The rivalry for supremacy between automobile giants, General Motors and Ford, is not new to car lovers. It is as old or even older than the rivalry between Coke and Pepsi, or if we would incline more to mobile technology, Microsoft Vs Apple.
If General Motors Vs Ford was a match made in heaven, then heaven sure loves a fair fight. Both companies have unique features that reflect in their products. While these two giants had a very early contest with the Mustang Cobra and Camaro Z28, it is quite interesting that 60 years down the line, these two car models; the Mustang and Camaro, still go head to head on the market.
It has so far been an inconclusive and interesting battle that has opened the door for more enthralling clashes. While the Mustang almost always wins in sales, the Camaro has had some defining moments. One such moment occurred in 1985, with the Camaro IROC-Z giving General Motors an edge over Ford's Mustang.
So, without further ado, let's take a look back at the Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z.
Introducing The IROC-Z
The Camaro IROC-Z came to be at a time when the world was getting tired of F-body cars. These rides are a vehicle class that were released by General Motors to gain market share over Ford. With an emphasis on handling, weight, and minor retouches, the IROC-Z brought back the swagger of F-body cars, which had once been the talk of the country.
The IROC stands for International Race of Champions, and although the Camaro IROC-Z would have been better off being given another name, it still served its purpose on racing tracks quite excellently.
Almost every child in the mid-'80s wanted to have a small toy of the IROC-Z, and so did a lot of adults with its life-sized model. Beautifully streaked hood vents, inset headlights that had black surrounds, and an almost faded IROC-Z inscription which looked a bit more stripped than plain engrafted onto the body were a few of the things that brought back the swagger of the IROC-Z in an F-body car.
This was also the first Camaro to go 0-60 MPH in under 7 seconds as it hoofed its way to 60 in 6.9 seconds. Who wouldn't want to have a car like this in 1985? As an improvement, in 1990, the car could reach the same speed in as little as 5.8 seconds.
The perfect car for a drag, the Camaro IROC-Z came with V8 fuel injection and 215 HP. Unfortunately, the last Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z was produced in 1990, and it ranks high among the most short-lived Camaro.
What Made The Camaro IROC-Z Stand Out?
Was the Camaro IROC-Z a pony car or a muscle car? The 2-door coupe undoubtedly fits into both categories. The IROC-Z had 16-inch wheels, factory fuel injections and was one of the few models at the time to have a five-speed manual transmission and four-speed automatic transmission. It helped redefine- to a large extent- how we view muscle cars.
The height of the IROC was lower than the Z28, which came before it; the IROC-Z had upgraded suspensions, and its wheels had a distinct design. It was so unique that the design of the front wheel was different from the rear, and neither could replace the other.
To avoid mix-up between the front and rear wheels, 'front' and 'rear' wheel was clearly inscribed on them appropriately. Previous speedometers used to have unique double-pointed needles that simultaneously showed speed in MPH and KM/H. This feature was removed in the IROC-Z as a single MPH pointer was favored instead.
Here's How Much The IROC-Z Costs In 2021
If the Camaro IROC-Z had been branded like a Ferrari classic in quantity and hype, it would have been seen as such and perhaps priced accordingly. General Motors sold a total of 180,018 Camaro IROC-Zs in 1985 alone at a starting price of around $8,300 for the base model. $11,000 was the average price for the Camaro IROC-Z in 1985. A little over 3,000 units were four-cylinder models, roughly 78,000 were V6 variants, and 98,000 came as V8 models.
If you were to purchase a Camaro IROC-Z in 2021 on an auction site, you'd be looking at paying somewhere in the range of $14,000 to $18,000. Although some may well stand above this price range, our research based on six top-rated car auction sites fitted well into this estimate.
Camaro Vs Mustang is a battle that is still very much alive. Though with many new brands vying for market share in the same space, the rivalry might not be as intense as it was in the early days of both brands. We must appreciate both cars and give due credit to the Camaro IROC-Z for the impressive but short-lived lead it gave General Motors in those days.