This 800-HP Camaro Remembers a ‘60s Performance Icon

BOLD RIDE

Copyright © 2015 Bold Ride LLC.

 

Posted by Zach Doell 

                               

 

In the performance car world, there are certain names that tend to perk up ears—names like Shelby, Yenko, and Nickey—the ones responsible for taking everyday cars and making them truly extraordinary. But there’s another name deserving of that short list, actually two…Baldwin-Motion

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In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, Long Island’s Baldwin Chevrolet and Motion Performance shop teamed up to produce some of the wildest bowtie cars on the road. Motion modified the showroom Chevys—Camaros, Corvettes, Chevelles, and more—while Baldwin financed and sold the supercars.

It was a performance car match made in heaven, and oddly enough, this late model Camaro rekindles that lineage. It was built in 2011 on behalf of Motion’s owner, Joel Rosen, as a limited-run continuation model (one of three). Now it’s on eBay, and it’s demanding top dollar for its Baldwin-Motion provenance.

Though it does have the power to back up that asking price. During its heyday, only the nuttiest 500-horsepower customer cars were given Baldwin-Motion’s “Phase III” designation. This Camaro wears that badge proudly, and it does so while churning out 800 horsepower. The source of that punch is a weapons-grade Chevrolet LS7 V8, which sports forged pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft, and a Kenne Bell 2.8-liter supercharger, among other upgrades.
That triumphant powerplant now backs up to a Corvette ZR1 clutch and a new short-throw TR6060 six-speed manual transmission, which shotguns power to an upgraded rear axle. A coil-over suspension kit and sway bars ensure the Camaro can travel more directions than just straight, with stopping power provided by six-piston Brembo brakes at all four-corners.

This new-age Motion Camaro isn’t without its exterior mods either. The Camaro sports glistening five-spoke wheels, tweaked front and rear fascias, as well as a custom hood with a glass engine cover. Oh, it’s an engine you’ll want to ogle at.

According to the invoice, the final bill for one of these three modern Motion Camaros came to over $148,000 in 2011, built by New York’s DeNooyer Chevrolet and Redline Motorsports, with the go-ahead from Rosen. Today, it’ll take close to $200,000.