AUCTION: 1994 Dodge Avenger IROC Race Car Cut-Away!
Comes With Fully Race Body As Well...
From 1974 to 2006, the International Race of Champions (IROC) pitted 12 of the best professional race car drivers in North America in identically-prepared stock cars prepped by a single crew of mechanics to make a series purely a test of driver ability. During its 29-years of competition (the series was not run in 1981, 1982, or 1983), only four manufacturers were featured in the series (Porsche, Chevrolet, Dodge, and Pontiac).
With Dodge pulling out of NASCAR in 1978, the lone independent team of Buddy Arrington using Chrysler bodied stock cars in the early 1980s was the only thing they could cheer for. After the Arrington Chrysler’s left the series in the mid-1980s, it wouldn’t be until 2001 that Dodge returned to the series. However, in 1990 Dodge would become the official race car of IROC with its Dodge Daytona.
The Daytona bodied stock car would run in the series until 1994 when it was replaced with the production Daytona’s replacement, the Dodge Avenger. The Avenger was built by Diamond Star Motors (DSM), a joint venture between Chrysler Corporation and Mitsubishi Motors, on a version of the Mitsubishi Galant platform (which also spawned the similar Mitsubishi Eclipse).
This awesome version of the IROC Dodge Avenger is a cutaway display car, which shows half of the car in its Avenger body and the other half being absent showing what is underneath. This display car will be crossing the Mecum Indy auction block on Saturday, May 21st.
Built on a Banjo Matthews-built tube frame (serial # BP9311R-8), the car comes with a 355 cubic-inch Dodge V8 engine (serial # 020) making 490 horsepower, 4-speed manual transmission with Hurst shifter, and a quick change rear end. Sold on a bill of sale, the car is not only being sold as a cutaway car but will come with a complete full body in white, a second dash, and superspeedway windows.
Last year, an IROC Avenger sold on the auction site Bring A Trailer. That car was raced from 1984 to 1995, using Camaro, Daytona, and Avenger bodies, and was assigned to drivers Derek Bell, Neil Bonnett, Geoff Brabham, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Juan Manuel Fangio II, A.J. Foyt, Harry Gant, Roberto Guerrero, Hurley Haywood, Gordon Johncock, Tom Kendall, Steve Kinser, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Jochen Mass, Scott Pruett, Bobby Rahal, Ken Schrader, Danny Sullivan, Al Unser Sr., Rusty Wallace, Darrell Waltrip, and Bob Wollek.
That car competed in 31 races and won twice (once at Darlington with Mark Martin in 1994, and the other with Dale Earnhardt at Talladega in 1995: both wins with Avenger bodies). It sold for $71,500 USD on February 18th, 2021.
This cutaway car is estimated to take between $100,000 to $120,000 USD when it crosses the auction block in Indy. To see more pictures, read more details, or bid on it, you can visit the dedicated Mecum auction page.
