to see if they were covering another Baldwin-Motion machine.
Being a Corvette guy first and a drag racing and muscle car fan second and third, my absolute favorite Baldwin-Motion supercars were the Phase III Corvettes. I intuitively knew these cars were on steroids before I knew what testosterone even was. In a single word, they looked "tough." And, they had the grunt to match their stunning good looks. Rosen track tested and guaranteed his super cars to run 11.5 et @120mph in the quarter-mile!
No car show beauty queens here.
A Phase III Corvette was several thousand dollars over the cost of the already expensive Corvette. Even back in the good old days, a Corvette was twice the price of a regular Chevy. So a few extra G's was a big number back then. Schorr was doing all of Rosen's marketing, PR, and catalog work back then and helped to make Joel busier than a one-armed paperhanger. As exciting as his work was, Rosen longed to build for himself a true grand touring car. He wanted a GT car with gobs of tractable horsepower and torque, comfort, outstanding handling and braking ability, and killer good looks.
The obvious choice for a base car was the Corvette. The end result was indeed staggering. Rosen debuted his Phase III GT Corvette at the New York International Auto Show and won rave reviews. But the icing on the cake of accolades was a long conversation with Zora Arkus-Duntov, along with Zora's blessing of the Phase III GT.
It "don't get any better than that, sport fans!
"How much?" you ask. In the $12,000 range, over double the cost of a regular Corvette!
Rosen's Phase III GT program only ran from '69 to '71. In '76 Schorr started a Corvette-only magazine titled "Vette Quarterly." The very first issue caught my attention and by the end of that year, I was a contributing artist and writer for the publication. Thirty-two years later, I'm still with the magazine.
This month it was my extreme pleasure to cover Joel Rosen's Phase III GT Corvette in my Illustrated Corvette Series. It gave me cause to get out my old Baldwin-Motion scrapbook and emerse myself in a time when performance was dished up without electronics, computer chips, or nitrous oxide. They pounded the ground with big carbs, headers, tall gearing, blueprinting, and lots of cubic-inches. Kind of makes me warm and sweaty just thinking about it.
I hope you enjoy this east coast muscle car scene blast into the past.
You can also read the complete story HERE.
The article will appear in the September 2008 issue of Vette Magazine on the very last page.
To see the LARGE VERSIONS of this month's prints, just click the images.
You can order the ICS No. 135 parchment paper print directly from The Illustrated Corvette Series website and simply use the PayPal payment buttons for payment.
Or you can order with a credit card by calling us TOLL-FREE at: 1-800-858-6670.
There are two versions of this month's series installment.
Below is the alternate layout.
Both versions are available HERE.
All
of our prints measure 11" x 17", are printed on tan parchment paper,
are signed by the artist and cost $19.95, + $4.95 S&H. For an additional $10 you can have any of our prints personalized! An excellent gift for that hard to buy for Corvette person in your life.
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FATHER'S DAY SPECIAL!!!
Buy one Corvette print...
and get one FREE!
Father's Day is June 15th
To take advantage of this outstanding offer, go to www.IllustratedCorvetteSeries.com, and browse around to find the Corvette prints you would like. Then CALL US toll-free at: 1-800-858-6670 to place your order with a credit card.
You have to CALL toll-free 1-800-858-6670
for this SPECIAL OFFER.
Orders are sent out the day they are received or the next day.
We're in New Jersey, so please allow at least 5 to 7 business days for delivery via USPS Priority Mail.
That's TWO Corvette prints for the price of one...
$19.95 + $4.95 Shipping Handling.
Included with each order is our 22-page catalog, plus a lot of other interesting Corvette related offers.
To get your Corvette prints for Father's Day, don't delay!
This offer expires 6-15-08. (Obviously, if you order on Father's day or a few days before, you won't get your prints for your special day. But you will get the SPECIAL DISCOUNT!)
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Vette Videos
Classic sights & sounds of Chevy's
Plastic Fantastic!
Welcome to our growing collection of YouTube and GoogleVideo
links to some interesting Corvette videos. I have 5 Vette Videos and one bonus video to share with you this month.
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Speed Vision's Phase III GT Corvette story
Car collector Dan McMichaels has a beautiful collection of 3 Baldwin-Motion Phase III Supercars. Dan owns Joel Rosen's restored yellow Phase III GT, a blue L-88 powered '74 Phase III Corvette, and the wide-body Corvette Spyder prototype car.
Part 2 of this video covers Dan's flame orange '73 Phase III LS6 454 Type LT Camaro. Sweet!
To enjoy Part 1 this Vette Video, CLICK HERE.
To enjoy Part 2 this Vette Video, CLICK HERE.
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Unveiling the latest Indy 500 Pace Car Corvette
A few months ago I mentioned that Chevy seemed to be tuned into the collectible, limited edition thing with their new Special Edition 427 Z06 Corvette. This month they dished up special edition #2 for 2008, the '08 Indy 500 Pace Car Replica.
This will be the 10th time a Corvette has paced the Indy 500 and the 6th Indy 500 Pace Car Replica.
POOF! Another instant Corvette classic!
To enjoy this Vette video, CLICK HERE. <--- Scroll down slightly for this one.Psst...
We now have the 1:24th scale die-cast version of the '08 Indy 500 Pace Car available HERE.
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180MPH in the '08 Indy 500 Pace Car!
Corvettes are one of a handful of production cars that do not need to be enhanced to pace the Indy 500. Take a ride in the '08 Indy 500 Pace car that kisses 180mph and comes very close to the wall.
To enjoy this Vette Video, CLICK HERE.
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It's Good to be "Dr. McDreamy"
Last year, actor and amature race car driver Patrick Dempsey, (Dr. Derek Shepherd on "Gray's Anatomy") drove the '07 Corvette Pace Car at last year's Indy 500. This short video features Patrick talking about being part of the Indy 500 experience and does donuts in a '07 Corvette Pace Car.
To enjoy this Vette Video, CLICK HERE.
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BONUS Video!!!
Okay, this isn't a "Vette Video," but it's worth sharing. This supercharged '68 Camaro smokes the tires so much you can't see the car. AND, while filling the starting line with smoke, the car is doing donuts!
How the driver didn't smack the concrete wall is pure luck. And notice how no one is getting out of the way! Drag racing has always had a circus-like aspect. This video captures that nicely.
To enjoy this Bonzo Video, CLICK HERE.
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Let's Play, "Corvette Oddball!"
Quirky Vette Factoids
(The 2-Rotor Design)
Answer: Yes, and it's a good thing they didn't go there.
R&D departments are known for going way out on a limb sometimes. I once worked in the Tyco Toys R&D Design Group and can tell you that we came up with some pretty goofy toys that would never make it in the marketplace. Car makers are the same and often come up with unusual notions of what a car could be.
Almost from the beginning of the Corvette story, there have been those inside Chevrolet that wanted to make the Corvette something it wasn't - a 4-seater, a rear-engine car, made on a Camaro / Nova platform, etc. In the early '70s a new kind of engine was being looked at by auto makers. It was the rotary "Wankel Engine." It had no reciprocating pistons, just a 3-lobe triangular rotor inside of an ovel-like combustion chamber. It certainly was unique.
The "Chevrolet GT" program began in '71 with the objective to build a 2-seater, world-class sports car with the proportions of a Ferrari Dino 246GT. Wanting to go "cutting edge," the team built two prototypes - one a 2-rotor design and the other, a larger 4-rotor design.
(The 4-Rotor Design)
The body design of the 2-rotor car was "nice" but definitely not a Corvette. Maybe an Open GT, but not a Vette. The 4-rotor car definitely had Corvette lines. Styling elements of the 2-rotor car eventually were used on the '75 Chevy Monza. (when's the last time you saw one of those?) The 4-rotor car went through 3 variations, the rotor-motor version, an all-aluminum construction version, and a V8 version that was called the "Aero-Vette."
The '70s were not happy times in Detroit and GM decided that the current Corvette wasn't broke, so they weren't going to fix it. Besides, despite the sagging economy, Corvettes were selling pretty well.
Mazda eventually used the rotary engine in their 924 Porsche knock-off, the RX-7 and a few of their pickup trucks. The pickup trucks had very tall rear gearing for hauling and were startlingly quick off the line. The little RX-7 was a blast to drive, but showed an inherent problem with the rotor-motors - dreadful gas mileage for such a little car.
And if you have ever been to a race track and seen a RX-7 running with an open header, the sound is absolutely ear piercing! The image of an ice pick in your ear comes to mind. Hold that against the throaty, booming roar of a small or big-block Chevy and you'll see what I mean.
Chevrolet, thanks for not going there.
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Got a "Corvette Oddball" factoid that you'd like to share?
Zip me off an e-mail at, lightoak@comcast.net and I'll include it in a future newsletter.
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Here's What's New at our
Corvette Gear eBay Store!!!
Two NEW Collectible Die-Cast Corvettes!
It's been a very busy month and we only had time to add two new die-cast Corvettes, but they're awesome!
First, there's the new 1:24th scale '08 Indy 500 Pace Car Special. You can check it out HERE.
Here's what the real '08 Pace Car Special looks like next to the first, 1978 Corvette Pace Car...
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The second collectible die-cast Corvette we have for you is the 1:24th scale 2008 Allstate 400 Pace Car. But here's the kicker... the public does not yet know what the car looks like and won't until just prior to the day of the race!
How's THAT for suspense, Vette fans?
Race date is Sunday, July 27, 2008.
However, we are taking pre-orders now for Fall delivery. I
f you're a Corvette Pace Car die-cast collector, don't wait on this one. I am told by my supplier that almost half of their stock has been sold! Yes, even without seeing the car yet!
You can check out this collectible die-cast Corvette HERE.
Here's a look at last year's drop dead georgous Allstate 400 Corvette Pace Car!
2007 Allstate 400 Z06 Corvette Pace Car
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We also want to tell you that this month we teamed up with website development company, SolidCactus.com to help us build a state of the art Yahoo store.
The name and address of our new Yahoo store is MotorheadGear.com and will have over 625 of my Corvette, nostalgia drag racing, and muscle car art prints, as well as drag racing videos, jackets, gift items, die-cast cars, and LOTS more.
We are anticipating that the new site will up and running by September or sooner.
We'll have more to share next month.
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Here's the eBay Corvette Gear main store address...
http://stores.ebay.com/Corvette-Gear
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Hot From the Rumor Mill:
Bone Dry!
Sorry, but the mill is dry, BONE DRY!
It's been quite a year for Corvettes. We had the early arrival of the '09 ZR1, the Special Edition 427, and the Indy 500 Pace Car Special. I guess we can't have something startlingly new EVERY month.
The above image is one of many computer generated renderings of what the C7 might look like. Facts, figures, and statistics are still in the realm of pure speculation.
This is just my personal opinion, but given the overall state of the economy, fuel prices, and Toyota breathing down GM's neck, it would not surprise me to see that the C7 is postoned a few years. Let's hope that the next decade doesn't become the '70s revisited.
If you hear of something juicy, e-mail me at: lightoak@comcast.net
Stay tuned!
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Coming Up In The Illustrated Corvette Series
Here's what's coming up in the series for the next few months in Vette Magazine on the very last page...
No. 136 - The Callaway 254.76mph SLEDGEHAMMER
(June 2008)
No. 137 - John Lingenfelter's LPE C5 Corvette
(July 2008)
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Time to move away from my Mac and hit the drawing board. I've got a 253.76mph Callaway Sledgehammer to draw!
See ya next month.
Scott
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