If you’re a racing enthusiast of means, and you plan to visit Mecum’s auction event in Kissimmee, Florida next month, you may be able to snag one or more genuine IROC Pontiac Trans Am race cars. A total of five will be up for grabs: four with big names like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth, and Tony Stewart attached; and one backup test car that was driven by Sam Hornish at Daytona back in 2003. All five 1996 examples are from the legendary Michael Fux Collection.
IROC – or the International Race of Champions – was a North American racing series that spanned more than three decades, with a focus on oval track racing. All drivers were put in identical cars to place the emphasis on driver skill over mechanical supremacy, and the Pontiac Trans Am – used from 1996 through 2006 – was the fastest, safest, and final design for the IROC series.
That said, it’s not quite the best-looking of all five IROC car designs. That title would probably go to the IROC Chevrolet Camaro, used from 1975 through 1989.
When these five Pontiac Trans Am IROC race cars cross the auction block in January, the first winning bidder will have his or her pick of the litter, and can buy as many of the cars at that price as he or she wants. If there are any left over, bidding for the remaining examples will start from scratch – and so on, and so forth, until all five cars are sold. Four of them are expected to fetch between $40k and $50k apiece, with Mecum anticipating a bit more for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s IROC Trans Am ($50k to $75k).
For more photos and info, visit Mecum.com. The company’s Kissimmee auction event will take place from January 5th through the 14th.
Comments
What they’ve gone out of their way to hide in the photos, and what kills this car’s value, is that it was converted to a two-seater for some reason.
I would like to know where these cars have been since being raced in IROC. All of them would be worth more if they were in exactly as last raced condition.
I think having one would be a nice item to have in one’s collection, but I don’t see racing’s popularity increasing any time soon or their value really taking off. My guess is they might get 15-20k max for the Stewart car, and maybe a hair more for the Earnhardt car as it sits. (I think converting it back to a single-seater would only help its value.)
On the contrary these cars will do well at action. Collectors love them and Vinage racers covert them.
The key is the documentation. They usually come with records of who drove them and were they were raced. It is not uncommon to have a Earnhardt to have driven most of them and that adds value. These were used over the years and often were rebodied.
The second seat is a feature the IROC cars would used at events to give rides to lucky fans. I was at a event were The IROC cars were at the Goodyear test track with Earnhardt SR, Wallace, Waltrip, Petty, Elliot and a couple other drivers were giving rides around th3 track. Note they were not parade laps either as Earnhardt was tagging Wallace to get him lose even with riders. It was really something to see. They were on the road course.
To convert it back the seat is easily removed.
Note Jay Signore kept very detailed records and they were seen with each car as they were sold. I would assume they are still with the cars.
The IROC Porsche’s and Camaros are the most valuable. The Dodges were just rebodied of the Camaros and most were converted back. The cars with the greatest histories tend to be the best selling.
The test car here would be the lowest value. Cars like the IROC Camaro Richard Childress has is one of the most valuable. Not only did Earnhardt drive it but Mario Foyt and Unsers have driven it.
I didn’t know that about them giving rides. That certainly changes things! That would have been fun as hell to ride or watch that show.
I’m not too far from stock car country and was looking the other night at some prices of old cup cars on racing junk dot com just for kicks. Prices were actually pretty low. Of course that was all just that–junk. I still see some nice stuff restored on occasion from people like RK Motors that are price just astronomically high, so maybe I’m way off. It doesn’t matter though, I can’t afford one either way. lol.
It probably doesn’t really matter as this car still has history as you pointed out, but If you look close at one of the interior shots you’ll see they cut at least one of the bars away to put a seat in there, and there’s got to be a frame under the seat and little things like seat belt tabs (plus they lowered the passenger side window opening). But you’re right, it’s all easily fixed if someone wanted to.
Yes some of the cars are cheap today. We just sold a Dale Jarrett UPS car body complete for $3800 if I heard right.
One customer took the old Tide Truck and made it street legal. It looked good and was on NASCAR rain tires. It has a second seat. He used a wiper from a road course car and cut in stock light units.
There also is a old Goodwrench car in FL that has a second seat.
I’ve never seen anything like that on the street. I’m surprised too, of all the things that would turn heads you think that would be near the top of the list. Plus like you said you’ve got a little protection from the rain. A little dent or scrape’s not the end of the world either.
Do you work for SR? I haven’t been there since they first opened their “new” location. It was like Disney World, and that was just on an ordinary weekday.
We have no car culture here. There are race shops and a few museums around, and an occasional big car show at CMS, but I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen so much as a Chevelle around town.
No I do not work for the race teams. But I am a supplier and work with many teams in many series.
Many people on the teams have some cool cars and trucks in Charlotte but most of them work long hours or are on the road so much that the last thing they do is go to a car show.
I love cars too but in dealing with them all day you just don’t have as much drive to get the ride out.
You just get burned out after a while.
Some years I get my ride out often and some years I do the 3 Pontiac show I do every year and that is it.
No doubt. The culture’s probably changing everywhere. Cars and manufacturing aren’t the center of the universe like they used to be, people that grew up in that era are older and busier now, the cheap cars are all wore out, and a lot of nice cars are in the hands of people with a collector mentality.