1974 Chevrolet Camaro IROC Race Car Coupe

The International Race of Champions, known as IROC, was created by Roger Penske, Les Richter, and Mike Phelps. The first races were held in 1973 with the twelve entrants driving Porsches RSR 3-liter racers competing in a four-race series. Three of the races were at Riverside and one was at Daytona. The twelve entrants were some of the greatest racers of their time from four major branches - Formula One, USAC, NASCAR, and SCCA.

The first IROC I race was at Riverside International Raceway in California on October 27, 1973. The race was 76.2 miles long with the average speed being 101 MPH. The famous Mark Donohue led all 30 laps and took the checkered flag. Mark went on to win three of the four races during the first year of IROC racing.

Due to the high costs associated with building and maintaining the Porsches, the Chevrolet Camaro was used during the second season and continued through 1980 when the league decided to take a break. In 1984, the league returned and once again featured the Chevrolet Camaro. In 1989, due to the high costs associated with sponsoring the event, Chevrolet decided not to renew their contract with IROC. This meant that their IROC series of Camaro's were unable to be produced anymore.

The black number seven 1974 Chevrolet Camaro IROC Race Car was offered for sale at the 2006 RM Auction in Monterey, California where it was expected to sell for between $100,000-$150,000. It was offered without reserve. Driven by Bobby Allison, Bobby Unser, and Emerson Fittipaldi drove this vehicle and never lost a race while behind the wheel. This vehicle was never defeated. It is thought that the vehicle was a Penske/Donohue prototype car. It was dubbed 'lucky number seven' due to its very prestigious accomplishments on the racing circuit.

Since then, the vehicle has undergone a complete nut-and-bolt restoration. It was fitted with new fenders and body panels. It is powered by a 336 cubic-inch V8 small-block engine that was rebuilt by Dusty Rhodes Custom Racing Engines and fitted with Venolia pistons and a Delta crank. It is capable of producing 400 horsepower which it sends to the rear wheels through a Muncie four-speed manual gearbox. It has a Holman and Moody nine-inch rear end.

It is believed that only four of the original fifteen Camaro IROC racers exist in modern times. This helped inspire interest in the vehicle at the RM Auction, where bidding reached a high of $121,000.

In 2008, the car was brought back to RM's 'Sport & Classics of Monterey', where it was estimated to sell for $100,000 - $135,000. The lot was sold for $105,600, including the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2009