With General Motors announcing that the 2024 model year would be the end of the run for the sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro, we’re going back in time to retrieve from our archives one of our all-time favorite photo shoots to tell an amazing story, to celebrate the Camaro’s history, and to pay homage to an American classic.
This 1986 Camaro IROC-Z convertible, with its original factory white paint finish and black custom cloth interior, is so rare that even knowledgeable Camaro fanatics consider it an urban legend. Only 82 IROC-Z convertibles were produced during the ’86 model year, and the whereabouts of most are unknown. This unrestored-original example is the fourth such white IROC-Z Camaro convertible produced in 1986 and resides in the small city of Fenton, Mich., northwest of “The Motor City.”
From its factory grease pencil paint marks to its 245/50VR-16 Goodyear Gatorback tires to each one of its belts and hoses, everything on the featured IROC-Z Camaro is factory-original and in pristine condition. With slightly more than just 3,200 miles on the odometer during the time of the photo-shoot, this IROC-Z has always been trailered to car shows by owner Dan Boratynski. At those shows, more than one judge over the years has asked Boratynski for documentation proving his Camaro IROC-Z was originally a convertible, because some judges don’t realize any such beast was built that way for Chevrolet in 1986.
I discovered this amazing ’86 IROC-Z convertible and met its owner at a Camaro Superfest National event in Ypsilanti, Mich., years ago. There, Boratynski was joined by his wife, Kathy, and their sons Matt and Mark.
The now-legendary IROC-Z Camaro was introduced to the public in 1985 as part of the third-generation Camaro line, and the 1986 model year represented the first time a Camaro was built as a convertible since 1969. Production of 1986 Camaro convertibles started late in the model year, so few people are aware they were built before 1987, when production ramped up.
With so much attention paid to first-generation Camaros from 1967 to 1969, and to their late-model 21st Century brethren, all of the “middle” second-, third- and fourth-generation Camaros often go overlooked. When introduced to the public on Jan. 14, 1982, the third-generation Camaro was a smashing success thanks to a squared-off design that was very much en vogue during the 1980s. Chevrolet had built 109,707 Camaros for the 1981 model year, the final model year for the second-generation design. Even with a late-season introduction, 148,649 new 1982 Camaros—all of the new hatchback “Sport Coupe” body configuration—were built, greatly surpassing 1981 model-year production figures. Some 175,004 Camaro Sport Coupes followed in 1983, the third-generation Camaro’s first full model year. For 1984, third-generation Camaro sales crossed the 200,000-car mark when 207,285 Camaro Sport Coupes were built. However, since the 1990s, third-generation Camaros have flown under the radar, and their historical significance in the automotive world seems to have gotten lost.
IROC-Z origins
It was in 1984, the first model year that third-generation Camaro production crossed the 200,000-car mark, that the seed for the IROC-Z Camaro was planted. That year, the International Race of Champions returned to the racing circuit after a three-year absence. Co-sponsored by Chevrolet, Anheuser-Busch, Goodyear and True Value Hardware, the races put a dozen of the world’s top drivers behind the wheel of identically prepared Camaro Z28s, according to the “Standard Catalog of Camaro.” (Identically equipped cars were used to emphasize a driver’s skill rather than the vehicle’s mechanical prowess.) The IROC racing series had begun in 1973 using Porsche Carrera RSRs, then switched to Camaros in 1975 for budgetary reasons. Camaros remained the car of choice through 1980, when the IROC races went on hiatus.
With heavy TV coverage, the return of the races for the 1984 season drew considerable attention to Camaro and paved the way for the soon-to-be IROC-Z production cars that debuted for 1985. That model year, the IROC-Z was sold to the public with features that were found on the Z28 Camaros that raced on the IROC circuit: foglamps; ground effects around the car’s perimeter, including a front air dam; ornamental hood louvers; IROC-Z door decals and rocker panel striping; special 16x8-inch aluminum five-spoke wheels; Delco/Bilstein rear shocks; special struts and springs; rear stabilizer; and reinforced front frame rails. Offered to the public on production IROC-Zs in 1985 were a choice of three 5.0-liter (305-cubic-inch) V-8s (regular carbureted, high-output carbureted or tuned-port fuel injection (TPI)). The two carbureted 305 V-8s were available with a five-speed manual transmission or four-speed automatic transmission, but the 305 V-8 with TPI was only available with the automatic. In total, 21,177 IROC-Z Camaro Sport Coupes were built for 1985.
Today, this rare, first-year IROC-Z convertible deserves more than a passing glance, as such vehicles kept the Camaro fire burning in the dark years following the first OPEC oil embargo, when “performance” was a dirty word. With the introduction during the 1985 model year and its IROC-inspired 305-cid V-8 available with fuel-injection, the IROC-Z was General Motors’ answer to Ford’s 5.0-liter fuel-injected Mustang. Fuel injection had found its way back into the American automobile industry, through, in part, these two high-performance pony cars.
The 1986 model also sports several unique features. The horizontal rear stop light on the spoiler, above the license plate, was newly mandatory, and only in 1986 was this size and style used. The McLaren convertible door molding was also unique to the 1986 Camaro Z28 and IROC-Z convertibles.
Life with an IROC-Z
Back in 1985, when 20-year-old Dan Boratynski convinced his mother to co-sign for a loan to purchase this soon-to-be legendary, high-performance ’80s muscle car, he wasn’t expecting that he’d be the owner of a vehicle so rare that he’d be asked for its documentation almost everywhere it appears.
“At 20 years old, all I’m thinking is, ‘Hey, I’m going to go out and tear up the town,’” he recalls. He added that, at the time he purchased the car, his father thought the car was a “total waste of money.” (Over the years, his father changed his mind.)
“It was the ’80s and things were much different then—you went cruising a lot more back then,” he recalls, “There was a local spot in town where everyone hung out, so that’s where I took the IROC. I was surprised, even then, at how many people would comment on the car or give me a thumbs up.”
Among the admirers was his future wife.
“Cool car,” he recalls her saying—words that Kathy admits with a laugh were just a ploy to start talking to a cute guy. Eventually, he’d completely win her over.
Two years later, in 1988, Boratynski and Kathy were married with the white IROC-Z convertible serving as their get-away car for the special day. By then, Boratynski realized just what a truly valuable vehicle he owned.
“Initially, we moved into an apartment and had no garage, so I paid for a storage unit and limited driving to perfect-weather days,” he says, adding with a mixture of gratitude, “It took a lot of support and understanding on Kathy’s part.”
An operating engineer, Boratynski supplemented his regular income by running a landscaping and snowplowing business on the side, working all hours of the day in his pursuit of his American dream of Camaro ownership—and retention.
When even a knowledgeable GM official insists that you must be mistaken about the model year of your car, you know you have something rare and valuable.
“He insisted the IROC had to be a 1987,” Boratynski recalls of his first conversation with this GM official."
“It wasn’t until I showed him all my original documentation that he realized the IROC was real and, reluctantly, agreed with the facts and believed me. He was amazed when I pulled out the window sticker, factory build sheet and letter from ASC. It was apparent this person was somewhat miffed that he didn’t know about this vehicle.”
Dropping the top
1986 was the first model year in which American Sunroof Corp. (ASC) partnered with Chevrolet to convert a very limited number of IROC-Z sport coupes into convertibles as an aftermarket project for a dealer consortium. The joint venture was such a success that GM contracted with ASC for a full production program starting with the 1987 model year. Some 744 Z28 convertibles were produced that year, according to the Camaro White Book, of which only a small percentage were produced as IROC-Zs.
The window sticker for Boratynski’s 1986 IROC-Z shows the car originated at GM’s Van Nuys, Calif., plant. A letter from Rod Edie in ASC’s program management department dated May 16, 2003, confirms that Boratynski is "the owner of production sequence number 4-of-82 convertibles produced during in 1986 at our Livonia, Michigan, production facility."
The car’s documentation, including its original build sheet showing Van Nuys production; the original window sticker from Marty Feldman Chevrolet in Novi, Mich.; and the previously mentioned latter from Rod Edie at ASC are all the evidence Boratynski needs to authenticate his IROC-Z convertible.
ASC was an automobile supplier of highly engineered and designed roof systems, body systems and other specialty-vehicle systems for the world’s automakers. The company was headquartered in Warren, Mich., and was one of several coachbuilders of convertible. ASC sold the assets to its Creative Services division in late 2016 to Roush Industries. In late June 2017, ASC effectively ceased operations, thus ending an era for the one-time leader in automobile sunroof and convertible top systems.
Today, ASC is remembered for bringing back the convertible during the 1980s—cars that, in turn, made memories for owners such as Dan Boratynski.
Picture-perfect photo-shoot
While writing the article on this 1986 Camaro IROC-Z convertible this past January, the reality of its rarity and the perfection of this photo-shoot experience really struck me.
Normally, this show car is trailered to events, but knowing what the IROC-Z means to Dan and Kathy Boratynski and their two sons, I suggested taking it US 23, not far from their home near the Motor City, for some car-to-car motion shots. Surprisingly, Dan agreed to meet at sunrise when the lighting would be just right and there would be minimal traffic.
We met at a roadside location, and I expected to see Dan roll in by himself. To my delight, the whole family showed up at the location with the convertible top down, even though it was a cold winter morning. I explained to Dan the process of sequencing and the positioning of me in the camera car and he with his family in the IROC-Z. We ended up driving a few miles north on US 23, then looped back south. Amazingly, Dan drove right into place, and with the cold wind blowing in our faces, we successfully pulled off the photo shoot. To this day, I still marvel at how well things turned out, even when recently looking at the photo-shoot portfolio. A great deal of planning went into the photo-shoot. It was cold, but fortunately the roads were snow- and salt-free. The area hadn’t received its first snowfall, so driving the IROC-Z on the local roads and the highway in January was low risk. Honestly, looking at the big picture, things couldn’t have fallen into place any better.
It’s the one and only time in 15-plus years that I’ve photographed an entire family nestled together in their heirloom, making motoring history. Most importantly, it was special how everyone put forth the effort and time to make memories that each of us will carry for the rest of our lives. It was truly an experience of a lifetime.
When I was given the assignment by editor Angelo Van Bogart to come up with a rare and unique Camaro for this issue of Old Cars, this 1986 IROC-Z convertible—with its rarity, family history and completely known lifetime—was my only choice. This car was a perfect fit, and I couldn’t think of a better Camaro to grace the cover of Old Cars magazine.
To Dan, Kathy, Matt and Mark, thanks for the opportunity to share your 1986 Camaro IROC-Z convertible and its amazing story with the Old Cars family!
If you love Camaros... Check out a few more articles of interest
SHOW US YOUR WHEELS!
If you’ve got an old car you love, we want to hear about it. Email us at oldcars@aimmedia.com
If you like stories like these and other classic car features, check out Old Cars magazine. CLICK HERE to subscribe.
Want a taste of Old Cars magazine first? Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter and get a FREE complimentary digital issue download of our print magazine.
