1989 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z - Those Were The Days

Still amazes me what these go for these days. This very cherry, 47,000-mile 1989 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z popped up on Facebook Marketplace recently with an asking price of $25,900. A 1989 Corvette in comparable condition and with similar mileage might have an asking price of half that. Aesthetics aside, it doesn't matter that the Corvette is a better car in just about every measurable metric.

I'm not saying the seller will get $25,900 for this, but it's not out of the question that they'll get something reasonably close to the asking price. Price a 1989 Corvette like this at $25,900 and, plain and simple, it probably won't get any nibbles, let alone sell.

The prevailing theory as to why these go for so much these days, while Corvettes sell for relatively little, is that back in the day, those of us of a particular vintage pined for one of these and, at least on paper, it was technically attainable. A loaded IROC like this stickered for roughly half what a Corvette went for. A 1989 IROC-Z coupe had a base MSRP of about $14,500, while a Corvette coupe started at more than $31,500.

Subsequently, there were a myriad of different variations of Camaros available, so the darn things were everywhere, making us car-crazy nut jobs froth at the mouth for them. You rarely saw Corvettes, and the only people who drove them were "old men." The stereotype of the jean-short-wearing geezer with fresh New Balance sneakers and a Corvette golf shirt and ball cap is almost as old as the brand itself.

"IROC" stood for International Race of Champions, a North American racing series that was promoted as something of an auto-racing All-Star Game or Masters Tournament. The series was launched in 1973, with its first championship completed in 1974, and ran through 2006, with a hiatus from 1981 through 1983.

Chevrolet sold the IROC-Z as an homage of sorts to the racing series from 1985 through 1990. The IROC-Z was essentially a Z28 with a handling-focused package that included a specially tuned suspension, lowered ride height, specially valved Delco-Bilstein shocks, larger sway bars, a steering-box/frame brace commonly known as the "Wonder Bar," a special decal package and, most notably, the availability of Tuned Port Injection borrowed from the Corvette. The IROC-Z also got 16-inch aluminum wheels and 245/50ZR16 Goodyear Gatorback tires.

This particular car has the LB9, 305-cubic-inch (5.0-liter) V-8. Since it has an automatic transmission, that would be GM's TH700-R4 four-speed, and the engine was rated at 195 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. The five-speed version was rated at 220 horsepower, or 230 horsepower with the available dual-catalytic-converter exhaust. A slightly detuned version of the Corvette's L98 350-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) V-8 was also available, rated at 230 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque, or 240 horsepower and 345 lb-ft with the performance axle.

It also shared the Corvette's Goodyear Gatorback unidirectional tires, albeit in a 245/50ZR16 size versus the Corvette's 255/50ZR16 size, and received unique 16-by-8-inch aluminum wheels. The wheels had different front and rear offsets, which resulted in the words "Front" or "Rear" being cast into the wheel to distinguish which went where.

In retrospect, the Camaro IROC-Z was the Corvette's punk-ass little brother who, almost annoyingly so, could almost match what the Corvette could do on a road course. Thing is, people don't drive these cars, for the most part anyway, on racetracks. Most people I know who had one had them briefly—two years at the most. They grew tired of the ride, the noise, the terrible, unsupportive seats and the general cheapness of the interior.

But you find a low-mileage oldie like this in original, unrestored condition and you're 22 years old again, cruising Utopia Turnpike in Queens looking for like-minded morons in a Mustang "5-point-oh," a Buick "Grand Nat" or some hopped-up relic from the '60s or '70s who are looking for "trouble."

Ah, those were the days.