The Only One Left In The World – A Rare Original Motion Performance Manta Ray GT

This is a rare original Motion Manta Ray GT, to cut a long story short, it’s a Corvette that was custom built in the 1970s by a company called Motion Performance, before they were fined by the US Justice Department and forced to cease most of their operations.

Not many automobile modification specialists can boast that they shutdown due to a targeted federal investigation, in fact as far as I can tell, Motion Performance was one of the only ones. The reason they were targeted varies depending on who you talk to, but it seems that the DOJ and EPA took umbrage at the fact that Motion Performance would remove emissions equipment from cars as part of their high-performance rebuilds.

The truth of the matter is a little more complex, this was the age of the Ralph Nader book “Unsafe at Any Speed”, and companies producing cars deemed too dangerous for the street were being targeted.

Motion Performance was founded by Joel Rosen in the 1960s to make parts and build race cars. Rosen himself had been a racing driver who had enjoyed no small amount of success, and his company allowed him to use his hands-on experience to build cars and parts for other people.

In 1966 Rosen partnered with Ed Simonin of Baldwin Chevrolet in Baldwin, New York (Long Island), a family owned Chevrolet dealer. Together the two men created Baldwin Motion, a rival for high-performance car builders like Shelby, Yenko, and Roush. Through Baldwin Motion you could buy a brand new car and have it built to your specifications, the company’s Phase III Supercars even came with the following guarantee:

“We think so much of our Phase III Supercars that we guarantee they will turn at least 120 mph in 11.50 seconds or better with an M/P-approved driver on an AHRA or NHRA-sanctioned drag strip. Phase III Supercars are completely streetable, reliable machines that will run these times off the street.” – Joel Rosen, Baldwin Motion

Above Image: The Motion Performance Manta Ray GT makes use of several unique body panels, including a one-piece front end with fixed headlights rather than the pop-ups used on the original C3 Corvette.

Baldwin Motion builds typically involved two major lines of modification, one was mechanical and the other was cosmetic. A slew of changes could be specified under the hood that would turn these cars into some of the fastest street-legal machines in the country, and bodykits could be fitted that would allow people to see from a distance that you were driving something a little different.

The most extensive body modifications were made to the C3 Corvette-based cars, this was because Corvettes have fiberglass bodies sitting on steel frames – making them easier to modify as new fiberglass panels could be designed and made from molds relatively quickly and easily.

The car you see here was the final car built by Motion Performance before the company was shut down. It’s called the Motion Performance Manta Ray GT, just three were built originally, one of which was crashed, and the other is considered lost to history as it disappeared decades ago.

The Manta Ray GT includes a slew of signature Motion Performance modifications including custom body work including a new one-piece hood, a new tail section with a distinctive spoiler. Under the hood lies a 350 cu. in. V8 that’s been worked to the point it produces 425 dyno-tested horsepower which is fed through a reworked 1/4 mile friendly Turbo 400 automatic transmission.

The car makes use of the 454 V8-style reverse hood scoop along with chromed side-exit exhausts running along each sill. The engine is fitted with an Edelbrock intake, an MSD ignition, and a slew of other internal go-faster parts to bring the power up to over 400 hp.

The car is due to roll across the auction block with Mecum in mid-May, it is accompanied by a letter of authenticity signed by “Mr. Motion” himself, Joel Rosen, and Rosen also signed the center console and T-Top. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Mecum

The post The Only One Left In The World – A Rare Original Motion Performance Manta Ray GT appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/motion-performance-manta-ray-gt/
via gqrds

A Retrotastic 1978 Jeep J10 Golden Eagle Pickup

Every now and then a vehicle pops up for sale that gets me to wondering how much money I could pull together if I emptied the couch cushions and that little box in the console armrest in the car.

This Jeep J10 Golden Eagle is one of those cars. I know it won’t appeal to all of you but those of you who grew up watching old American action movie reruns on boxy televisions with clicky dials and wood veneer on the sides will all love this thing just as much as I do.

The “Golden Eagle” package was an optional upgrade for the Jeep J10 pickup truck, the other two upgrade packages on offer were the “Honco” and the “10-4” – all offered flashy graphics packages on the body and the 10-4 took advantage of the trucker craze sweeping America at the time offering a CB radio as well.

For the uninitiated, the Jeep J10 was a member of the Gladiator, Jeep Pickup, or J-series four-wheel drive vehicle line developed to share the same chassis/platform as the popular Wagoneer (Jeep SJ). In fact, the J10 also shared the bodywork of the Wagoneer from the cab forward.

Above Image: The J10 is a 4×4 pickup truck that shares its platform with the Jeep Wagoneer.

Amazingly, over the course of the Gladiator/J-series series production run thee vehicles would be manufactured under four different parent companies: Willys Motors, Kaiser-Jeep, AMC (American Motors), and Chrysler.

The first vehicles in this series were the Gladiators, possibly named such as they were used both by civilians and the United States military. In 1971 the name changed to the more simple “Jeep Pickup” but they’re frequently referred to by their individual model designations – J10 and J20 (earlier known as the J2000 and J4000).

Although they do look somewhat similar, the key difference between the J10 and the J20 is size. The J20 typically has a longer cargo area in the back with a higher weight rating, whereas the J10 was a little shorter with a lower maximum payload. The J10 was produced in considerably higher numbers, and as a result you’ll find more of them for sale.

The Gladiator/J-series family would stay in production for a remarkable 26 years between 1962 and 1988. Much like their Wagoneer siblings they went through a long period of time of being considered undesirable by many, however this tide has been turning in recent years as more and more people in the classic vehicle community start to seek them out.

Above Image: This vehicle has the “Golden Eagle” package that includes the full golden decal package and gold steel wheels.

The 1978 Jeep J10 Golden Eagle Pickup Shown Here

The vehicle you see here is a 1978 Jeep J10 Golden Eagle J10 Pickup, it’s one of the nicest examples we’ve seen pop up for sale recently, made all the more appealing by the placement of those period-correct KC spotlights on the factory roll bar above the cab.

As a Golden Eagle version of the J10 this Jeep carries the characteristic golden decals down either side, matched with gold steel wheels on all four corners shod with BF Goodrich tires.

This example is powered by a 360 cu. in. V8 engine paired with an automatic transmission, as you would expect it’s four-wheel drive and it has both power steering and power brakes. The vehicle presents incredibly well inside and out, the listing doesn’t mention if it’s been restored however it certainly appears to have had some work done.

The interior looks almost new, with its bench seat that can accommodate three, it has a more modern AM/FM/CD stereo with Bluetooth connectivity, and the simple original two spoke steering wheel.

If you’d like to read more about this J10 or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on Mecum. It’s due to roll across the auction block in mid-May and it’s being offered with no reserve.

Images courtesy of Mecum

The post A Retrotastic 1978 Jeep J10 Golden Eagle Pickup appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/jeep-j10-golden-eagle/
via gqrds

An Original Ferrari F40 Factory Tool Kit

When the Ferrari F40 was released in 1987 the world was wowed by the car’s rakish styling, hefty rear wing, and its twin turbocharged V8 – but no one paid much attention to the included tool kit. Which seems a shame really as it’s relatively well equipped as far as supercar tool kits go.

Ferrari had supplied tool kits, usually tool rolls of some variety, with their cars for decades before the arrival of the F40, so it seemed logical that the new supercar would come with some wrenches. That said, few supercar owners actually use the supplied tool kits with most preferring to leave the spannering to the highly trained chaps wearing blue overalls down at the dealership.

Today we remember the F40 as one of the greatest supercars of all time and as the last Ferrari that Enzo Ferrari would have a direct hand in developing – he passed away in 1988 just a year after the car was released.

Whereas the competing Porsche 959 was a tour de force of technology and innovation, the F40 was a far simpler analogue driving machine – which many avid motorists tend to prefer.

The Ferrari F40 tool kit contains eight double ended wrenches, four screw drivers (two Phillips and two flatheads), a pair of Ferrari branded pliers, a socket wrench with adapters, and four securing clips for the wheel centre locks.

This kit is also supplied with a centre-lock wheel nut removal tool, a Michelin Vigil tyre pressure gauge in its original box, screw-in towing eye, spare belts, fuses, and bulbs, a period set of NGK G63 spark plugs, and an Agip-branded emergency tyre inflator canister with a carry case.

It’s likely that this tool kit will be bought by a current F40 owner who wants to bring their car up to concurs condition, requiring all the original bells and whistles be in place before inspection. It’s also possible of course that it’ll end up with a collector or enthusiast who wants to add one to their garage while they wait for the day they can pick up an F40 to go with it.

Visit The Listing

Above Video: Jay Leno takes a look at the F40 with car collector David Lee.

The post An Original Ferrari F40 Factory Tool Kit appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/ferrari-f40-factory-tool-kit/
via gqrds

The True North Edition Jeep Wrangler by True North Collections

This is the new True North Edition Wrangler, it’s a tailor-made vehicle designed to combine genuine off-road functionality, modern comfort and amenities, with styling cues from iconic four-wheel drives from the mid-to-late 20th century.

Each build starts with a low-mileage Jeep Wrangler Rubicon bought by the team at True North Collections after a thorough inspection process. Once acquired the Jeep is rolled into the workshop where the work begins.

The stock suspension, wheels, and tires are all removed and replaced. A Mopar Performance 2″ lift kit is fitted alongside Fox suspension components, and new Mopar military steel wheels accommodate 37″ BF Goodrich All Terrain tires.

The Wrangler uses traditional body-on-frame construction, it has front and rear live axles on coil springs, it also offers both high and low range options for covering a variety of terrain.

Although it now shares no parts in common, the Wrangler is a direct descendent of the World War II era Willys Jeep, and the CJ Jeeps that came after it – essentially civilianized version of the original military Jeep with “CJ” standing for “Civilian Jeep.”

Above Image: The ride height has been significantly increased over stock thanks to the new larger tires and the 2″ suspension lift.

In the years after the Second World War a plethora of four-wheel drive vehicles were designed and launched, almost all taking some level of inspiration from the American Jeep. At this time the concept of buying a 4×4 for leisure and driving off-road purely for fun was still in its infancy, most buyers of these vehicles were farmers or others who needed to use their off-road abilities for work.

Over the decades after WWII the popularity of off-roading took off in America, Europe, and around the world. This in turn led to off-roaders built built that had a few more creature comforts thrown in, eventually leading to vehicles like the Jeep Wagooneer and the Range Rover, which offered all the comfort and features of a road car in a capable off-roader – things like air-conditioning, power steering, plush carpeting, and automatic transmissions.

True North Collections chose the modern Jeep Wrangler for two reasons, it has the heritage of the Jeep badge rolled together with the day-to-day usability of the original Wagoneer, all in a package that’s still classed as one of the most capable mass-produced off-roaders in the world today.

After a new Wrangler is brought in for a build and the suspension, wheels, and tires have been upgraded the team turns their attention to the cabin, where you’ll find a full custom leather interior with heated seats, a heated steering wheel, heated power mirrors, and a slew of other features to make the vehicle a genuine daily driver.

Above Image: The full-length roof rack allows the vehicle to be fully loaded for weekends away or for cross-continental expeditions.

For the build you see here the team have added a Garvin Luggage Rack modified to work with Jeep’s Skytop, as well as classic side steps to make it easier to get in and out after the suspension was lifted and larger tires were fitted.

True North Collections was founded by wildlife photographer and vintage 4×4 collector Shane Russeck specifically to build the kind of vehicle he wanted himself, and the kind of 4×4 he felt was missing from the market.

Each True North build is made to order, allowing the buyer to have a controlling say in the final vehicle’s features, appearance, interior, and performance. Shane explains that he wants to create a true modern American safari vehicle, with an appreciation of 4×4 heritage without necessarily compromising on modern usability.

The example you see here is powered by the original 3.6 litre V6 Chrysler Pentastar engine mated to an automatic transmission. With its aluminum alloy block and heads the engine is notably lighter than its iron counterparts, it also offers the added benefit of double overhead cams per bank, four valves per cylinder, and 285 hp at 6,400 rpm with 260 lb ft of torque at 4,800 rpm.

If you’d like to see more or enquire about buying the Jeep you see here you can click this link to visit True North Collections.

The post The True North Edition Jeep Wrangler by True North Collections appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/true-north-edition-jeep-wrangler/
via gqrds