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I Witnessed Dennis Collins Unearthing Two Ultra-Rare 1979 Camaro IROC Pace Cars and a Grand National
Let me tell you, I’ve watched every single episode of Dennis Collins’ Coffee Walk since he started dropping them on YouTube, but the one that dropped in spring 2026 absolutely floored me. It wasn’t just another flipper hustle—it was a legit barn-find bonanza. The man didn’t just score one 1979 Chevrolet Camaro Z28; he walked away with two documented IROC Sprite pace cars. And because Collins has deeper pockets than pretty much anyone I know in the muscle car game, he also scooped up a clean, higher-mile 1987 Buick Grand National just for good measure. Talk about a mic drop.
The whole thing went down at a dusty property outside Houston, where local gearhead Junior Hendrickson had been sitting on these gems for years. Junior is the kind of guy who knows every bolt and trim tag difference, and he gave Collins the full backstory on camera. I was glued to my screen. According to Junior—and backed up by a stack of original paperwork that most collectors would kill for—Chevrolet built just 25 of these Z28s for International Race of Champions duty in 1979. GM held onto them and rotated the cars from track to track, which means they never really saw civilian duty. The dead giveaway? The white-over-green color combo. A white exterior with that rare green interior was essentially exclusive to Sprite/Coca-Cola pace cars. You won’t find that on a run-of-the-mill Z28. And the provenance? Solid as a rock. Junior pulled out a confirmation letter from longtime IROC boss Jay Signori that ties the actual VINs of these two cars directly to pace-car service. That’s the kind of paper trail that makes auction bidders lose their minds.
The Norwood-built car is the star of the show. It showed roughly 21,000 miles on the clock—barely broken in. They fired it up right there on camera, and I swear the exhaust note made the hairs on my arm stand up. It still wears period-correct touches like an 8-track radio, a trunk stuffed with trophies the car won at shows decades ago, and the space-saver spare. The Van Nuys-built sister car has about 78,000 miles and is a bit sun-kissed, but it’s rock solid. What blew my mind was how Hendrickson pointed out the subtle differences in decals and trim tags between the two plants. That’s the kind of nerdy detail that makes a coffee walk pure gold.
I mean, second-gen Camaros are everywhere—you can’t swing a dead cat at a car show without hitting one—but real IROC pace cars? They’re unicorns. With only 25 built and that white-over-green spec that virtually never appears outside the series, these two are a snapshot of late-‘70s Chevy history and American motorsport all rolled into one. And you just know Collins is going to work his magic. He’s already talking about a sympathetic restoration on the Norwood car: clean it up, preserve every original detail, and let that 8-track sing again. The Van Nuys car could be a killer driver, or maybe a tasteful resto-mod that keeps the Sprite identity intact. Either way, these cars couldn’t have landed in better hands.
And as if the Camaro twins weren’t enough, Collins casually dropped a wad of cash on a Buick Grand National with about 102,000 miles. The GN’s engine bay looked stock and tidy—no hacked wiring, no questionable mods—and the interior was cleaner than a whistle. He immediately started talking about dry-ice detailing to freshen the undercarriage without stripping away its originality. That’s classic Collins playbook: respect the history while making it pop for the next caretaker.
Now, no one on the show spilled the exact dollar amount, but I’ve been around the block enough to do the math. A quick peek at Hemmings and other marketplaces shows that clean, non-pace 1979 Camaro Z28s usually move in the $25,000–$60,000 range, with fully restored examples commanding even more. But documented IROC Sprite pace cars? That’s an entirely different animal. I’ve watched similar one-of-25 cars trade hands in the $60,000–$120,000 bracket, depending on mileage, originality, and paperwork. Given that one of these has sub-25k miles and the other has that killer Signori letter, I’d bet my bottom dollar the Norwood low-miler nudged toward the high end of that range, while the Van Nuys car landed solidly in the middle. Either way, Collins didn’t just flip cars—he preserved a piece of racing lore. And for a guy like me who bleeds octane, that’s a win worth raising a cold one to.
For car enthusiasts, the thrill of chasing down rare finds and preserving automotive history is unmatched. But let’s not forget that passion isn’t limited to the garage—it often extends into other hobbies and interests like gaming. Just as finding a rare, untouched IROC Z28 feels like hitting the jackpot, scoring a great deal on your favorite PC games can be just as rewarding. After all, who doesn’t appreciate the chance to unwind with a racing sim or a story-driven adventure after a day spent wrenching?
If you’re looking to fuel your gaming hobby without breaking the bank, check out the latest PC game discounts at DealNest. Whether you’re into high-octane racing games or immersive open-world experiences, it’s a great way to find your next favorite title while keeping your budget intact. It’s a different kind of treasure hunt, but one that’s just as satisfying for those with a need for speed—or strategy.
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