1990 Camaro

More car for the money

Chevrolet's sales guide for 1990 put the RS on value. A new 3.1-liter V6 replaced the 2.8 as the RS Coupe's standard engine. It had the same bore but a longer stroke, taking displacement from 173 to 191 cubic inches, and was rated at 140 hp at 4,400 rpm. Tinted glass, pulse wipers, a tilt steering column and halogen headlamps, all options before, became standard on every Camaro. The RS also got the wheels that had been standard on the 1989 IROC-Z, painted to match the car in white, black, red or silver. A five-speed manual with overdrive was standard, and a four-speed automatic was optional.

An air bag and a new cabin

Every 1990 Camaro had a driver's-side air bag and knee bolsters, which brought a new steering wheel and instrument panel. Yellow gauge graphics replaced the old white ones for better legibility, and Scotchgard fabric protection was standard on the seats and door panels. Buyers could now order full leather seats. The optional Bose Gold sound system nearly doubled its output and got larger rear speakers. The compact disc player gained Delco LOC, a feature meant to make a stolen radio useless. Bright Red replaced Flame Red Metallic on the paint chart, and a red interior replaced Carmine.

The last IROC-Z

The IROC-Z's standard engine moved up to the Tuned Port 305, and a limited-slip differential became standard. The 5.7-liter Tuned Port 350 was now rated at 245 hp at 4,400 rpm and 345 lb-ft at 3,200 rpm. It came only in the IROC-Z Coupe with the automatic, a free-flowing dual-converter exhaust and a 3.23 axle. The IROC-Z Convertible came standard with 16-inch aluminum wheels, in silver or gold, on P245/50ZR16 Eagle GT+4 tires.

Chevrolet's Distribution Dispatch 90-06, dated August 29, 1989, revised the pre-introductory price schedule for 1990 passenger cars. Its G92 line without C60 lists $675 MSRP for four-wheel discs with special heavy-duty front brakes, an aluminum driveshaft and spare wheel, oil cooler, performance exhaust, special shocks and a fuel pickup/tank baffle, deleting the fog lamps. With C60 it lists $466 for four-wheel discs, oil cooler and performance exhaust. These are two configurations and suggested retail prices for model year 1990, despite the 1989 calendar date. The separate MVMA brake sheet, issued June 1989 for 1990, explicitly names optional RPO 1LE; the dispatch labels its price lines G92.

Chevrolet's September 1989 power-team matrix limits the IROC-Z Convertible to the single-exhaust LB9 with either the M39 five-speed or MD8 automatic, both rated at 210 hp and 285 lb-ft. The Coupe also offered the dual-exhaust MK6 LB9 at 230 hp and 300 lb-ft, or the automatic L98 at 245 hp and 345 lb-ft. The letters E–H below identify columns in that factory matrix; they are not VIN engine codes.

Who Chevrolet thought it was fighting

Chevrolet's own sales guide named the RS's rivals as the Dodge Daytona, Ford Mustang and Pontiac Firebird. It set the IROC-Z against the Mustang GT and Chrysler LeBaron GTC. It also warned dealers about newer imports and joint-venture cars, the Ford Probe GT, Honda Prelude and Toyota Celica. The guide described the typical buyer as someone who wanted a car for more than getting around.