It`s so quick, so sporty looking, so much fun when the 225 horses gallop from the light. But Chevrolet`s IROC-Z Camaro is so expensive that it`s unaffordable for the young drivers who appreciate it most.
The `87 Camaro IROC we test drove had a base price of $13,588 and with typical options carried a sticker of $19,749, which means that many who want one will have to wait until they hit the used-car market in a couple of years. You can opt for a Mustang GT. What you lose in zero-to-60 power you gain by saving thousands of dollars. Chevy is going to try to rectify that in 1988 by adding more equipment to the base Camaro at a discount. If that doesn`t work, the `88 Cavalier Z-24 will undergo a major sheet metal change and gain a Z-24 GT model with some ground effects plastic to at least attract those who can`t afford an IROC to a Chevy.
You`ll see other changes in the Cavalier lineup, basically fewer models (7 for `88) to avoid the confusion of 13 versions.
Back to the IROC. It`s sad that the price will keep more buyers away. The IROC-Z is one heck of a car. The Goodyear Eagle GT unidirectional high- performance 16-inch tires hug the pavement. Special steering gear valving, tuned suspension and gas filled Delco/Bilstein shocks in the rear give you road holding and road feel without typical Camaro jostling and kidney punches. The suspension and ground effects plastic/louvered hood/rear spoiler gives just the sporty look to complement the optional 5.7-liter 225 h.p. V-8 in the car we test drove. Standard engine is a 5-liter carbureted V-8. A pair of tuned port injection V-8s are optional, a 5-liter for $745 and the 5.7- liter for $1,045.
Chevy expects to sell 50,000 IROCs in 1987, 12,000 with the 5.7-liter engine that boasts a 6.3 second zero-to-60-mile-an-hour sprint and a 14.5- second quarter-mile time.
