Few performance muscle cars provide quite the same impact amongst die-hard gearheads as a real Baldwin-Motion car. Baldwin-Motion was the successful partnership between Joel Rosen of Motion Performance and Ed Simonin of Baldwin Auto Company, a family-run Chevrolet dealer in Baldwin, New York. Upon entry to their partnership, Joel Rosen had no contacts at all with General Motors. Similarly, Baldwin Auto Company had no reputation or previous dealings in the performance car business. Once together, that would all change.
In late 1966, Rosen and Simonin formed a partnership that would allow any client to buy a built-to-order killer street car, limited only by the buyer's imagination and financial resources. With the help of one Marty Schorr and his marketing background and know-how, (Marty being the editor of Cars magazine), Motion Performance was soon building made-to-order Street terror Chevelles, Camaros and Corvettes that could even be financed with GMAC. They even came with a performance guarantee, stating that for certain models a Motion-approved driver would be able to deliver 120 MPH and 11.5 or better in the quarter-mile, or the customer got their money back. No cars reportedly ever came back for the refund. Baldwin-Motion Camaros have caught the attention of performance enthusiasts over the years and hold a special mystique in the collector car world.
Ray Dotterer, a performance enthusiast, drove from Pennsylvania to New York in late October 1969 to meet Joel Rosen at Motion Performance with the intent to order the hottest Gen 1 Baldwin-Motion Camaro. He knew it might be difficult to get an order placed for a 1969 model so late in the year, but as luck would have it, Chevrolet had continued building Gen 1 Camaros past the typical cutoff in anticipation of a late-arriving, all-new second-generation model. His intent was to order a ’69 Camaro SS in Daytona Yellow with black stripes and the more popular Phase III 427 CI powertrain. While trying to order his car, he was told “If you want the hottest Baldwin-Motion Camaro, let’s change that order to 454 instead of 427.” Additionally, the salesman had convinced Dotterer to order the baddest big-block engine Chevrolet had to offer: the high-compression LS7 454 CI V-8. The LS7 was intended to be a production engine in the Corvette but wound up being offered only as a race engine by Chevrolet Performance, producing almost 525 HP and 600 lb-ft of torque. Dotterer was sold, signed his order form and gave Baldwin Chevrolet a $2,500 deposit check on the spot for the baddest supercar on the planet. It also must be noted: only a handful of true Baldwin Chevrolet-ordered cars were converted by Motion Performance prior to delivery to their first owner. These are the rarest, most desirable and most coveted of any of the supercars. Most cars came back to Motion Performance after the fact, after delivery or even years after delivery to receive their modifications.
As per the invoice from Baldwin Auto Company Inc. on June 29, 1970, Dotterer ordered a new 1969 Camaro SS in Daytona Yellow with a black standard interior. To give it a stealthy look, he kept exterior mods to a minimum and used the stock rally wheels instead of mags. The factory black hockey stripe and SS badging were still retained with special “454” emblems. The star of the package was the infamous LS7 engine fitted with open chamber aluminum heads, dual-plane aluminum intake manifold, 850 CFM Holley carburetor, long-tube headers and the signature Fly-Eye air cleaner. This stout powerplant was backed by Chevrolet’s famous M22 Rock Crusher 4-speed transmission and 4.88 12-bolt rear end. Additional Motion Performance options ordered include performance shocks and traction bars. This extremely special Camaro would come with a staggering price tag of $6,193 new. With its incredible performance potential, Baldwin Chevrolets salesman, Mr. Bean, wrote right on the LS7 invoice, “This is a race car - No warranty on power train.”
This Baldwin-Motion Camaro would remain in exceptional original condition with original paint for decades before undergoing a comprehensive rotisserie restoration. Restored to its as-delivered specification, it has seen only test miles since completion.
Documentation includes a copy of the original bill of sale and a copy of the original car invoice, pictures of the car pre-restoration in original paint and unrestored, and a letter directly from Mr. Motion himself, Joel Rosen, confirming and attesting it was truly indeed a Baldwin-Motion 454 LS7. It is also documented in person by Marty Shorr and featured in his hardcover book “Day One,” the feature article in his book written on this exact car titled “Rarest of the Rare.”
As Marty Schorr notes in his book “Ray Dotterer did buy the hottest Camaro available but, also got the rarest. It’s estimated that Baldwin-Motion built just two or three Gen 1 454 Camaros and this one is likely the only one powered by the infamous LS7.” That makes this car certainly rarer than iron-block COPO cars and even rarer than the extremely sought-after ZL1 Camaros. It’s very likely the only one ever built, making it a true unicorn and the ultimate supercar Camaro.