Motion Performance's Corvette Moray GT

Joel Rosen’s Long Island-based Motion Performance modified all kinds of Chevrolet muscle cars, but Rosen’s history with Corvettes goes way back to a 1958 ‘Fuelie’ he bought and raced with his wife, Judith, in the early 1960s. Shortly after this Rosen started to modify Chevrolet’s starting with Corvettes along with Camaros and Chevelles.

But it was the introduction of the third-generation Corvette in 1968 that spurred Rosen to launch his own custom Corvette program. Initially, the modifications to those Motion Corvettes focused on performance, turning them into street/drag strip and full competition vehicles. Restyling the Corvette came later, when he reshaped the body of a 1969 L71 Corvette, which included major surgery to the car’s rear end to make more room for luggage, creating the prototype Phase III GT. In 1971, Rosen would clone Chevrolet’s Mako Shark II concept car and build what he called Maco Sharks as body kits and turnkey cars to order for several years. Two years later he recreated another Chevrolet show car, the Manta Ray, for a select few customers.

“Half Shark and half Ray” is how Rosen describes the Moray Eel, which is constructed using the front half of a Maco Shark and the rear bodywork from a Manta Ray. All the original Motion body modifications are intact, including the one-piece nose and bonnet, tall rear spoiler, flared arches, bonnet bulges, flat rear window and racing mirrors.

This special 1972 Chevrolet Corvette Motion Moray GT will be available at Mecum Auctions upcoming Kissimmee sale held between 6th-16th January 2022. Photos © Mecum Auctions