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I can't find a lot of information on this particular "special" model Camaro. I've read that the past they had better suspension and such back in the day.
I was looking at a '97 1LE Z28 Camaro and was wondering how it compares to a regular '97 Z28 Camaro? Besides the fact they only made 45 that year.
In 1988, GM offered F-body owners more then just the standard Formula and T/A. It was selling race-ready F-bodies that were just an option box away. Coded "1LE", these specially ordered Firebirds and Camaros have come with everything from bigger brakes to aluminum driveshafts and special gas tanks. Most people are unsure about the early 88-89 1LE cars. No literature or road test really exists for them, at least nothing that explains the option. The reason 1LE cars exist is because of SCCA showroom stock racing. As the name implies, Showrrom Stock racing requires that all competing entries be absolute production cars. Natureally, GM wanted to widen its advantage over the competition, so to utilize items like bigger brakes and lighter driveline pieces on its race cars, it first needed to make them available on the production cars. It wasn't until 1990 that automotive magazines, dealerships and the general public really started to catch on to these cars. They started popping up in everything from Car and Driver to Popular Mechanics. The word had leaked out about these killer factory race cars and, suddenly, everybody wanted one. 4th gen 1LE info
The intro of the 4th gen F-bodies brought some change to the 1LE package. No longer was the option hidden beneath any other option codes. You could now simply order the 1LE package by itself. When doing so, you received the same aluminum driveshaft that was installed in the third-gen cars, much stiffer deCarbon shocks, and the same front and rear springs as the standard V8 F-body. Some of the parts that were no longer included with the 1LE package were the larger front disc brakes and the special gast tank. The new F-bodies now had standard front brakes that measured 11 inches. Unfortunately, you still had to delete A/C in order to get a 1LE, so sales remained failry low
At the end of 94, some minor changes were made on the 1LE. No longer was the larger 21mm rear sway bar necessary, because all 1LE cars now received increased-rate springs all around. In 95, only one change was made. They received the same radiator baffling used on A/C equipped cars to increase cooling. The changes made on the race ready option during the 96 model run were the most significant. For one thing, A/C now became standard on all cars, including the 1LE. Koni double adjustable shocks now also a pat of the 1LE package were a great upgrade. Also, in order to order a 1LE, you had to buy the WS6 option.
The only options required to order a 96-97 1LE car is the basic option group (1SA) and the WS6 performance package. You must also specify 6-speed only. Your remaining choices are limited to rear window defogger and/or a front licence plate bracket
Source: High Performance Pontiac.
thanks to 1LE by definition for the info
From what I read, doesn't seem like a big deal. Doesn't say anything about engine performance really. Just suspension and brake upgrades. Think I read somewhere about transmission gearing as well.
From what I read, doesn't seem like a big deal. Doesn't say anything about engine performance really. Just suspension and brake upgrades. Think I read somewhere about transmission gearing as well.
I belive the were justa factory race car they had no t-tops and no power optins so they would be stiffer and lighter from what I read they came stock with Package consisted of (G92 Ordered Without A/C) [Race Vehicle]:
Aluminum driveshaft (JG1) (part # 10085375)
G80 Differential with limited slip with 3.42 posi rear
G92 Rear axle performance package
Big front brakes adapted from the Corvette
Larger (11.86 inch) front rotors (part # 18016035)
Larger front spindles (part #'s 18016737 / 18016738)
Special swinging fuel pickup in gas tank and special 18 gallon baffled fuel tank for fuel pickup down to .5 gallon reserve to prevent fuel starvation in hard cornering
specific front and rear shock absorbers
Lower control arms (part # 10164151)
Special deflected disc shocks
Air conditioning delete (C41) (standard heater) (weight savings and better air flow to the radiator)
Fog lamp delete (to release the air intake located behind)
T-Tops delete
Power accessories delete
Aluminum spare wheel with smaller spare tire (N64)
A Few RARE ones came with special 16" x 8" light alloy mesh wheels (XWL)
From what I read, doesn't seem like a big deal. Doesn't say anything about engine performance really. Just suspension and brake upgrades. Think I read somewhere about transmission gearing as well.
I would look at a 98-02 Z28 or SS just for the LS1 pretty much all of the mods done to the suspension on the 1LE you can do via the aftermarket unless you are a car collector they are not worth the extra money plus a nice 97 SS with the 335HP LT4 would be a better investment IMO. plus with the huge after market for the LSx motors you can get plenty of power out of them with just a few bolt-ons and a nice set of heads and a decent cam
I would look at a 98-02 Z28 or SS just for the LS1 pretty much all of the mods done to the suspension on the 1LE you can do via the aftermarket unless you are a car collector they are not worth the extra money plus a nice 97 SS with the 335HP LT4 would be a better investment IMO. plus with the huge after market for the LSx motors you can get plenty of power out of them with just a few bolt-ons and a nice set of heads and a decent cam
Yea, I just saw this one that had only 64,000 miles on it and it looks brand new with the six speed. I had never heard of the 1LE honestly and wanted to get some more info. I would love a '97 SS/LT4 with the orange stripes and white wheels but it seems they are weee bit expensive.
As far as engine performance goes there isn't a difference and the transmission and gearing options are available to non-1LE cars with the G92 option. As discussed the main differences are brakes, Koni shocks, and bigger sway bars. Also they are sans t-tops and power options. If all that isn't important to you then just go find a clean Z28 and SS and get your power and leather options. They are however pretty rare, not that that will fetch much of a higher price for one in the next 10 years. I had a 96 Formula WS6 1LE, that was one of only 10 built in 96. Really wish I never sold that car.
If you had one fall into your lap that wasn't carrying a price premium, no big deal to pick it up. However, a run of the mill Z28 (T/A) or SS (WS6) is pretty much the same car. The 1LE never really performed any better than the other models and was more of a nod to performance heritage than anything legit. Besides, the main benefit were the shocks and brakes which have either already been changed or will need to be, so it's an easy upgrade to a regular car. The sway bar is nice, but I think the later model ones all had the same sway bar anyway.
Basically, don't sweat trying to find one and chances are that the lack of power windows and t-tops is a big deterrent to most buying them.
Lack of power windows in a 4th GEN = nice, but don't pay a premium for that car. No need to, really.
Spend that money on a shifter. Factory shifter = sloppy, to say the least.
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