A short story.

As luck would have it, I had a chance to drive a genuine 1989 1LE R7U car. I was helping a fellow setup his two cars at a local car show. One is a beautiful, full race prepared, “as raced” 1989 1LE R7U Camaro. The other is a low mile bone stock original unraced 1992 1LE R7U Camaro.

Getting the cars to the show, I had the chance to drive the 1989 there and the 1992 on the return trip. It must have been an interesting site to see to very clean thirdgens on a cool April day. It was quite a thrill for me to be able to enjoy a behind the wheel experience. Usually I am just doing the research or documenting of a car. Driving one is so much nicer! The only thing better would be taking it around a track!

Looking at both cars, the first thing you notice is that the 1989 race prepared car sits at least 3/4” lower than the stock car, yet they have the same springs! In talking with the racing teams, the springs tended to settle out after a few races. Also the teams could swap out the springs for other GM springs as long as they met the min. height restrictions. When you look up the springs in GM’s books, there are 5-6 different ones listed depending on what combination your car was (V6, V8, fully loaded, etc.). Most teams left the cars as-delivered.

Another thing you notice is the in-your-face decals on the race car. Ignoring the sponsors, you see the default “Players”, Good Year, Delco, CASC, Mohawk and Sun decals. There is no mistaking this car. The next thing you notice is a lot of “stuff” in the interior which is simply that you can’t see through the car’s windows due to the rollcage.

Getting into the race car in challenging, well at least for the first time. Opening the door you take notice of a shiny 70 chevelle SS chrome exhaust tip exiting just in front of the rear tire. Next you see the sea of bars you need to navigate through in order to place yourself in the highly bolstered racing seat. I tried a few approaches, but in the end, one leg goes in, then your butt, followed by your shoulders and head. Lastly you have to lift you leg and foot in over the door bar. Whew! Talk about a challenge. You next have to get use to the confined space in the car due to the roll cage. There is a door bar separating you from the door and arm rest. There is a full halo bar at your head level. And a full “X” in the rear. The 6 point bolt in roll cage is very tight to the car, but indeed “bolt in”.

The racing seat was a driver’s preference and had to meet the minimum weight requirements. This one as a high bolster seat and simpson 5 point harness. The seat and belts are new (and fully certified for today’s racing!). Luckily the factory seat belt is still there, so the car is legal to drive on the street (and more comfortable than the 5 point harness).

After I buckled in and closed the door I checked out the interior. It’s pretty much a stock Camaro without A/C yet still has power windows and power locks (power mirrors too!). Not bad for 1LE race car! Hey, there’s a radio too! The interior shows some signs of wear, but nothing major for a 20 year old car. And you know something … the glass looks original! Wow.

I put the car in neutral, pressed in the clutch and fired it up. The usual GM thirdgen growl, but a bit louder. The side exhaust was capped since we were in the local neighborhood. I was quite impressed with how tight the transmission was. It was not sloppy at all. Firm, and precise. All the gauge read correct.

Taking the car out was slow and careful. The roll cage really restricts what you can see. Using the visors is not even an option! Using the sideview mirrors requires imagination. And using the rearview is somewhat restricted. It is hard to imagine a 6foot tall person with a helmet sitting comfortably in this car … but he did. Also note the racing seat is mounted extra low compared to the stock seat.

Out on the main roads, I was able to open it up a bit. Very responsive for “just” a 305 TPI. The car still has the original racing PROM (which was suppose to be returned to GM!). The roll cage makes the car VERY ridged, but instead of a harsh ride, you can feel the suspension working when you hit a bump rather than just the harsh “thud” I’m use to in a thirdgen. The usual squeaks and groans aren’t there. I LIKE IT!
Even though this car was raced, the steering is still tight. The suspension is tight. Its very surprising as you expect a race car to be worn out.

The performance! Well yes, this car feels much stronger than a 305. You’d guess this was a 350. It pulls strong through the RPM range. I could not do all out racing with it, but the limited straight roads gave me some chance to experience it. I’m now looking forward to the unraced version for comparison. Oh yes, and the shift light is higher than the stock cars. :-)

So the car made it to the show intact and still clean (an no tickets!).

The Ride home!

For the return trip, I drove the unraced all original low mile 1992. This car is mint! Sitting in the car, there are no signs of wear. It looks like a brand new car. Getting in and out is a dream compared to the race car. I can see out the windows too! The only thing not stock on this car is the tires, which are Firestone Firehawks replaced back in 1995 (when all of us were replacing the Gatorbacks since we wore them out!).
Starting it up is quieter than the race car. A few more rattles and squeaks too. It feels like what I remembered a thirdgen feels like. Taking the car out on the main roads is typical thirdgen. Accelerating is good, but a bit of hesitation compared to the race car. It still pulls great for a 305, but there’s something missing in comparison.

This car is comfortable. It does not attract as much attention either. It’s just a very rare, very nice, clean example of third gen Camaros!

The cars did very well at the car show. Cleaned up in their classes. You just don’t see many thirdgens anymore, let alone the rarest of the rare.

Quite a thrill for a research junkie like me to actually drive the cars! Now … to get a race track to borrow for the day …

Mark.

 

sounds like a fun time any pics?

 

Great story... thanks for posting.

I once had the chance to take some laps around Road Atlanta with Jim Mattison in the blue 1992 Pontiac Trans Am 5.7L twin-turbo-Corvette IRS development mule.... and didn't do it.

How dumb was I?