"Rear-wheel drive, manual, V8 — this is perfection. Why did we progress beyond this? I have no idea." The hosts of the popular YouTube channel TheStraightPipes recently published a video review of a restored 1989 Camaro IROC-Z, and if you love the third-gen Camaro, it's sure to put a smile on your face. These two men are reliving the moment of realizing how much fun a classic IROC-Z can be, especially with a little restoration and a few tasteful mods.
A Look Back at the IROC-Z
"A blue IROC-Z was the first car that I saw and was like, 'I need to love cars for the rest of my life.' My dad's friend had one, so this is extra special to me," recalled Yuri, one of the two creators behind TheStraightPipes.
Above: These are the faces of two people who just remembered how much fun they can have with a classic Camaro, even with only 230 horsepower.
We love to hear stories like this from younger classic car enthusiasts — Yuri is 40, so a bit too young to remember the late 1980s when the IROC's popularity was at its peak. Nevertheless, he clearly fell in love with this GM icon from that era.
Above: As a teenager, Yuri owned this '83 Camaro Sport Coupe, which was repainted an unusual shade of lime green. Jakub picked its rival, a Fox body Mustang, as friends often do.
The review begins with some first impressions on the road. Even with the smaller 305ci V8, Yuri and Jakub are clearly having a blast, thanks in part to the fact that this car has a manual transmission to make the drive more visceral. It also has a performance chip and Magnaflow exhaust for a bit of extra horsepower.
The duo then talk about the origins of the IROC-Z name, inspired by the International Race of Champions, and how the name eventually changed back to Z28 when GM's involvement in the IROC series ended.
They also discuss some of the year-to-year and trim level changes, such as the standard tail light assembly with black horizontal stripes versus "those cool grid tail lights" featured on IROC and RS models.
The video even features this photo of our OER Camaro tail lamps to illustrate the differences:
Yuri notes several things he likes about the car, from the handling and shifter feel to the carpeted door panels and motorized Deluxe Hatch Pull-Down. He also points out common problems these cars experienced, like broken inner door handles and the infamous cracked dash pad.
With over 1.8 million subscribers, the TSP team has access to drive almost anything they want, so it's great to see them showing love to the humble third-gen Camaro. Check out the full episode below:
Looking for Camaro Restoration Parts?
If you own a classic 1967-2002 Camaro, Classic Industries has the restoration and performance parts you need to build your dream car. Our catalog contains thousands of parts for the Camaro, including Z28 and IROC-Z models. Click the button below to browse our selection of Camaro parts now:
