1-of-250: 1992 Dodge Daytona IROC R/T
Dodge has applied the Daytona name to various models throughout its history, acknowledging the location’s importance in creating competition legends and the “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” philosophy that forms part of motorsport history and its marketing strategy. This 1992 Daytona isn’t any ordinary classic but is 1-of-250 examples of the IROC R/T produced during that model year. It presents well as an unrestored survivor, and I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Kiwie49 for spotting a rare beast that appears to need nothing but a new home.
The IROC R/T joined Dodge’s Daytona range for the 1992 model year, remaining on sale until production ended in 1993. Our feature car is a spotless survivor and is 1-of-115 ordered in striking Radiant Fire. Its exterior presentation is virtually impossible to fault, with the paint holding a mirror shine and the panels as straight as an arrow. The seller confirms it has never seen snow, and only rarely experienced rain. That makes its rust-free status unsurprising. The exterior plastic has avoided the cracks and deterioration that sometimes plague classics from this era, and the original alloy wheels are in as-new condition. The glass is crystal clear, and there is no evidence that the buyer will spend anything on this classic beyond the original purchase price.
Lifting the hood reveals what made the IROC R/T a giant killer. Dodge handed its 2.2-liter four to Lotus, who developed an excellent twin-cam cylinder head. Throw a turbocharger and intercooler into the mix, and the driver had 224hp and 217 ft/lbs of torque at their disposal. A five-speed close-ratio manual transmission was standard fare, as was power assistance for the steering and brakes. The figures tell the story with this classic because apart from the 1980s hot hatches, front-wheel drive was not considered the pinnacle of high performance. However, this car’s ability to cover the ¼-mile in 14.8 seconds on its way to 148mph was considered mighty impressive in 1992. The seller indicates this Daytona has a genuine 75,500 miles on the clock, and although they don’t indicate how it runs or drives, the use of the word “excellent” when describing the overall condition suggests the news should be positive.
Of the 250 IROC R/Ts ordered in 1992, only 61 buyers selected an interior featuring Dark Gray sports bucket seats. The new owner will also score air conditioning, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, an 8-way power driver’s seat, cruise control, a tilt wheel, and an Infinity AM/FM radio/cassette player. The overall interior presentation is impressive, with only light wear visible on the driver’s seat’s outer edge. It shows no evidence of developing holes, but those viewing this Daytona as a potential investment might add slipcovers to protect the upholstery from further wear. The carpet is spotless, and what is visible of the dash and console seems excellent.
The seller listed this 1992 Dodge Daytona IROC R/T here on Facebook Marketplace in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. It presents exceptionally well and appears to have no immediate needs or problems. Their price of $15,000 is above the market average, although the figure isn’t unprecedented. However, a search of recent successful sales shows an enormous spread in prices, making it challenging to determine whether these cars are a sound long-term investment. It will be interesting to gauge your feedback on the subject, or whether you view it purely as a car that will provide an entertaining driving and ownership experience.
Auctions Ending Soon
2002 Subaru Impreza WRXBid Now19 hours$333
1975 Chevrolet Corvette ConvertibleBid Now20 hours$4,000
1964 Ford F-100 Camper CustomBid Now21 hours$2,000
2006 Jeep Wrangler SportBid Now2 days$11,000
1974 Datsun 260ZBid Now4 days$750
Comments
Is that a cell phone in the sun visor?!?
Maybe that’s the thing that makes it 1 of 200.
Steve R
And 1 of 60 that year in red with a turbo and a manual.
It must have been scary to watch as the driver was dialing that cell phone!
I did list the 1of 200 incorrectly. It is 1 of 250
Owner
Yes.. very rare option. I never had a chance to try it out back then. Should of I was driving one these models back at a Dodge dealership. These were very fast off the line. But that damn tork steer. It wasn’t that bad compared to the early models. This one that’s for sale is in great condition. Wish the seller good luck. 🐻🇺🇸
OMFG, to me a Daytona is a winged warrior, not a FWD POS.
Yeh it’s turbo and lotus, but driving the wrong set of wheels.
I’ll give it points for it looks, and the interior.
But at the end of the day, it does not deserve to be called a Daytona (historical aspect).
Counterpoint:
The winged car’s full name was the Dodge Charger Daytona, and they only built 505 of them in one model year.
The FWD car was the Dodge Daytona, and it was built from ’84 to ’93, and they built 387 000 of them.
So, maybe it deserves the name Daytona more than the winged homologation special.
The original Daytona could win the Daytona 500, this can’t.
It’s like slapping “Shelby GT500” on a Mustang II, 2 completely different cars.
Never will understand the closed minded mentality against FWD
FWD uses mickey mouse(& too many) CV joints. & I’m also against independ rear suspension & ALL THOSE EXTRA mickey mouse CV joints back there – even on all 3 of today’s powerful pony cars(2 of them now discontinued) – i would not want to floor the gas pedal on those too often(if at all) – there’s a REASON why the dragstrip only Challenger(that you used to be able to buy) had a solid rear axle with just 2 heavy duty UNIVERSAL joints – just like the ’60s musclecars.
I’m not closed minded, I’ve owned several HiPo FWD’S.
I owned a TX5, that outrun a Brock Commodore from Newcastle to Brisbane, (Google both cars), and we were both trying.
My preference is for a V8 and RWD, at least you can use the torque in a RWD to help in the corners.
Both my current cars are V8 and RWD.
Call me a dinosaur if you want.
I’m the 2nd owner and the previous (original) owner is a freind. If I’m understanding your comment correctly you’re saying the wheels didn’t come on this car from the factory. I believe these to be the original factory wheels.
I believe what Aussie Dave is saying is that It’s the wrong set of wheels because the engine is driving the front wheels instead of the rear wheels.
Oh, and don’t forget about this Charger Daytona. One of my favs.
That thing looks like a magnum, which was only available in 78 and 79.
Not a Magnum.
The Magnum was a rename / redesign of the Dodge Charger, starting with the 1978 model year.
The Daytona was a package that could be added to the 1975 – 77 Charger.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Charger_Daytona
Or one of my Studebakers – they had the Daytona plate name first…..paced the Indy 500 in 1962…..
And, here’s the latest Daytona – an EV!
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a61818156/2024-dodge-charger-daytona-ev-pricing/
Dodge made some great FWD turbo blasters. The Neon was a real rocket.🏁
Not denying that at all, just calling this a Daytona.
Daytona is a city in Florida US and is home to a race track, not a type of car.
You are welcome.
I worked at the plant for Chrysler that made these. They were incredibly fast. I wanted to buy one, but any Dodge dealership wanted a $10k deposit just to order one at the time. So I ended up buying a second generation Dakota with a 5.2 V8. Still quick. And it lasted for 250k miles before I sold it to a farmer who probably still has it
Loved the 80s/90s Daytona back in the day (still do)! It’s great to see one so well preserved. I recall a lot of cool Daytona variants back then, from the Shelby Z to the C/S Competition and of course this IROC variant.
I love these obscure Dodge cars for being the right cars at the right time by bringing US manufacturers into the future of car building. 224hp was right up there with Chevy and Ford and helped Dodge prove they could still build performance cars. Along with the Charger and Omni GLHS’ they were and are cars to own as fun to drive and a real piece of US automotive history.
I liked the hidden headlights look of the previous years better, but with 220+ HP put of the 2.2, who cares?
Out of college with a couple years of earnings in my pocket I went looking for a new car. Totally wrote off Dodge Chrysler (and a few others) because of front wheel drive. Forget torque steer, although still annoying, it was what happened when the rear end gave out in a corner of a fwd car that scared the bejesus out of me. No throttle control, no drifting just a complete lack of control as I corrected counter corrected.
These were pretty good looking. I liked them as much as an IROC or Fox body but just not for me.
Broadly speaking that’s my opinion for most of the American car industry. The sweeping move to fwd platforms just shoved young buyers to “passionate driver brands” like BMW (which at the time was still more niche).
Saw the number of comments and hoped for some good stories. Nope, just carrying on about fwd and other descension.
What we have here is a rare and unique car from the red-headed step kids who flexed on the competition using the parts bin and a little ingenuity. This engine is comparable to the Pontiac R/A V in output and expense to repair. Don’t hate me, I’m just the messenger.
I owned a ’93 Black IROC R/T with red leather interior. It was stunning. It would rip the wheel out of your hands if you punched it coming out of a corner because of torque steer. When the planets were aligned it was wicked fast….and that is the problem- the planets were not often aligned. This motor was not ready for prime time and the dealers saw so few of these(between the IRO R/T and Spirit R/T) they didn’t really know how to work on them. Thanks goodness for the 7/70 warranty. After spending an entire summer in the shop because of a warped head(Chrysler was out of them and had to get more casted) I had to sell it. My parents demanded that I have a car that would make the drive from Buffalo to Cleveland reliably so I could visit them. I’ve owned a lot of cool cars since then but if I could have one back it would be that Daytona.
I had one of these, a 1993, red/red leather (1of4) with 50k miles. It was mint but mine had issues from having only 1k miles put on in the previous 20+ miles. The biggest one was mouse related, the car had become a regular mouse motel and boy it stunk. I pulled most of the interior out and cleaned and cleaned but I never got the entire smell out. My wife hated the car, the ride was rough and of course there was the subtle smell. She never liked the seats although I found the drivers seat to be super comfortable. I was able to get out my collection of great cassette tapes again but always had a fear of the Lotus head malfunctioning or the taillight getting smashed. It was sitting in my driveway one day and a car comes tearing in. The guy asks if it’s for sale and I replied that everything is. I threw a price out that more than covered what I had in it. He returned a few days later with the cash. I should miss it but I don’t, I had two summers of fun that was enough.
To JoeNYWF64
Totally agree with you on Independent rear suspension, I can punt a live axle thru corners, better than I can a RWD IRS vehicle, it’s about the “KNOW” vs the unknown.
Live rear wheel axle (LSD and no LSD) is preticable.
Same motor as the Spirit R/T. From what I recall, you had to be careful not to overheat them, cracked heads I think which nowadays, good luck finding a replacement.
With that said, I’ve longed for a Spirit R/T for years, and would love to have this car as well. Ahh, maybe when I retire.
Just Lowered the Price to $13700
I read an article in a car magazine in the early 80’s that said with the demise of the V8 because of the fuel crisis, the Dodge 4cyl. was going to become the new “small block Chevy”.