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When Baldwin Auto Company and Motion Performance teamed up in 1967, an array of high-performance Chevrolets resulted. With the creation of the Fantastic Five cars, SS-427 powered Camaros, Chevelles, Corvettes, Novas and Impalas, and the iconic Phase III supercars, the Baldwin-Motion Performance Group made a name for themselves in the modified, high-performance muscle car market. In 1975, the Baldwin-Motion partnership ended, leaving performance Chevrolet enthusiasts to look elsewhere to fill their modified muscle car appetites. But Baldwin-Motion didn’t go away forever. In fact the New York Times just covered one of the Baldwin-Motion company’s recent creations, a modified ‘69 Camaro that made its first appearance at the 2005 SEMA Show.
In an effort to relaunch the Baldwin-Motion brand, Motion’s chief executive Larry Jaworske came up with the idea of doing something that no other company was doing with modernized muscle cars in 2005- creating a whole new modified ‘69 Camaro. Overseen by Joel Rosen and Martyn Schorr, the original men behind Motion Performance, and with the help of designer Kris Horton, the 540 Camaro SuperCoupe was born.
While it’s been a few years since the 540 Camaro SuperCoupe was introduced to the public, that doesn’t make it any less noteworthy. With 540 cubic-inches for fuel-injected power under the hood, the SuperCoupe lives up to its Baldwin-Motion name well, boasting over 700hp. With modifications, such as the independent rear suspension, updated chassis with aluminum components and modern disc brakes, the SuperCoupe brings back the fire breathing performance Baldwin-Motion was so well known for with a modern twist.
In addition to its performance modifications, the Camaro was also converted into a two-seater with the engine pushed back even further on the chassis than was standard in 1969. Custom metal and body work were also done, making the SuperCoupe completely unique.
The Camaro received a General Motors design award at its 2005 SEMA Show debut and was later sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction for a whopping $486,000 to Scottsdale, Arizona car collector Ron Pratte. In addition to the original SuperCoupe, five others were created for Baldwin-Motion customers and sold starting at $175,000.
We’re excited to see the New York Times taking notice of the iconic performance Cheverolet company and even more excited to see the Baldwin-Motion brand making a comeback. We look forward to seeing what the relaunched company has in store for performance Chevys in the future.
