NJSteve's 1987 IROC Z28

[Xplantdad]

Howdy everybody!


Here is the 1987 IROC Z28 I recently found in my neighborhood. I have been jogging by this car for the past 5 years or so. It was 1.75 miles from my house. I would always use this car as the turnaround point in my jogging route. In all these years I never saw it move from the covered carport it had been sitting in. In the winter it would be covered with a car cover and in the summer it would just sit there, fading in the sun.


After all these years I finally got the inclination to stop and ask about the car. I knocked on the door and an elderly woman answered. I introduced myself as her neighbor down the street and asked about the car. She said it was her son-in-law’s and that he'd be back later that day. I left my name and number and waited. About three hours later I get a call and the owner invited me over the house. He thought it was a really weird coincidence since when I showed up earlier that day, he had been out getting copies made of a flyer he was going to put up offering the car for sale. I guess timing is everything We talked about the car for a while and he told me he was the second owner, having it since 1994 when he bought it from the original owner who still lived in the area. The majority of the paint is original on the car. After a while I offered him $3800 and he said he'd think on it and call me back. A day later he called and we ended up settling on $4000. Which I think is still a heck of bargain for any type of running car no matter what it is.


The first thing I did when I got it home was the rip out the cheesy woodgrain interior kit added by the original selling dealer and the hokey rear wing that was added by the original owner. I fixed a dent in the rear quarter and the rear wing holes in the trunk lid, replaced all the filters, brake hoses and brake linings and flushed out every fluid in the car. Oh, and I had to rip out the original mildewed carpet due to a grommet left out during a 1980’s stereo installation that let water in under the drivers side.


As for production numbers: In 1987 Chevy made 38,889 IROC Camaros. The carbureted 305 was the standard engine with a TPI 305 as an option in the Z28. A step up from there was the IROC, which was an option on the Z28.


The IROC had its own optional engine: 1987 was the first year for the Corvette L98 roller cam, Tuned Port Injection 350 in the IROC, which was the only Camaro you could get the 225 horse L98 in. It was a $1,045 option. Only 12,105 L98-powered IROCs were built of the 38,889 IROCs produced.
The color on this car is called Yellow Gold. It was a very rare color for the Camaro line in 1987, which was the last year for that color. Out of the 137,760 total Camaros built, only 3,052 were painted Yellow Gold. Unfortunately Chevrolet does not have the data to extrapolate how many Yellow L98 IROCs were built but one would guess that it has to be a pretty rare item.


The interesting thing about these cars is that GM of Canada still has the documentation on file that GM in the US doesn’t. Thanks to the assistance of members of this site, I was able to get in contact with them, pay the $40 US, and in a couple weeks had the full GM of Canada document package for my car What is interesting is that this car is one of the last 1987s produced. It was built on August 19th of 1987, and delivered to Bennett Chevrolet in Allentown, Pennsylvania in late August. 1987 was the last year of Norwood Camaro Production. The plant closed at the end of the 1987 model year.


This is a really neat car. I was never one for third generation Camaros since they are so common today but it sort of dawned on me when I first decided to get this car that it is 19 years old: When the first generation Camaros were 19 years old, they were all over the place too, available at a similar price. Now try to find a nice one for $4,000 Twenty years seems to be the magic mark for muscle car prices to start rising.


Anyway, I really get a kick out this car. It is ridiculously quick, and fast. It rides nice and everything works. Even with 120,000 miles on it, the horsepower rating of 225 seems to be very underrated. This would run circles around my old 350/300 horse Z11. If you ever get a chance to pick one up I would strongly recommend one, given the current market prices. It makes for a great parts chaser. And my kids like the T-Tops, too –they think it’s neat

[Rick H]

Nice car. I know of one just like it in my neck of the woods but unfortunately it's not for sale.....YET!

"The interesting thing about these cars is that GM of Canada still has the documentation on file that GM in the US doesn’t."

The US does have the info on file. They have most of the cars built after 1981. I got the vehicle invoice for a 1982 Pace Car. You can call the following number to get the invoice. All you need is the VIN. Ask for Stacy.

GM Media Archive - Vehicle Invoices
734-421-0273 ext. 107


Rick H.

[Z-11 396]

<<< STEVE >>>, ONE GREAT LOOKING CAR, GREAT STORY TO GO WITH IT,, YOU MUST HAVE PUT MORE MILES ON ''YOU'' THAN THE CAR DID.. ...KASEY

[firstgenaddict]

Really nice, I loved the powder yellow color from the moment it came out.
I had a burgundy and gold one in highschool and a good friend had a electric blue and gold L98 with the four wheel discs (I think that was standard with the L98??)
Boy oh boy the memories... they were fun cars with a chip, fuel pressure regualtor, throttle body, and some 1.6 roller rockers.

[njsteve]

It's kinda funny -everyone that sees it gives me the same "I had one of those IROC's back then" stories. Even the inspector at the motor vehicle inspection station walked away from the other inspection lane to come over and check it out. He had a white one back in the day.

[Xplantdad]

Steve,

Thanks so much for sending in the pics and the write up so that your cool IROC Z could be shared with everyone.

I also was a big fan of the yellow when those Z's came out.

[MosportGreen66]

Nice Iroc Steve! With the price of vintage muscle skyrocketing I would be at all surprised if these Iroc cars start commanding more money and attention...

clean ride!

[firstgenaddict]

Some are commanding pretty good dollars...
I have seen some low mileage low production cars bringing upwards of 25k lately.

[427TJ]

Good Lord, is that Butternut Yellow????

I graduated from college in '87 and went to USAF flight school in my brand-new Mustang LX 5.0. I was this close to going for the IROC but the LX was such a bargain. There were guys in my flight school class who had bought IROCs (and GTA Trans Ams and Supras etc.) and we would race all over the two-lanes of far west Texas. I was the only street racer in the class so I whupped those guys on a regular basis. I loved my LX but I always had a soft-spot for that IROC. Chevy finally got it right with those '85-'87 IROCs.

x 100!

[njsteve]

Chevy calls it "Yellow Gold" and it is a shade lighter than the old Daytona Yellow. It's hard to get a good photo of the color but it is rather bright. I always liked yellow cars dating back to when my brother had a Van Nuys-built Daytona Yellow 1969 SS396 Camaro back in high school.