Trans Am GTA vs Camaro IROC-Z: One GM V8, Three Horsepower Ratings

In August 1987, Motor Trend timed the Camaro IROC-Z and the Pontiac Trans Am GTA against the Corvette: same GM V8, three horsepower ratings. The Camaro tied the Corvette to 60 for $12,781 less. This is the story of GM selling one F-body twice, 1987–1989: the Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z against the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA, with the Corvette C4 watching from the top shelf. Iron heads, no manual gearbox, and a rear axle Chevrolet chose to undo its own work. In this episode: • Where the IROC name and the GTA came from • The 350 TPI V8 shared with the Corvette, and why Pontiac, Chevrolet and the Corvette each rated it differently • Motor Trend, August 1987: three GM cars and a Ford Mustang GT at the Transportation Research Center in Ohio • 1988: Popular Hot Rodding's test, a 2.77 rear axle and a full second • Motor Trend's radar-gun top speed shootout and the 1989 updates • Did GM hold the F-bodies back to protect the Corvette? What is documented, and what is not • What an IROC-Z, a GTA and a C4 Corvette are worth today, and what to check before you buy Collector market: Hagerty's October 2026 price guide values a 1988 IROC-Z 350 in excellent condition at around $44,600, a 1988 Trans Am GTA at around $30,000 and a 1988 Corvette coupe at around $18,700. A 1987 IROC-Z 350 with 729 miles sold for $64,575 on Bring a Trailer in June 2022; a 1989 GTA with about 9,000 miles sold for $44,100 in September 2026. Chapters: 0:00 Three GM cars, one test track in Ohio 0:58 One F-body, two divisions 1:50 The GTA's unlikely origin 2:49 The Corvette's 350, with iron heads 4:58 What the GTA money bought 5:52 Motor Trend, August 1987 7:22 The Ford in the room 9:47 1988: Chevrolet's own goal 10:57 Radar guns in Arizona 11:48 1989: more power, still no manual 13:52 Did GM protect the Corvette? 14:57 What they're worth today 16:49 The final scoreboard Main sources: • Motor Trend: June 1987, August 1987 (GTA, IROC-Z, Corvette, Mustang GT, Grand National), July 1988, September 1988 "Top-Speed 10", November 1989 "Bang for the Buck" • Popular Hot Rodding, May 1988 (GTA vs IROC-Z 350 vs Mustang GT) • Hot Rod, August 1987 · Automobile, May 1987 · Car Craft, July 1989 · Popular Mechanics, September 1989 and January 1990 • Pontiac brochures 1987–1989 and option selector; Chevrolet Camaro 1988 and Full Line 1989 brochures • GM option and production records via GTA Source Page, 3rdgenformula.com, thirdgen.org and the Standard Catalog of American Cars • Hagerty Price Guide (October 2026) and Hagerty market reports; Bring a Trailer and Barrett-Jackson auction results Images in this video are AI-generated illustrations based on period photographs; they are not archive footage. Period magazine pages are shown as cited sources. Every fact in the narration is checked against the sources above. Spotted a mistake? Tell us in the comments. Watch the series: 80s American Performance Legends →    • 80s American Performance Legends (Official...   Subscribe for weekly documentaries on American muscle and performance cars from Car Chronicles. #IROCZ #TransAmGTA #ThirdGenCamaro