When you say IROC, a Chevy Camaro is the first car to come to mind.  IROC-Z Camaros were the rage in the eighties, and everyone wanted one.  Nothing, however, lasts forever.  After Chevy withdrew sponsorship from the International Race of Champions series Dodge stepped up.  This 1991 Dodge Daytona IROC for sale on craigslist out of Columbus, Ohio was one of the fruits of that partnership.  With a V6 and a Getrag five-speed manual driving the front wheels, is this minty Daytona worth the $8,700 asking price?  Is this rare beast, revealed to us by reader T.J., the perfect ride for the next Radwood event?

For some of our younger readers, an explanation of the IROC series is in order.  IROC stands for International Race of Champions, and the idea was to get the top drivers from different racing series together to see just who the best driver was.  At least that was the concept.  In reality, the series accomplished a lot for a relatively low cost.  Drivers from many different racing series were given relatively equal cars to race in short races that usually preceded major racing events.  Hagerty has a good write-up about the many types of cars that were used over the lifetime of the series.  The series went out of business in 2006 with the cars and equipment being auctioned off after a long period filled with the hope of a resurgence.  The closest thing since has been Ray Evernham’s SRX Series.

Dodge took its turn as the title sponsor using the Dodge Daytona from 1990-1993 and the Dodge Avenger from 1994-1995.  While the street version of the Daytona IROC was a front-wheel drive car, the racing versions were basically re-skinned versions of the previous IROC race cars with 355 cubic inch Mopar V-8 engines under the hood.  It is a shame that Dodge didn’t insist on actually using street cars modified for racing.  IROC did this earlier, most notably with Porsche 911s, and given the intense level of competition between the drivers, it might have been a hoot to watch.  After all, the drivers didn’t care if they wrecked a car that didn’t belong to them personally or a team owner and it wasn’t like any of the racers in the series was content with losing.

When it came time to capitalize on making a street version, Dodge didn’t have Chevrolet’s marketing success with the Daytona IROC.  Very few were actually made.  The Daytona was on its last restyle, and it never really was a huge sales success in the first place.  Despite being quick for its day, it never really gained parity with the Ford Mustang or Chevrolet Camaro.  Still, Dodge offered the car with a 3.0-liter V6 engine as standard, and a dual overhead cam turbocharged and intercooled four-cylinder putting out 224 horsepower was optional.  Backing these engines was a Getrag five-speed manual transmission.

The car we see here left the factory with the 3.0-liter V-6.  While not the rocketship that the turbo four was, the V-6 had a reputation for being much smoother running and more suitable for everyday driving.  With 87,000 miles on the odometer, this Daytona has obviously been well taken care of.  The red interior seems to have no fading and there are no obvious signs of abuse.  It would be safe to assume that this car has been a pampered garage queen for someone for quite some time.  The seller also tells us that a number of items have been replaced and the car has received all necessary servicing.  It is ready to roll.

With few Dodge Daytonas still on the road, much less IROC Daytonas, this car would be a fantastic entry at a Radwood meet.  These shows specialize in showing off the eighties and nineties vehicles.  People even show up in the fashions of the day.  Some even bring boom boxes. This rare white Daytona would be a standout in that arena. This Daytona is a neat reminder of a racing series that put the best drivers together on the track and put fans in the seats of fun road-going replicas of the race cars.