"The next morning," Dan recalls (he was still not over the anxiety of knowing the car was genuine and sitting on eBay unsold), "the gentleman called me on my cell phone to tell me no deal-he's not selling me the car!" The seller had spoken with Mr. Rosen and learned it was, indeed, a legit car.
That changed things. the seller felt the car was worth double the amount he had put as his "Buy It Now" price. Dan was freaking out. "I was in shock that I was not getting this Corvette," he says. "I called Rayburn, who said, 'We have the fish this close to the boat. Let's reel it on in.'" Dan jumped back on eBay and hit the Buy It Now button, which ends the auction and sells the car for a predetermined price. eBay stresses when using the Buy It Now feature: "You are agreeing to a contract. You will enter into a legally binding contract to purchase the item from the seller." The seller called back and asked if Dan had used the Buy It Now button. When he replied that he did, the seller decided to go through with the deal. At last, just as his friend Rayburn had foretold, he now owned a Motion Corvette.
And what a Corvette it was. The engine was the factory LS5 454 that had been warmed up with roller rockers, an Edelbrock aluminum intake, and a big Holley. The Hooker headers and sidepipes are fully functional. It did not get Motion's more aggressive Phase III treatment. Transmission is the M22 Rock Crusher, and the axle is the 3.73:1 Posi. Wheels are 15x8 front and 15x9 rear American Turbines. There is no power steering or power brakes. Rayburn later applied the fresh pearlescent yellow as Motion's original plans called for. Inside is the original diamond tufted custom interior, still in superb condition.
Dan is in Motion Corvette heaven when he takes to the road, but it's a little nerve-wracking since if something bad happens, the car cannot be replaced. Prices for Motion cars have spiked sharply in the last couple of years. Dan has considered selling it to the right person-someone who would keep the car visible to the public, preferably as part of a package with Rayburn's Manta-to fund a classic car business venture he's got in mind, but he's in no hurry for that day. he knows, in the world of exotic Corvettes, there's no higher height to ascend.
Mr. Motion's Comments
>> I like that car. I think it looks absolutely wild.
>> The Motion Moray was an idea I had combining parts of the Maco, the Manta Ray, and some of the GT stuff.
>> There was only one of them that I made, and they found it, brought it back, and painted it beautifully, and everything looks really nice. It's a car that I'm very proud that I made, even though I'd forgotten all about it.
>> We did those interiors for the GT cars and the specialty cars. We had a fellow who's still doing the same thing, the famous Dondee from Long Island. He did all my custom cars. It looks like leather, but as I recall, it wasn't.