- A one-owner third-generation Camaro with less than 7k miles is up for sale for $34k.
- The 1987 Z28 got the optional Iroc-Z performance package and 5.0-liter TPI engine.
- Other desirable options include leather seats and a shorter 3.23 axle to boost response.
Finding a well-preserved 1980s pony car is no easy undertaking. Hair-metal-era muscle like the third-generation Chevy Camaro and Fox-body Mustang tended to live hard lives in the hands of people who enjoyed their performance potential. This beautiful ’87 IROC-Z is an exception to the rule.
Not only does the odometer show an incredibly low 6,575-mile (10,580 km) reading, but the car has been with the same owner since new. If you lusted after a Z28 in high school in the 1980s, or were lucky enough to own a brand new one back then, here’s a great opportunity to relive those times.
Related: Brand New 1990 Camaro IROC Z 1LE Hidden In A Basement For 35 Years
The IROC-Z was an option pack on the Z28 that arrived in 1985 to celebrate the Camaro’s role in the International Race of Champions during the 1970s and ’80s. Chassis upgrades included lower springs, new shocks and anti-roll bars, extra bracing and special 16-inch wheels. Going the IROC route also meant model-specific graphics and the option to swap the carb-fuelled 305-cu-in (5.0-liter) V8 for one with Corvette-style tuned port injection.
That’s what’s under this car’s hood, though by 1987 the LB9 TPI was no longer the ultimate factory Camaro engine because Chevy reintroduced the 350-cube (5.7-liter) V8 that year. The auto-only 350 made 225 hp (228 PS) although the 305 wasn’t far behind, pumping out 215 hp (218 PS) when hooked up to a five-speed manual.
Selecting the available four-speed auto, as this car’s first owner did, brought a milder cam that knocked the output back to 190 hp (193 PS), though this buyer did have the smarts to reclaim some performance by stumping for the G92 optional 3.23 rear axle to replace the standard, soporific 3.23 ratio.
He also shelled out for a set of Light Saddle leather seats, which unlike many Camaros of this vintage that have been passed between a dozen high-schoolers, look perfect, with no hot-rock burns or dubious stains. Hey, what goes on in high school stays in high school, mostly because we can’t remember what exactly did go on.
This Camaro is up for sale for $33,995 at Michigan-based Rev Up Motors. That might seem like strong money for a car that many of us remember being ten a penny not so long ago, but then you don’t find one in this kind of condition every day.
And the fact that the mileage is incredibly low, but not of the two- or three-digit kind, makes it more appealing than those unicorn Camaros that have seen absolutely no road action and never will. Because this is an investment-grade car that you could actually use now and again without stressing that every mile you add is knocking dollars of its value.
