Camaros are certainly well-loved around these parts, even if they’re simply nice cars in six-cylinder automatic form. Z28s can almost start to seem commonplace after a while, so it’s good to look for the outliers – the really special cars – if you want to own a model that will continue to appreciate. One way to do that is to track down a 1LE Camaro, which was essentially a track-ready special built in limited numbers in the early 90s as a way to appease the SCCA and track day crowds. In Canada, the 1LE was built for the Players Special, a race series featuring drivers in identical Camaros and Firebirds going head to head with each other on the track. Despite being built in limited numbers, that didn’t stop one collector from acquiring 14 of these cars and listing them here on Autotrader.ca.
Supposedly, 388 Camaros and 109 Trans Am models were allocated for the Player’s Special series, so owning 14 of them is impressive considering the limited production. The listing is really for just one car, but it’s clear that the seller is attempting to market the whole shebang by way of showing off every car he has in the background of the photos. The 1LE cars were set up with upgraded suspension, stronger brakes, bigger roll bars, aluminum driveshaft, and a baffled fuel tank with dual pickups. Like most forms of showroom stock-style racing, no major upgrades were implemented under the hood.
The selling dealer claims they are a low-volume shop specializing in hobby and collector cars, and that they believe this is the largest collection of Player’s Challenge cars in existence. I wouldn’t dispute that, as the pool of contenders for that prize is incredibly small considering we’re talking about a Canada-only racing series that utilized a car already built in exceedingly low numbers. While I can recall seeing the Camaro 1LE pop up for sale on occasion in the U.S., the Trans Am version almost never does. If you’re a fan of factory sleepers, this is one of those cars that you recognize only comes up once in a blue moon.
The interiors of these cars didn’t exactly stand out, and I often wonder how many Camaro and Trans Am fans would even know they were staring at a 1LE if it drove past them. I’m not sure I would, either, unless I happened to look at it twice, quickly, and notice the rear spoiler and alloy wheels. Even better, if you enjoy track days and similar events, this is a collector car you can actually use as intended and not feel too badly about it. While the 1LE’s do carry a cost premium, they haven’t risen to the point that they’re best served sitting inside under a cover all day. While the seller’s $43,000 asking price for the one that’s listed for sale is high, it doesn’t seem completely absurd, either.
The white one looks cool.
A guy could buy a Camaro and throw a lot of aftermarket parts at it for way less than the ask. I googled Doug Beattie and couldn’t find anyone related to racing so have no idea who he is, not to say he isn’t important to the sport. It just seems like a lot of money for what you get.
The price is in Canadian dollars, I would think, so that’s about $31,660 in US dollars. Even so, I can think of other cars I would rather spend that money on.
Sounds like the Canadian version of IROC. I wonder how competitive they would for vintage racing…Road America, etc.
A 1991 1LE Z28 bid to $23.5k on Bring a Trailer earlier this year and it had 37,000 miles on it and it was perfect. And that’s on BaT, where everything seems to bid to at least 25% more than it would cost in the real world. You can get a nice 1LE of this vintage with low miles in the mid to high teens, particularly the later 1991-92 models.
So is this worth the premium over a “regular” 1LE? Well, I suppose in these times when people seem to have enough money lying around to spend 15k on a stripped down Mustang body shell that was supposedly a special race car, the price might be a little high but it’s not completely insane.
It is much rarer after all. The R7U option was offered from 1989-92. It differs from the standard 1LE in that it has a blueprinted 305, which can be identified by its yellow paint marks so race officials could detect tapering, and a special PROM chip for open exhaust. It had its own special struts, sway bars, shocks, and steering pump. Interestingly, it also had power windows, door locks, and mirrors, which you will not find on our Third Gen 1LEs.
Somewhere around 100 were made per year as this article points out. Unlike the regular 1LE, they weren’t available to the general public. You had to be on a team registered for the Players Series to buy one, and you could not get them in the U.S.
So the vast majority of R7Us were actually raced competitively and very few survive in decent shape today. By comparison, many people bought 1LEs and salted them away thinking they’d be worth a fortune later, which is why they’re so relatively cheap now!
Could not have said it better myself. Great explanation!!!
Drove a 1LE TransAm in 1991. Didn’t have AC and in south Alabama with a black interior, that was a no-go. However, it accelerated as hard as my 5.0 Mustang and handled like it was on rails. Listed for around $18,500 IIRC. Nonetheless, it was a fun drive.
The rear spoiler and alloy wheels were standard fare on the 1991-92 Z28 Camaros. There’s nothing visual to differentiate these 1LE cars from “regular” Z28s. The 1LE package was also available in earlier years on the IROC Camaro. I have a 1987 IROC with just over 21k miles with the window sticker and build sheet to prove it’s a legit 1LE car. Interestingly enough, mine is also a fully-loaded 4-speed automatic with T-tops (allegedly the 1LE only came in 5-speed form without T- tops). It came from Forbes Chevrolet in Camp Hill PA which was a huge dealership that had lots of “pull” with GM. Forbes also sold at least a dozen 5,7L, 5-speed convertible IROCs from 1988-1990 and according to the factory that combination was also “not available”.
Wow. You have one of one then because GM data shows the first 1LE did not come out until 1988, and only 4 were made that first year. No 1LE with t-tops was ever documented. It is well documented that the 1LE package was available with the L98 350.
My IROC was originally slated for export – it was purchased by an Australian through this dealership and was on its way to port when the import laws changed and converting it to RHD became cost-prohibitive. So the deal was cancelled and the car went back to the dealership. The car is completely loaded (BOSE, power antenna, power mirrors, locks & windows, T-tops, Rear window louvers, etc…) but is missing leather & a rear window defogger because the original buyer thought leather would get too hot in Australia and the defogger wasn’t necessary with the window louvers. The car is dark red with a grey deluxe cloth interior. My Dad was technically the second owner and I’m the third. I have every piece of documentation for the car (window sticker, build sheet, order form, etc…) and even have the original “Gatorback” tires that were replaced simply for safety reasons.
Amazing.You need to report this to the thirdgen.org history forum. This is a car nobody knew existed, until now.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/history-originality/730605-1le-facts-figures-number.html
A neighbor and good friend had a 91 1le some years back (and still has it) we did a few mild upgrades to the engine.. higher performance clutch kit..and IIRC 3.73 gears and slightly wider tires. He had it repainted chrome yellow. That was a hoss and seriously got attention (chic magnet😁👍) ahhhhhh memories
I have a ’93 1LE, one of 19 produced in Canada that year, one of two that came to the USA…For Sale
Over $70k spent on upgrades after initial purchase.
I commend the owner on taking care of these cars!! Any classic car owner knows the space and time it takes to keep cars looking new not to mention starting them and exercising them to keep the internal parts lubricated!!! The price may be a little high according to the other posts I’ve read!! (I really am not up on going prices for cars this new) but they all look in amazing condition!!!