Is it real?

[427Vega]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1973-Chev...=item3cd2891291 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1973-Chevrolet-Vega-Baldwin-Motion-350-V8-pro-street-/261230236305?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3cd2891291 )

[Xplantdad]

Interesting!

[x Baldwin Motion]

Have never seen a BM door tag that matches vin. Don Hardy was in Texas if I am not mistaken, not sure of any relationship with Baldwin Motion cars. He may have produced OTC parts later on but I can't confirm that either. Looks like I've got nothing. lol. If you think this is a REAL BM Vega, drop the coin on a verification, cause it's hen's teeth. There were so many of these V8 Vegas running around it was crazy, the kits were easy, almost all were without cages and tubs and many still ran the stock rear (until it blew).

[PeteLeathersac]

Same as the eBay listing notes, I remember reading that besides supplying V8 Vega kit parts to everyone Don Hardy said he built all the Motion Vegas.
Pretty sure it was a thread we had going here and within the last few years?

<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/hmmm.gif
~ Pete

[PeteLeathersac]

Found the past thread also the link w/ Hardy history is still alive.
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&amp;Number=452357&amp;page=all

Hardy history...
http://www.hotrod.com/thehistoryof/113_0205_don_hardy/index.html#ixzz1PqcVhE8C

<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif
~ Pete

http://image.hotrod.com/f/9258599+w750+st0/113_0205_don_3_kh_z.jpg

[Hemicolt]

Here is Hardy talking about Motion in the Hot Rod story:

There are a couple of hyenas he'd rather forget, though. He corrupted an innocent Chevette with a V-6 that scared him enough to be deemed &quot;an accident looking for a place to happen.&quot; He also built all of the Vega conversions for Joel Rosen's Motion Performance on Long Island, then pole-vaulted over the sick-and-wrong line when he built a big-block version at Rosen's behest. I remember trucking out Sunrise Highway to Rosen's place sitting next to a Petersen ad stroke who yapped the entire way. I had a date with Frankenstein's daughter and he was making sure I kept it. Even as blase as I was then about matters of my mortality, I couldn't spend more than a few minutes in this wacky Vega without getting The Fear. It felt like a pendulum. There was a ton of weight over the front wheels and the rear tires hung proud on a 12-bolt that had never been narrowed. With the million pounds up front and a basically bound-up rear suspension, I could blow the tires off just by thinking about it. The car was as bouncy and as unpredictable as a Fuel Altered. Having slid sheepishly through one too many stoplights with the brakes on small-block conversions, I was reluctant to even try anything normal with the ones on this car, and all &quot;testing&quot; was done within blocks of the Motion building. And those afterthought sidepipes were a special touch. So freakin' loud they could have pissed off the cops over in Brooklyn. END QUOTE:

This again shows Rosens marketing skills as everything I have ever seen shows pictures of the Vegas having the big block installed at Motion Performance. Never had a clue that Hardy done the conversion.

[Martyn L. Schorr]

There's no end to the misinformation out there regarding Baldwin-Motion and Motion cars. If you want to know who built what when it comes to Joel Rosen's cars, read my book! Bottomline, all the V-8 Vegas,small &amp; big-block, were Motion, not Baldwin-Motion cars. Baldwin Chevrolet did not want to be involved in that project, but supplied Vegas when needed. And, they were built at Motion Performance and not by other vendors. Joel used some commercially-available V-8 engine conversion kits, but the cars were built at 598 Sunrise Highway in Baldwin, NY, not in other shops.
http://www.amazon.com/Motion-Performance-Tales-Muscle-Builder/dp/0760335389
Marty

[Fast67VelleN2O]

Sorry but that door tag looks like it was just recently riveted onto it.

[427Vega]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Martyn L. Schorr</div><div class="ubbcode-body">There's no end to the misinformation out there regarding Baldwin-Motion and Motion cars. If you want to know who built what when it comes to Joel Rosen's cars, read my book! Bottomline, all the V-8 Vegas,small &amp; big-block, were Motion, not Baldwin-Motion cars. Baldwin Chevrolet did not want to be involved in that project, but supplied Vegas when needed. And, they were built at Motion Performance and not by other vendors. Joel used some commercially-available V-8 engine conversion kits, but the cars were built at 598 Sunrise Highway in Baldwin, NY, not in other shops.
http://www.amazon.com/Motion-Performance-Tales-Muscle-Builder/dp/0760335389
Marty </div></div>

Thank You for clearing this up,I will indeed buy the book,again thanks.

[PeteLeathersac]

Thanks too for the clarification Marty and you're right, we should all read your book!
Gotta love that about this site, how lucky we are that a few of the original players are right here!!!

<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif
~ Pete

[resto4u]

The technology used on that tag was not invented for use in 1973. Looks like laser dot engraving.

[x Baldwin Motion]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Martyn L. Schorr</div><div class="ubbcode-body">There's no end to the misinformation out there regarding Baldwin-Motion and Motion cars. If you want to know who built what when it comes to Joel Rosen's cars, read my book! Bottomline, all the V-8 Vegas,small &amp; big-block, were Motion, not Baldwin-Motion cars. Baldwin Chevrolet did not want to be involved in that project, but supplied Vegas when needed. And, they were built at Motion Performance and not by other vendors. Joel used some commercially-available V-8 engine conversion kits, but the cars were built at 598 Sunrise Highway in Baldwin, NY, not in other shops.
http://www.amazon.com/Motion-Performance-Tales-Muscle-Builder/dp/0760335389
Marty </div></div>

I thought I had lost my mind. well, maybe I have anyway. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/crazy.gif

[Hemicolt]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Martyn L. Schorr</div><div class="ubbcode-body">There's no end to the misinformation out there regarding Baldwin-Motion and Motion cars. If you want to know who built what when it comes to Joel Rosen's cars, read my book! Bottomline, all the V-8 Vegas,small &amp; big-block, were Motion, not Baldwin-Motion cars. Baldwin Chevrolet did not want to be involved in that project, but supplied Vegas when needed. And, they were built at Motion Performance and not by other vendors. Joel used some commercially-available V-8 engine conversion kits, but the cars were built at 598 Sunrise Highway in Baldwin, NY, not in other shops.
http://www.amazon.com/Motion-Performance-Tales-Muscle-Builder/dp/0760335389
Marty </div></div>

Amazing that Hot Rod would run a story like that without checking it's facts. Has anyone contacted them for a retraction or to set the record straight?
Or did Hardy and/or someone from Don Hardy's company come to Motion Performance to build the car for Joel?

[Xplantdad]

That article referenced above was written by Ro McGonegal and was titled &quot;Don Hardy Before The V-8 Vega&quot;...

[JoeC]

In that article RO McGONEGAL is talking about the V8 Vega conversion kits not building (converting) the complete car.

The test drive of the 454 Vega is RO talking about the Car Craft article he wrote “King Kong Is Living on Long Island&quot; whwere he road tested a Motion Super Vega with a 454


quote from article &quot; Hardy wisely capitalized on the conversion factor: He was the first to build and package all the critical components and send them to your door. Shortly after HOT ROD's two-page featurette about the Hardy installation hit the stands, Hardy's business was ascending to its zenith. &quot;



Motion may have used the Hardy kit on some V8 Vegas but I think he later had his own kit and sorced some of the parts locally. Years ago, I had a NOS Motion V8 Vega kit and had talked with a Motion employee about it and he told me that Motion did have his own kit and he thought that the radiators and oil pans and maybe other parts were made in LI.

[Martyn L. Schorr]

Not aware of anyone ever coming to Motion Performance to build a car or cars that wasn't a Motion employee. Motion used both commercially available and Motion-branded V-8 Vega conversion kits.
Marty

[Hemicolt]

Thanks for the information. This is a good example of how something not made clear can cause confusion. The word &quot;kits&quot; would have made a world of difference in this case, as it leaves room for a misunderstanding to take place.
Thanks to the members of this great site for sharing their experience.

[427Vega]

The car is already at 17K <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/dunno.gif

[Hemicolt]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 427Vega</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The car is already at 17K <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/dunno.gif </div></div>


I bet our old buddy Bob is having a fit that an unoriginal car is at this price...lol