Corvettes on eBay: 1972 Motion Moray GT Corvette

Jul 16, 2015

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Corvettes on eBay: 1972 Motion Moray GT Corvette

Not everyone may fall in love with this yellow and black 1972 Motion Moray Corvette.

But one thing is for sure: the owner will never see another one on the road.

You see, this is one ultra-rare Corvette, as in one-of-one!

We originally told you about this car back in 2009 when it was up for sale on eBay at the Buy-It-Now price of $600,000. We’re not sure what it eventually sold for back then, but we do know that now it’s on the block again for the same price as six years ago.

In case you don’t know the history of this car, back in the late 1960s, Joel Rosen and his Motion Performance speed shop was the happening place for serious automotive performance – kind of the Callaway or Lingenfelter of the time.

From 1967-74, hundreds of Motion-branded Corvettes, Camaros, Novas, and Chevelles were built – but only one Corvette like this was ever made. Prior to 2006, though, the historic car lived in anonymity until a guy named Dan Hayes – not knowing exactly what he was looking at – helped to uncover its birthright when it was listed on eBay for just $30,000.

Hayes turned to long-time friend Rayburn Pennington, who happened to own one of the three 1973 Baldwin Motion Manta Rays. Pennington didn’t beat around the bush, calling up Joel Rosen himself who told him how to document the car.

As the seller became aware of the rarity of the car, he tried to double the price on eBay, but Hayes was faster to the draw and nabbed it with the “Buy It Now” feature on eBay to enter into a binding legal contract to buy the Corvette. The seller ultimately agreed to sell to Hayes, and he became the new owner of this unique Corvette.

But that’s just background. The car is the real star of the show, having been pieced together with parts from several different Motion packages. The front end got the Motion Maco Shark treatment with a clam-shell hood that foreshadowed the C4 factory Corvette, along with a recessed grille and hidden headlights. The rear comes from the Motion Manta Ray and features a sloping rear window (foreshadowing the C7) with custom glass and a very high spoiler.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a ’70s custom car without button-tucked diamond patterned seats, door panels, and dash inside. Rosen must have gotten a good deal on Motion plaques as the Moray has them scattered throughout, from the hood and inside the cockpit, to the engine’s valve covers.

Speaking of the engine, the Moray gets its juice from a factory LS5 454 estimated to produce 475 horsepower. It also has an Edelbrock aluminum intake and a Holley carburetor, along with Hooker headers and sidepipes and an M22 Rock Crusher four-speed transmission.

After the car was restored, it got the ultimate touch when Mr. Rosen actually autographed the center of the dash and the driver’s side T-top panel.

Will you be the next owner of this piece of Corvette history? You might want to hurry, though, because this car is for sale locally in northern Virginia, and if an offer is accepted locally, the eBay listing will be removed.

“This car appears excellent in every way and is beautiful from every angle,” said a friend of the owner who posted the car on eBay. “I took the pictures for this ad and couldn’t find an unflattering angle.”