“Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” has been the rationale behind factory involvement in motorsports for eons. Whether or not success on the race track actually translates to higher sales numbers, I don’t know, but that doesn’t stop automakers from offering commemorative editions of cars with ties to racing. And if that racing involves a one-make series, the bragging rights are there for the taking. Both Chevy and Dodge cashed in on this one, in their time, and today we’re going to take a look at one of each of their special editions.
Both of our competitors yesterday were powered by the same engine, the venerable Chevy 350 small-block. One or two of you took umbrage at my calling the Jeep Commando “ugly,” but that’s tough; I stand by my assessment. The old green Checker cab is no beauty queen either, but enough of you preferred it to give it a slight win.
I agree. I love removable-top 4x4s, but the late-model Commando would be way down on my list if I were actually to go looking for one. I just can’t get over that front end, or see over it, probably. Besides, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Checker. It’s just so brutish and utilitarian that it comes across as charming. Plus, it would match my truck.
What would happen if you took the best racing drivers from all different series, who are all used to driving different types of cars, and let them race against each other in a bunch of identical cars? That was the idea behind the International Race of Champions, or IROC for short. (It’s “international” in the same way the baseball “World Series” involves the whole world, but whatever.) But what car do you choose for such an elite gathering of drivers? In 1974, for IROC’s first season, Porsche 911s were used. But from 1975 until 1990, the IROC series was run with Chevy Camaros. By 1985, the popularity of the series prompted Chevy to offer the IROC-Z package for the Camaro Z28.
In 1990, IROC switched from Chevy to Dodge, and the cars were Dodge Daytonas, at least visually. Under the skin they were RWD tube-frame stock cars, just like the Camaros had been. Seeing the success of the IROC-Z Camaro, Dodge wasted no time in creating an IROC package for the Daytona. But the Daytona IROCs are a lot harder to come by than the Camaros are. Our friend Stephen Walter Gossin found one for sale this week, though, so I had to go and find a nice Camaro IROC to pit against it. Let’s check them out.
1987 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 IROC-Z – $17,500
Engine/drivetrain: 5.0-liter (or maybe 5.7 liter) OHV V8, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Menasha, WI
Odometer reading: 62,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
If you’re close to my age, there was probably some guy in your high school who drove an IROC Camaro, and he was probably a dick. [Ed Note: This is a song reference and not a stereotype, I’m realizing. -DT]. But that’s not the car’s fault. The IROC-Z was as fancy as Camaros got in the ’80s, with bigger tires, stiffer suspension, and more power than a standard Z28. It also had the all-important “IROC-Z” lettering along the bottom of the doors, because what was the point of spending the extra money if you couldn’t brag about it? The suspension improvements really did help, though, and made the already-good-handling Camaro even better.
A few different flavors of small-block V8 were offered in the IROC. This one obviously has Tuned Port fuel injection, but I don’t know whether it’s a 305 or a 350. It’s a difference of thirty-five horsepower in the automatic cars, which is significant. We get very little information about this car, only that it has low miles, new tires, and a new battery. Any further assessment of its condition will have to be done in person.
I don’t remember seeing very many red-on-red IROCs, and I’m not sure I like it. It’s too much red, I think. It is in good condition, except for a little wear on the driver’s seat. It has an aftermarket stereo, which one would hope is good enough to make your Mötley Crüe CDs rattle the T-tops. Don’t have any Crüe CDs? That’s all right; there’s a CD holder in the back seat, and I’d bet a Bud Light there’s one in there.
With fresh registration, new tires, and a new battery, I suspect this car was just recently pulled out of storage, which would explain the low mileage. It also probably spared it from a lot of Wisconsin winters, so I wouldn’t be too worried about rust underneath. And for this price, there had better not be any.
1993 Dodge Daytona IROC R/T – $9,000
Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 2.2-liter DOHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Bolivia, NC
Odometer reading: 103,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
The Dodge Daytona didn’t have the long pedigree of the Camaro, having only arrived on the scene in 1984, but it had a lot going for it. Performance-oriented versions of the Daytona were available from the start, with turbocharged engines, and later some suspension tuning by Carroll Shelby. Sure, it was front-wheel drive, and based on the lowly K-car, but the Daytona managed to hold its own performance-wise against the Camaro and Mustang. After IROC made the switch from Chevy to Dodge, the Daytona IROC hit showrooms, with all the Shelby goodies and special badging. But Dodge saved the best Daytona for last; in 1992 and ’93, a special IROC R/T model was offered, with a little something extra under the hood.
In place of the usual 2.5-liter turbo or Mitsubishi 3.0-liter V6 engine, the R/T featured a twin-cam 16-valve, 2.2-liter turbo engine, making an impressive 224 horsepower. It’s the same engine found in the infamous Dodge Spirit R/T sedan, as well as a select few Chrysler TCs by Maserati. It was only available with a five-speed manual, of course, and probably yanks the steering wheel right out of your hands with the torque-steer it produces. But hey, a tribute to a race car should be a little raucous, right? This one has just a little over a hundred thousand miles on it, and the seller says it runs and drives well.
If there’s one place where this car is a step backward from earlier Daytonas, it’s the dashboard. I never did like this redesigned dashboard, which was also shared with the Chrysler LeBaron at the time. The switchgear feels cheap and flimsy, and some controls are in downright weird places. The old square dash was a lot more logical. Nevertheless, it’s in good condition, and those seats do look comfortable.
I love the seller’s attempt at some artsy shots in this ad, but the trailer under a tarp in the background kind of spoils it. Oh well, at least they tried. You can see that the Daytona’s paint is in great shape, and the body is nice and straight. I wouldn’t expect any rust issues on this one either, but take a peek underneath just to make sure. I love the fact that both this car and the Camaro have aftermarket louvers on the rear windows. That’s something you don’t see much anymore. Does anybody even make them for newer cars?
So that’s our show for next week. See, I didn’t get too weird with the choices. Well, except for those trucks. Next week, I think I’m going to go international and look at some cheap car options overseas that are old enough to import. Until then, you can choose which era of IROC you want to celebrate. Thanks for reading!
I’m taking the T-Tops out and popping Dokken’s Back for the Attack in and rolling with a V8 burble.
I faintly remember the inaugural year of IROC and loved the concept of different styles of drivers all running in identically spec’d cars but quickly lost interest when they went from Porsches to Camaros. To the point of not remembering that later on even had Dodge ones.
That said, I’d take the Dodge. Stick? Checkmate. And it’s not like I was bullied in high school by some mouth-breathing Camaro driver. I wasn’t. They just weren’t and aren’t my thing.
Neither is a bad choice. But owned a similar IROC. Would do it again
Manual beats automatic every day, and since I sold Dodges or tried to, I go Dodge Daytona
A Daytona with the Turbo III, and it’s not rusting away? I’ll take that any day. I had a 1988 Shelby Z Daytona back in my youth and it was a pile of fun, until I found that I didn’t have a place in my life for a performance car while I was in grad school and then moving out of the country. I sold it to someone who just turned 18 for a VERY good deal, and he had all sorts of plans to do a DOHC conversion on it. I hope he enjoyed the car as much as I did!