GMs At Mecum: Pontiac's "Swiss Cheese" Catalina

Truth be told, the Beach Boys probably never wrote a song about a Pontiac B-body. It may have been attributable to the fact that it was the Bowtie influence of the performance scene that inspired so much of drag race folklore. But in the midst of the Chevy 409's quarter-mile success, there was Pontiac's twist on the B platform, one that came along just before the end of GM's Super/Stock legacy.

Featured at the Mecum auction block this month at Indy is this rare specimen of Pontiac muscle, one of 14 "Swiss Cheese" Catalinas to run in NHRA's Super/Stock category, sporting a dual-quad, Super Duty 421 V-8. Extensively modified, the hopped-up Catalina is notorious for its modded, U-section frame and 120 "Swiss Cheese" holes drilled into the car's frame rails.

Incorporated into the 1963 drag race season, the SD Catalinas were equipped with Borg-Warner three-speeds, chasing a Posi rear differential with 4.30:1 cogs. Most of the cars, however, were converted to B-W, close-ratio 4-speeds with either a 4.56 or 4.88 rear cog.

Further enhanced with lightweight panels and other weight-saving components, the 410-horse Catalina ran 12-second passes at trap speeds of up to 120 miles per hour. An elimination of sound deadening materials, along with the car's 120-hole framerail setup and missing front sway bar, made for a 3,308-pound whip that put Pontiac in the game, even before the GTO.

It's one of the Pontiac performance world's rarest gems, and it will be featured at Mecum in Indianapolis on May 17th. Be sure to keep a lookout for this bad-ass, B-body!

The Black Sheep Of The Black Pickups: One Of Ten Marlboro Syclones Hits The Web Community At A Fat Price

All image credit: Desert Autosport

About 20 years in retrospect, there are several pop icons from the late 1980s and early '90s that we have taken for granted. For anyone who grew-up in the "Smog Era," Grand Nationals and 20th-Anniversary Trans Ams were probably among the very last on your list of sport and muscle car favorites.

But for anyone who's ever owned a GM from that era, where the General was most involved in turbo motor experimentation, you understand the "sex" that goes behind the small, but powerful 6-cylinder lineup.

Many have described the turbo-6's wastegate opening as something of a "horse sneeze," but it's a sound and feel that have become a General Motors signature nonetheless. Besides being compact and relatively economical, GM's turbocharged 3.8 and 4.3-liter V-6s offered an overall performance package for the automaker that was far less rough and tumble than your traditional small or big-block.

In the "SyTy" world, the Typhoon SUV that lasted from 1992-93 was far more practical and varied in option than its Syclone predecessor that only lasted in '91. The Syclone pickup was lighter and more uniform than the Typhoon, and in comparison to its SUV sibling, the tuxedo black Syclone carried an attitude of no-joke street race, while offering a visual upgrade consisting of stealth cosmetics.

  

The Syclone and Typhoon's dignified breed of acceleration, backed by a feathery-soft exhaust note, is a thing to be celebrated in the realm of all things GM performance, but this is especially true of the General's high-tech department. A boost gauge rises, RPM builds and with barely a sound, the turbo trucks move with speed that's as graceful as it is turbulent.

Statistically, less than 3,000 Syclones were built in '91, with about 2 or 3 trickling out for 1992. For the '92 production year, there was a white truck, and other color options were allegedly in mind, but to this day, it's the black-on-black scheme that's ingrained into the minds of SyTy buffs.

The exception to this being the Marlboro Syclone, a limited-edition variant of which only 10 were ever built. Modified with a removable back glass and T-tops by the American Sunroof Corporation, the Marlboro Syclones were given away as prizes in a 1992 contest sanctioned by Marlboro Racing. Featuring "Hot Licks" red paint, Recaro seats and a Momo wheel, this rare, turbo truck specimen was cranked-up using a "PROMPaq" chip and Borla exhaust.

It's one of GM's first apexes in high-tech motoring, and our featured example from Jalopnik and Supercar Sunday regular, Jon Betancourt hits the collector's market at a somewhat controversial price tag of $79,995.

Again, it is one of 10 Marlboro editions made, so whether $79k is justifiable depends on what kind of enthusiast you are. If you're a Barrett-Jackson romantic who cares about originality, than our featured Marlboro Syclone could be a rather smart buy. But if the 4.3 turbo motor is too outdated for your contemporary senses, then maybe not so much.

In either case, it's a GMC truck of historical importance, and if you're looking to add to your garage, then it's something to look into!

The Little Engine That Could: The Origin Of Buick's Turbo V-6, And The Path That It Paved For Compact Performance In America

* mgnta.com

Anyone who knows what a T-Type or Grand National is knows that it was the turbocharged versions of Buick's G-Body Regal that brought muscle into a decade in American automotive that simply was not known for its overall sense of construction, let alone performance platforms. This, of course was the 1980s. If you are a turbo Buick fan, then the automaker's famed 3.8-liter motor, with its sequential injection and intercooled turbocharger, is a horsepower icon that's already been well engrained into your memory.

* mgnta.com

But there's a question that we rarely ask in terms of the turbo-6's history, and that's one of its very origin. Truth be told, Buick began experimenting with V-6 engine construction as early as 1962, but it was a platform that met little, if any, success during the early part of the decade.

From 1962 to '63, the automaker meddled with a turbocharged variant of their 215 cubic-inch mill, that ironically enough was used exclusively in Oldsmobile models. After 1967, Buick abandoned the turbo V-6 idea, in the midst of a horsepower war where motor displacement took the throne.

* mgnta.com

It would not be until the mid-'70s that the company would revisit the idea, and the blown V-6 manifested itself once more in the guise of the 1976 Buick Indy Pace Car, the turbo option being made available to the public in '78 through the "Sport Coupe" option on the Regal, due to the motor's popularity in the Pace Car.

The Regal itself underwent extensive change, Buick's G-Body being shortened, while shaving-off some 560 pounds of dry weight. These were changes that helped to form the Regal into modern day muscle, but nevertheless, the best that Buick was able to squeeze from their compact V-6 was in the 170-200 horse range. Naturally, this is mostly true of the small motor's earliest manifestations, especially those turbo V-6s built from 1978-82. First, available in 2 or 4-barrel carbureted versions, then standard as a 4-barrel by 1979.

* http://www.2040cars.com/Buick/Century/1976-buick-century-regal-t-top-replica-pace-car-cutlass-grand-prix-265564/

What mostly changed about the engine's construction from the late '70s into the early '80s was the physical location of the motor's electronic, anti-knock sensor from the intake to the top rear of the block. This was due to the addition of an aluminum intake, which would've interfered with the knock sensor, or "Turbo Control Center's," function.

* http://beforeblack.net/evolution.htm

Also, better-flowing heads were installed on all 3.8 motors built in 1979, along with better performing spark plugs that reduced overall plug gap from 0.060 to 0.040, thereby reducing fouling.

The Grand National, introduced in 1982 mostly as a naturally-aspirated model, would not take on the turbo as an RPO option until '84, and it was then that Buick was able to push the GN into the 200-horsepower range. Also, 3.8 motors for '82 were opened by a new cam, valve springs and valve dampeners to allow the V-6 to run at higher speeds. Turbochargers for the model year used a smaller turbine for improved throttle response and less lag.

* en.wikipedia.org

* Beforeblack.net

The very idea of using engine load and throttle position to build intake pressure was definitely there, even by 1978, but the Grand National and even more powerful GNX would not become realities until the greater part of the '80s, after which fuel injection was introduced to the 3.8's hardware.

* gminsidenews.com

Be that as it may, Gary Bryson and Southern California's Molly Designs built a turbo V-6 Century, one backed by Buick for the purpose of attracting younger buyers to the brand. It was Bryson's force-fed, '76 Century that would become predecessor to both the Indy Pace Car and Grand National, culminating in the '87 GNX as a final farewell to the turbo Regal lineup.

* www.cars-on-line.com

They were experiments that led Buick to learn more about turbo performance, and it paved the way for what would become one of the automaker's greatest endeavors.

* www.hemmings.com

Many muscle car traditionalists like to hold to the adage of, "No replacement for displacement." For anyone who actually believed it, however, Buick concocted the perfect recipe to change their minds forever.

* buickcity.blogspot.com

 

The Godfathers Of Chevy Muscle: An Exclusive Q & A Session With Joel Rosen Of Motion Performance

If any of you have followed my previous blogs, or even my published articles with Power Auto Media, then you no doubt know that my style of automotive journalism is one that has been--at best--retrospective. Truth be told, it's not any easier to get our favorite motoring legends in an interview then it is to get our most cherished rock stars on the phone, but it's still possible with a little persistance.

This particular blog focuses on some of the technical and performance-oriented milestones that have been accomplished in the world of GM performance. For that reason, there was no one who I could've thought to focus more on than "Mr. Motion" himself, Joel Rosen.

Rosen's horsepower-infused creations, during the late '60s and early '70s, left way more of a mark on the street/strip scene then did the COPO-based creations of Yenko Chevrolet. Where Yenko made some cool tweaks on a series of 427 cars that were ordered through dealer fine print, Rosen's Motion Performance, in conjunction with Long Island's Baldwin Chevrolet, built horsepower masterpieces that came turn-key with track equipment standard.

 
There weren't many new Chevys that could make that claim back then, but Rosen and the Baldwin-Motion supercar program had one guarantee, and that was an 11.5-second pass in the quarter mile or your money back, that simple.

It's a legend that's been uttered in motoring circles for the last 40 some odd years since the EPA's environmental crackdown during the 1970s, but when it came to the history of Baldwin-Motion performance, there were critical questions that had to be asked of the Baldwin-Motion brainchild himself.

With all of this in mind, I am pleased and honored to present this exclusive Q & A session with "Mr. Motion" himself, Joel Rosen:

Q: So this is kind of an elementary question, but what was the fastest car you'd ever built?

A: That would have to be a '70 Camaro with a 454 that was an NHRA record holder.

Q: And what was your favorite platform to build with?

A: Camaros and Corvettes

Q: What makes did Motion cover outside of Chevy?

A: We covered all American makes

Q: Buick's Grand National was the door-slammer of the '80s, but what kind of track times were you able to make with the modded GNs that you built during the decade?

A: Mostly 10s and 11s

Q: What would you say is your word of advice to the amateur builders of today who would like to pursue a street or race car project?

A: Definitely stick with Chevy

Q: In your opinion, is the muscle car era dead?

A: No, in fact it's better now than before; just look at what you can buy or build

Q: How do you feel about the C7 Corvette, and should GM have built a mid-motored version?

A: That was my friend, Zora Duntov's dream, but the new Vette is fantastic

Q: Will there ever be another Motion Performance car?

A: Possibly

Q: What do you predict motoring enthusiasts will be doing or will accomplish around 10 years from now?

A: They'll definitely be going faster

Q: How do you think that the motoring hobby, as it currently stands, can be made even better?

A: Get more young people to buy and think American, and get them to build cars again; get rid of the "rice burners"


My profound gratitude goes out again to Joel Rosen, who in all reality is the Bowtie world's equivalent of Shelby. He's one of the motoring world's greatest performance innovators, and the fact that he would take the time to answer my car questions says volumes about who he as a human being.

The Motion Of The Ocean: What Did Joel Rosen Do After Motion Performance?

Motor Trend

Truth be told, there were several Supercar builders aside from Nickey of Chicago and Yenko in Pennsylvania. In fact, Dana and others also championed the 427/4-speed conversion that was popular on 1st-Gen Camaros during the late '60s and early '70s, but for some reason, it was Nickey, Yenko and their few contemporaries who were celebrated in the American muscle canon.

Car Guy Chronicles

Long Island, New York housed their own Supercar hero during the horsepower war's peak, and it was Joel Rosen who would become the region's godfather of everything Chevy performance. His tried-and-tested merger with nearby Baldwin Chevrolet would become the brainchild of Long Island's street and strip scene, and even the V-8 Vega trend of the 1970s was largely a creation of the Baldwin-Motion Supercar program. In fact, shoehorning a 454 mill into the compact Vega was one of Motion's greatest, automotive achievements.

Boldride.com

Joel Rosen's famed "SS427" and "Phase III" Camaros, the first of which was done with a 1967 platform, were notorious in the worlds of AHRA and NHRA drag racing. This, of course, meant that the Motion-converted 1st-Gens were as strong in professional motorsport as they were at America's stoplights. If anything, for the simple fact that Motion cars--Camaros, Chevelles and Novas--were unique in that they came turn-key with all race equipment standard.

Turn-key cars guaranteed by Rosen to run what he described back then as "11.50 at 120 miles per hour" were what differentiated Motion's builds from the competition, and it was the race-oriented nature of the Baldwin-Motion builds that made them just a tad different then Yenkos and others.

In addition to Camaros, Chevelles, Novas and even compact Vegas, the Baldwin-Motion Supercar program was also known for it's 427 and 454 conversions on the 3rd-generation of the Corvette family (Car Guy Chronicles).

Factory and dealer warranties weren't as much of a thing in the golden age of muscle as they are now, but Rosen did issue the aforementioned guarantee of an 11.5-second pass. After issuing that guarantee, Rosen never once had to refund customers' money, or their cars for that matter.

Official Baldwin-Motion

But what did Joel Rosen do after the EPA smothered his performance car operation in 1974? According to Baldwin-Motion media man, Martyn L. Schorr, Rosen continued to work with contemporary automotive tech in order to keep the supercar spirit alive, "He built Grand Nationals in the '80s to take on the 5.0 Mustangs, but I don't remember exactly what he did to them," says Schorr of Rosen's short-lived experiments with late model machines. Among this list also included a few Motion-modified IROC-Zs and G-Body Monte Carlos.

Motion and Rosen's most recent attempts at high-tech horsepower include the "Supercoupe" '69 Camaro, a retro-modded 1st-Gen that, in 2005, was fitted with the industry's best in adjustable coilovers and unequal length control arms, and a 540-cube Merlin motor that pushed 600 brake horsepower in its base form. It was Rosen's first attempt at a super Camaro in years, and it was more than suitable for the SEMA show block at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Joel Rosen's '69 "Supercoupe" Camaro from 2005 (Conceptcarz.com)

But the fact that Rosen and Motion Performance were willing to stuff small and big-blocks into pint-sized Vegas, while writing off cars as "off-road and export only" proved without doubt that the Motion experience was one that was willing and able to bend to the environmental standards of the time. And the fact that Rosen himself raced a modified Grand National during the '80s showed that Supercar construction could always be made possible, even in the midst of what many motoring enthusiasts have now dubbed, the "smog era."

Joel Rosen and Redline Motorsports built 427 and 454 versions of the 5th-Gen Camaro, until Rosen's contract with the Florida speed builder expired in late 2012 (Official Baldwin-Motion).

Even in a time of electronics and pollution control, however, Motion muscle found a way. In fact, Rosen contracted Redline Motorsports of Pompano Beach, Florida to help in the construction of a series of 5th-Gen Camaros, fitted with various manifestations of GM's LS7 and LSX mills. The late model, Camaro builds were labeled by Rosen and Redline as their "Motion SS" and "Phase III" conversions. Either in 427 or 454 form, the radical 5th-Gens would only last so long during the muscle car renaissance of the new Millenium, "The contract [between Joel Rosen and Redline Motorsports] expired in 2012, almost 2013," Martyn Schorr explains. "The guy who was contracted on the 2005 Supercoupe does still occasionally take assignments."

This "Phase III ZLX" 1st-Gen was one of Motion's rarest Camaro builds, and it was one that started its life as a Z28. Originally purchased from Curtis Person Chevrolet of Millington, Tennessee by Chuck Hamilton, the F-Body was raced until 1974, when Hamilton shipped the car to Motion Performance to undergo a build involving the install of a special, dual-quad 427 with "ZLX," open-chambered aluminum heads. The ZLX mill made over 600 horses, and though Rosen never did fully receive the $12k for the conversion, Hamilton did continue to race and campaign the pony as "Mr. H" (Mecum Auctions).

The story of Joel Rosen and Motion Performance is one that reinforces the Supercar tradition, one that carried itself even into an era of turbochargers and LS platforms. Even during the "hairspray decade," Rosen would continue on in the Motion Performance spirit, Don Yenko simultaneously caving to the turbo performance trend, with the "Turbo-Z" Camaro that became one of Yenko's rare attempts at "smog dog" performance.

(Car Guy Chronicles)

But where Yenko, Nickey and others may have either closed shop doors, or else attempted to make old-school grunt out of new age tech, Rosen brought back one of the American Supercar tradition's most beloved trademarks, and it was one that though diminished only recently, really hasn't gone anywhere at all.

Baldwinmotionreport.com

 

Nelson Racing Engines in Chatsworth Builds The Ultimate Twin-Turbo, First-Gen Camaro...

Since opening its doors in 1995, Nelson Racing Engines of Chatsworth has earned a reputation here in the West San Fernando Valley of building some of the Valley's most radical, high-horsepower applications; their unique dual-injector-per-cylinder and twin-turbo configurations are unmatched. Because of their expansive knowledge and resources, shop owner Tom Nelson and the NRE team are able to build any application from 1500 to 2000+bhp, applications that are built for the street and the strip.

Nelson's most radical creation, by far, is this twin-turbo '69 Camaro SS, which features a high-tech performance package that is unique to NRE. This package includes a 427 small block with twin turbos and dual fuel injectors per cylinder, an engine design that has become an NRE trademark.


NRE's twin-turbo 427 produced around 730bhp on pump gas, but the mill is capable of producing around 1750 with the turbos tweaked on race fuel. Not only this, but NRE's turbo rat was able to create this kind of streetable horsepower just by spooling the turbos to a total of 6 pounds of boost, and the outrageous Camaro is actually street-legal.


The advantage of this setup from NRE is that it offers manageable horsepower, and it does so without nearly tearing the motor's valvetrain apart. The twin-turbos are responsive, and the quick-building boost makes the 427 rev so fast that it bounces off of its own rev limiter.


In this video from NRE, the Camaro is running uncorked, but is still relatively quiet and smooth for a car of its build. Tom Nelson and company built the '69 Camaro, which they call "Split Personality," for a client in Denmark, and we're sure that they will have way too much fun in this twin-turbo pony, if they haven't done so already!


Read more about this car at Chevy Hardcore!

"Buyavette" Wants You To Consider This '59 For Your Next Cruiser!!!

Buyavette.net, a Corvette super-showroom out of Atlanta, Georgia, presents this neatly-restored, '59 Corvette convertible.

The early 'Vette is by far one of the cleanest that we've seen, the original Roman Red paint and white convertible top offering an overwhelming, "Fabulous-Fifties" blast from the past like only certain, '50s-model Chevs can. The car, as it currently stands, has good-to-excellent condition paint, and all of the 'Vette's chrome seems to be clean and in-tact, though moderate-to-severe scratches, patina and pitting can be found in certain places throughout the chrome.


The 'Vette has red, vinyl interior, and is a fully-documented car with 59,673 original miles recorded. The car's original, 170-horse 283 and 4-speed are in-tact, and the engine's casting number, 3794226, corresponds to a 1958-63 283 engine that would've been installed in a Chevy passenger car or truck.


The motor's casting date also corresponds with the late 1962 calendar year, and the 'Vette's stamp pad reveals a "D" suffix, which corresponds with the 170-185bhp, 283 option for Chev's passenger cars and trucks from 1958-60.


The factory-correct 283 under the hood of this '59 'Vette convertible wears a pair of pre-1967, 350 horse-style Corvette valve covers made from aluminum. Other parts that have been replaced on the early 'Vette include the gas tank, sending unit and floor mats, and the frame appears to be solid with no rust.

All-together, this '59 'Vette is ready to roll and is in desperate search for an early-'Vette enthusiast who would be willing to give the ride a new home.


* Read more about this car at Chevy Hardcore!