Here’s how the Pontiac Fiero was one hot sports car, but not in a good way
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In this episode I provide the history of the Pontiac Fiero, which was GM's first mid-engined two-seater, and its first car to have a steel space frame with composite plastic body panels. Despite its very un-sporty 92 horsepower Iron Duke four-cylinder engine, it was a huge sales hit when it launched for the 1984 model year. But was soon plagued with reports of engine fires, which led to multiple recalls. A V6 was offered for 1985, and the source of the fire problem was resolved, but sales were down by nearly 50% that year. Despite a new fastback GT model in 1986, and a much improved suspension and steering design for 1988, sales had dropped so much that GM pulled the plug that year.
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Almost 40 years later and that car is still gorgeous. Imagine a current manufacturer putting out an affordable mid engine sports car with exotic looks? Right? Crazy.
Thwt somewhat exists, the C8 Corvette
@@joeyrodriguez1290 the C8 is expensive at best, unobtainable at worst. The closest to a modern affordable mid engined sports car was the Toyota MRS/MR2 Spider.
@@damilolaakanni the C8 barely costs more than a GMC Yukon
Chevy and Pontiac were born to compete.
@@joeyrodriguez1290 Yes… that is true. It also draws attention to the thoroughly insane and unwarranted prices of pickup trucks.
You could do a series of GM cars like this called "Almost Great." If you could ever find out what underpins the decision making process at GM, it would be like mapping the human genome. So many stories told by the teams that developed these cars seem to carry the common element "it was supposed to be so much better than it was."
Absolutely agree.
"it was supposed to be so much better than it was."
Then the bean counters ruined everything!
I love it ! I don't have a horse in the race, but I WANTED the Fiero to be a hit so badly. It could've been a classic like the Mazda Miata, but as ALWAYS, some GM guy screws it up by making it underpowered. "Almost Great" is such a great idea.
@@genericsomething SO true !!!! Leave it to NON car people to ruin it.
Automotive blueballs. Fiero is one of the higher profile cases but yeah GM beancounters have ruined countless car lines with little blame left for engineering and marketing folks
My best friend had one of these when we were young. He passed over the chance to get a 71 Firebird to get it. He kept it for about 12 years before he sold it. Seeing this brings back some great memories.
Keep up the great work on these videos. Enjoying the trips down memory lane.
Should have got the firebird....
I still want an 88 GT with a manual transmission, I loved that car as a kid.
A childhood icon!!!!!! Pontiac teamed with Hall & Oates for the Fiero's release. There was a promo cassette with their greatest hits on it which featured both Daryl & John standing next to a bright red Fiero SE, & their Big Bam Boom tour of 1984-85 was sponsored by the Fiero. Fieros were also on display at their concerts that year.
"You're Out Of Touch!"
"I'm Out Of Time!", @@richsackett3423
Did they have a 12" mix version of She's A Maneater w/a burning Fiero on the cover?
I was in highschool and don't remember that, but that had to be the most 80's thing that ever 80's. Only if the Fiero could have been in Back to the Future, that would have been Mega 80's and the space time continueum would have torn.
That's hilarious. I was a teen in the 80s and remember the Fiero well but I don't remember that.
I can just imagine Darryl Hall with his huge hair standing in semi-shadow talking about the Fiero sitting in the background with a spot light on it.
I have to look that up now!
Great episode. To clear up a misconception; the Iron Duke in other GM cars had a 4 quart oil pan---in the Fiero, it really was only 3 quarts. And that's where the broken rods came from. If the engine was only half a quart low on oil, that left just 2.5 quarts in the engine.....which was not enough.
I owned a new iron duke model, but would top up the oil when it went down only a 1/4. Got lucky there.
As a scrapyard worker in the 90’s, there were 2 vehicles I hated to see. The Fiero and VW bus. I had to get the fuel tanks out before they were crushed. Both took forever!
It's ironic that the guy who wanted to build a competitor against Corvette, had to wait 2 decades to build it, and 4 decades later, the Corvette became a mid engine car.
Agree. It sounds like just another GM story.
Duntov wanted a mid engine Corvette when he designed the Mako Shark but GM wouldn't do it.
The current corvette looks a lot like a Ferrari
FUNNY How the Corvette guys hated the mid engine car when it was a Pontiac, but loved the idea when it was their own.
I still love my 1988 Fiero GT. Loved it with the 2.8 and now I love it even more with a 3800 Supercharged L67 I shoehorned into it 5 years ago.. When I take it to car shows I always get the " My Moms, Brothers Uncles, Best Friends Neighbors, Pool Guys, Bro inlaw had one that Caught Fire and burned the lower peninsula down" comments at almost every show. I always say mines burned down 10 times and I just keep rebuilding it. I usually get the Open mouthed dumbfounded look from them..
I've burned to death at least four times in the ones I had.
Dude, if I saw one of these at a car show I would be showering you with praise. Pretty damn rare sight and they look fantastic. Thing must be an insane beast with that swap!
I have an 88' Supra myself, just an auto NA, stock. I've spent about 11K since I got her last year just switching to custom LED and upgrading everything. It's ALMOST finally a real show car, but I have had a blast the few I have taken her to.
Any 80's GT/sports cars are amazing to me when they are very clean.
🤣😂😂
That’s funny because I’m into vintage VW’s and it’s exactly the same. Everyone had a story or knows of one that burned down lol
The Fiero got an undeserved bad rep. When they finally got the bugs worked out, it was a brilliant little car. The V-6/5 speed cars were, truly, a poor man's Ferrari. Best part is, the Supercharged Buick 3800 V-6 is actually a pretty simple swap.
You'll need t swap the tranny and do a rear end upgrade too. Many people have done this swap, updating the ECM to pass emissions is tough, but we don't have emission testing in FL. :))
I've seen the SC3800 swaps on the Tube' and they look fun. Has anyone documented a Buck Grand National turbo swap? Can it even be done? TIA.
I've had it with GM. Never again. My last GM was a cobalt. Do I need to elaborate? My wife had a Fiero. Fun to drive until you reached the end of it's capabilities. It would let go in a turn without warning. Up to that point it was glued to the ground.
The Ferraris back then were basically poor man’s Ferraris compared to today
The getrag is not as stout as the M4 transmitions but both hold up to the 3.8sc just fine. The automatic requires using donor cars trans and axel tubes. Simply swapping the the computer and engine harness with the donor cars will take care of the emictions and allow custom tune. Antique vehicles are exempt here. It is near impossible to loose traction in a turn but when you do they 4 wheel drift. I have a v6 formula and a gt with the common 3.8sc upgrade. Two people have the the grand national turbo upgrade, one with the Cadillac V8 and one with an LS in the local Fierro club.
I really liked the Fiero & I think that if it started out with the quality of the 88 model it would have been a big success!!! Thanks for sharing the history of the Pontiac Fiero!!! 👍👍🙂
I agree100%!
My first car was a 1987 Fiero GT! It was the white and grey fastback model. Unfortunately, I had to get rid of it because I needed something practical. Still, it was a fun car to drive nonetheless.
My 1986 V6 Fiero was my first car. Cooler than most cars at school, and that 2.8L actually sounded really good.
Boy I drove a red 1995 Plymouth Neon Highline to high school in the early 2000s.
I had an '87 and straight piped the 2.8.... It sounded awesome.
lol, that would be cooler than almost ANY car at school. Though I wouldn't think most kids would have the money or space to make an 80's collector's car be practical.
@@rushnerd well at the time we paid $1000 to a widow for it. Neighbor directly across the street. 28k miles I think. I wonder what it'd be worth now?
Thank you for honoring my request! A friend of the family owned one of the later model GTs. He drove it so fast on a curvy back road in Alabama one night, he launched off a shoulder, landed atop a house's sheet meta roof, rolled across, and fell to the ground. He survived. I'm not sure about the roof or car.
The iron Duke was a slow heavy 4 banger but it ran forever I still got a 1985 s10 original owner it has 700k miles .It mainly sits out in a field these days though but still runs
A great candidate to get replaced with an Supercharged 2.0l Ecotec or Quad 4.
One of my sisters bought one. After awhile it needed a new clutch-our local mechanic actually said it was a pretty easy job even though he had to pull the motor. It was immensely fun to drive with the manual transmission and handled very well. What surprised us was how good it did during winters here in Missouri-the rear engine and rear wheel drive made it plow through snow.
The best fun fact about the Fiero is that it was the last body on frame car from GM. Also, after the engine woes of the first wave, GM was still weary even after including the V6, so 85 onwards, the engine mount and bolt patterns can fit many more of GMs engines than just the 4 and 6 cyl. You can drop a Northstar V8 in a Fiero with minimal work. LS will go straight in. This is why they are so sought after today for kit car starter platforms.
Last body on frame cars were 1996 Caprice, Impala, Roadmaster, Custom Cruiser, and Fleetwood. Those were the B-body and D-body cars.
No if the Northstar’s heads are already water as in many.
@@roboticjunky
Came here to say this
it was a space frame
Drop a Northstar with minimal work? Have you ever put one of those engines on a Fiero? If you had said a Buick 3800 you might be right, but a Northstar is a nightmare. It's easier to put a VW VR6, Saab 2.8, and even a Land Rover (AKA Buick) 4.6 on them.
The Fiero was such a great car. The first few hundred that caught fire ruined its reputation and it couldn’t recover. I’ve always wanted an 88’ Formula or GT.
I had an '88 GT with double the horsepower out of the original V6.
I guess it’s a blessing in disguise?
Supply meets demand; low production numbers and a high number of people 40 years later who want them and only a limited amount life.
Price on these cars are going to sky rocket, especially 1988 GT model
They are still around here and there if you're looking. I'd honestly like to get one and either do a 2.0 swap from a Cobalt SS or maybe even a 3800 SC swap. Give the car the power it should have had from factory. Awesome vid as always!
U can actually drop a baby ls in it. There a kit that gives u the mounts for it and it just drops in. And adapter for the transmission to and it will run and drive just fine. We did on my brother's, and it took one weekend. Now its reliable and low risk of fire. Just had to upgrade cooling fan and radiators.
3.8 sc is better, the power to weight ratio makes this thing fly
@@thegreatkrimpus6139 but the LS gives you reliability
its a great car to stuff a 3800 supercharged into. i love the 3800 supercharged, and i still have a 03 bonneville SSEi that i plan on keeping around
@@imcrazyforwar the 3800 is plenty reliable. probably GM's best V6 they ever produced.
I greatly enjoyed this video. I was 16 when the Fiero arrived at dealerships and 18 when the Fiero GT arrived. I pulled up to a Pontiac dealership in my 1983 Mustang GT 5.0 and test drove a 1986 Fiero GT. I loved everything about it except the performance. It had a 4 speed manual while my Mustang had a 5 speed. It had a fuel injected V6 making 140 horsepower while I had swapped the stock carburetor out of my Mustang for a Holley Double Pumper (gasoline was $0.85 cents back then). I usually rode in my Mustang with either my girlfriend or only one friend, so only 2 seats wasn’t too much of an issue for me. The bottom line was that back then, the Fiero was a hard no buy for me. However, today, I’d love to find a 2M4 with the 2.5 and a 5 speed with the giant removable sunroof. I don’t drive like a maniac anymore.
If I had the time and money I would love to find a 88 GT in good shape and drop a SC3800 in it with 5 speed. A good friend had a 86 V-6 and while the 2.8 was a DOG it was a blast to drive.
@@seththomas9105 I wouldnt say it was a dog in that day,. I still have an 878 with the V6 5 speed
@@seththomas9105 The 2.8L Fiero was in fact one of the fastest cars you could buy in 1986. I had one for 20 years and in stock form with the 4 speed manual, I ran a 0-60 in 5.9sec and the 1/4 mile in 14.7@92 mph. I am sure there were many faster times than mine but for the time, this car would beat 99.9% of all cars on the road.
Always loved the Fiero! There is an annual charity event in San Simeon, California called the California Coast Run. A drive from San Simeon to Big Sur and back on Highway 1. It's run by the Golden Gate Fieros club and let's just say there is nothing cooler than seeing lots of Fieros run up/down Highway 1. I like attending with a convertible...couple times with my 2001 Chrysler Sebring Convertible...which can easily keep up with their Fieros on the PCH. Wicked fun car! Sadly, it's becoming harder to keep them on the road lately.
My mom got one of these in 1985 in black when I was a kid. I thought it was so cool getting to ride around in it. I felt like I was in KIT from Night Rider or something. I have loved them ever since. So glad you featured the Fiero.
KIT from night rider 🤔
@@jessihawkins9116 Trans Am or Fiero to my child eyes both seemed equally cool at the time.
@@MoabYoda his name was KITT and it was Knight Rider 😐
I had a buddy who bought one of first ones and I was impressed with the leg room in such a small car. About ten years later I saw one burned to a crisp on the side of the interstate.
A friend of mine had one that caught fire too. We called it the Firey Fiasco.
Oh, memories. My Dad was the Ford dealer in the small town where I grew up, and one of my good high school trouble-making buddies' dad was sales manager at the Pontiac-Buick-GMC dealer. I had 2 different EXPs (wish I still had one!) and my bud begged and pleaded with his Pop for a Fiero. Once he got it, he was like, "oh. That's it?" ;)
I always thought the Fiero was such a cool looking car. It was one of the cars I wanted to purchase as a teen driver in the 90s.
I had a 1984 Fiero and I Loved that car.I had it for 16 years.I had to let it go when the transmission went out when I was far from home.It is still my favorite car to this very day.I installed the huge wing and center scoop on it along with the pace car side decals.It was soo much fun to mess with.I even had the Holley side scoop and metal air cleaner top.I even changed over to the Holley fuel injection system.What great times.I still have pictures of it.
Nice video. Glad you covered all aspects other than the fire issue. I do wish you had covered more of the 88 model which was truly a completely different car. They finally got it right. I own an 88 gt and i love the car. It was a miracle it ever got made due to the constant infighting between pontiac and chevy. The 88 was actually designed for the 84 model year but they were not given the money to build it, thats why we got the parts bin 84. The fire issue was much smaller than most people think.
People who own 88s are having a tough time finding parts that are specific to 88s.
Man, I remember many nights helping my friend work on his Fiero. That little car was super cool but if you were tall over 6' like me it is a squish. Thanks for the video!
I had a 1988 it was a great car fantastic to drive sounded great LOVED IT miss that car
My second car ever was an 88 Fiero GT. Loved it!
I saw some period reviews that discussed the original intent of the Iron Duke powered Fiero.It was actually intended to make it a sporty (looking) personal commuter car with 40+ mpg on the highway.
I am old enough to remember this car new and you are right.
GM loves to perfect an automobile and then kill it off in the final year of production.
The Fiero was one of my favourite US-Cars when I was a teenager - Due to its unique design, which was totally different from all other cars comming from the US. It looks quite inspired by FIAT / Bertone X1/9 from the mid seventies - Thank you for the nice video 🙂👍
I've Always loved them, the GT V6 man in all black, silver or white with T-Tops is a car I still desire. The _BEAUTIFUL_ engine and exhaust notes from that 2.8 mpi still sound like music to me!!
My first car was an '88 notchback with the 2.5L and a 5 speed... I remember lusting after the fastback GT whenever I saw one. Too bad GM killed these off right when they were starting to get good.
I owned an 88 Fiero GT for 13 years and I loved it. One of my favorites cars I ever owned.
You’re my favorite TH-cam content creator. Best thing seeing new uploads. Id love it if you did a Nissan hardbody or pathfinder episode. Always the overlooked Nissan offering to the Toyota offerings with more power and lower cost. Us blue collar folks like that trait.
One of my greatest memories as a child was because of this Car. It was about 1990 and I hjeard the garage door open and a call pull in--- but it wasn't my Mothers Pontiac 6000.... It was Grandpa with a 1986 Fiero 2m6 4-spd. Gold. That exhaust sound was the coolest thing I ever heard... I had that all the way up to 2002. Learned how to drive stick shift on it... loved it.
I own a 85 with Sunroof, 4cyl 5 speed. Bought on back in 2000. Dealer was wanting $2000 for it. Told him I would be back the next day with the money. After he closed he went to park it in the back. It Threw a Rod. I came back with the money and he told me he could not sell it to me. I asked why. He told Me. I told him I still wanted it. Told me he could not sell it for asking. So he sold it to me for what he paid, $850. Drove it home 10 miles spewing Smoke out the back, my Aunt Fallowing me. Year later got a new engine and clutch, brakes, and other things... But then decided to move to Florida in late 09. Could not bring it with since I had to pull my Camper behind my truck. So there it sits in Minnesota in a field at my mothers Boyfriends place, unable to go get it. No Finances for the Gas Money and he will not bring it down here tho he has the means to do it... No Gas Money because I make only Disability. And when I did have the money, Something came up and took it away... And if I leave here to go get it, I live in a Bad part, Too Many Thieves... Can't sell it because EVERYONE Low Balls Me....
I am the proud owner of a 1986 Fiero 2m4! And i will never stop loving it!
I owned a 1988 model , fun car and yes I used to drive the sh*t out of too. I had it for years as a daily and it was extremely reliable.
Sounds like a blast man. What were the headrest speakers like? Was it quick and nimble or maybe a bit boaty?
@@rushnerd 88 must had changed because no headrest speakers in it.
@@kevintomes3786 It's for the best. The stock speakers in my 88 Supra are HILARIOUSLY bad. like 10W I think and tiny.
85 V6 with a 4-speed manual here! Love it!
@@wullahblack6452 I looked at one at a lot when I had the 88. Black with Hypertech installed, bald rr tire but unfortunately had a rod tap. 😕 I'll bet they're fun to hammer on!!
My mom had an '84 in red. Traded it in and got a Saturn in '96. She has fond memories of the Fiero, almost none of the Saturn.
The Fiero was almost my first car. My dad wanted to buy it for me from the mechanic working on my sister's car. I didn't have enough money, and the repairs were too expensive for my parents to afford the Fiero. I ended up selling my motorcycle for a VW Rabbit convertible a few years later.
Sometimes I wonder how things would have been if I had been able to get that Fiero.
Never to late to invest in an 80's GT or sports car. I say that because these things are finally starting to really go up in value as time goes on and frankly most of them look better than anything on the road today when they are clean and/or modernized.
Remember the Fiero well. Saw a demonstration of how the panels went onto the frame at a car show. As you note, there were a lot of them around at one time but it's rare to see them now.
I’ve had 8 of these. My last one had a small block v8. I thoroughly loved my Fiero’s.
I'll never forget it. My friend's dad bought one new in '84. It was black. His dad was like 6'2", 220 ish. One day in the summer of '85, I was 9, we went out and his dad took the Fiero. It was him, his wife, my friend and myself...in the Fiero. I remember sitting on the center console between the seats with my legs dangling into the passenger side and my friend on his stepmother's lap. In retrospect, I can't IMAGINE how the car moved. But I've always loved these. I still do. There's a great TH-camr, young guy, who just did a massive restoration of an 84 Fiero he saved from disintegration. Search Fiero restoration and I'm sure you'll find it.
As always, love the video. Huge nostalgia points!
Friend of mine had a Fiero in the late 1990s. We always made of it for being made of plastic and tiny. I told him it should have "thermos" stamped on the roof like a lunchbox. We actually took it in a blizzard 150 miles down the interstate and it was terrifying riding next to semis lol. Also, Ronald Finger has a very interesting channel where he rebuilds a Fiero.
Those were terrifying 70 degrees and sunny next to a semi.
“Thermos” Fiero lol 😂
As I said before, GM's obsession with the Corvette was(and still is) the reason for the demise of many cars. The Fiero just happens to be one of them. The Allante, Reatta, Syclone, Grand National, GNX, and the XLR were also affected.
I liked them back then and if given the opportunity today I'd still buy one!
I remember these.
I also remember them crabbing down the road, falling apart immediately.
The way they took parts from a front wheel drive car to make a rear-mid engine car is awesome. I'm determined to build my own rear-mid engine car in the same way. I've got a lot figured out already. I just need to figure out exactly what I want to use for donor cars. My plan is to get 2 identical cars and use the front suspension and steering of one and the entire engine cradle and suspension of the other for the rear. That way I have the same brakes and hubs all around. I just can't decide what car to use. And if it's gonna be a 4 or 6 cylinder. Definitely want a manual transmission. It's gonna take time but I'll do it. Wish me luck
I remember back in the '80s my high school teacher bragged on how he bought a new Pontiac fiero. I was just a kid, maybe like 10th grade but it always stuck out of my mind.
Keep the awesome content coming!!
The Fiero is still a popular although uncommon car in 2022. For the last 12 years I've daily driven an '87 GT & every year that goes by I get more & more waves & thumbs up, not to mention people coming up to the car every time I stop somewhere. It gets so much attention, it has actually made me late for work & appointments!! I'm very happy it's still getting recognition though.
Great episode (as always!) this brings me back also to being a tween/teen and loving the Fiero. Had a neighbor with the GT version, it was something of a burgundy color, with gold pinstripes & details. Always wanted to knock on their door & ask for a ride haha but didn’t know them. I love the prototype, didn’t realize how cool it looked; almost has early zagato influences - have to admit I prefer the proto!
I had a Fiero GT which had the V6. It was fast and handled exceptionally. I loved that car. It was the more rounded body style. I wish I had it now, I’m sure now people would be twisting there head to see it as they did in 1987.
Such a fantastic car.
I had a 1987 Fiero SE 2m6 4 speed silver back in high school and I loves it
I’m going to watch video later, but aside from the “fire” problem, the last iteration of the ‘88 GT was indeed awesome!!
I used to have a 1990 Chevy Lumina Z34.... it was the best family "sports car" I've ever driven. Drove it for almost 300,000 miles before I finally got rid of it because the transmission was starting to leak fluid.
I started my nearly 40 year engineering career on the Fiero program : )
YEESSS!!! I love this car.
I'm still waiting for an episode on the 1977-1990 GM B-Body. Caprice, Impala, Electra, Delta 88,... Please
I don’t care what anyone says I wanted one of these so bad when I turned 16 and I still want one now at 40+ years old. If they made one today I’d buy it I love Fieros.
I've had 2 88 Formula's and an 84 2M4 I got for $1 on eBay back in the day. They weren't fast, they weren't very comfortable, but I loved driving them. It always felt special just driving around with the sunroof off. They always drew attention.
I had a friend in Arkansas who owned one, that his wife drove all the time! She loved it, and they never had any major issues.
One of my friends in high school got one on his 16th birthday. He got the Indy, but it did not say pace car on the side......fun to drive!
As an owner of one I always appreciate when people speak objectively about the car rather than make silly jokes. Well done video!
This is the car that got me into classic cars. Went from not thinking its possible to get a nice cash car to having a porsche 928 and corvette collectors edition
Body panels were made with a Phase Alpha Resin, my plant made the B-side A-59019. The Corvette and Viper also used the resin off the top of my head.
I like that MOC tells the story of the car, warts and all. So many other YT videos either rant or rave about the car they are shooting.
There's a Fiero parked on the street my in laws live on. It caught my eye immediately and I fell in love with it's style. I didn't know anything about the car until I watched this video. No idea there was no engine under the hood.
A friend of mine had an 84 Fiero with t-tops and manual floor shift transmission . Neat! He sold it to another guy I know and it burst into flames on him somewhere on interstate 75.
I LOVED the Fiero. I still do. I want a 1988 Fiero Formula 5-speed. All the goodies of the GT, but with the notchback styling. Very rare.
Several years ago I ran across a thread on a message board where a 13yo girl was restoring a Fiero with the help of her dad and the entire Fiero community. The Fiero community are a great bunch, and that thread helped me fall in love with the Fiero.
Man this channel is awesome! The quality of the videos are unbelievable! THX!
I had to Fieros. Both were v-6 with manual transmissions. One was red and silver and the other was all black. They were fun cars and a blast to drive. I am into classic cars but since Pontiac made very few of them replacement parts would be hard to find when they get older.
I rented one in Fort Lauderdale and it ran terribly. When I told them I needed to swap it for another they told me I had to go back to the airport. As my younger brother and I entered the airport, my broter says, "hey the cars is on fire". The flames coming from the grill made it look like a BBQ.
This was a dream car that became my second car. Black, removable roof, stick and 1 hell of a modified engine!, 170ish HP in this little go cart!!
My brother bought one because, as he said, "I'll never be able to afford a Ferrari, so I'll buy a Fiero!' And the speakers in the headrests was a great feature
I had an 86 GT back in 1997 and I miss it to this day. It was fun and I had eventually wanted to do an engine swap from the v6 to possibly a V8 but life happened and I ended up selling it. Wish I never had...
Yes 1 I suggested! Though he said he was already working on it. Thanks again!
As always, great work! We have two of them, an 85 2M4 and 86 2M6. I'm surprised you didn't mention the V6 turbo models
Thank you for the video. I enjoyed the commercials and the footage from the GM design studios. I do not know how you locate these things, but is well put together. I am looking forward to more GM videos. I again thank you.
Great video, thank you.
Seems that's happened with several cars: the manufacturer finally gets everything dialed in, but by that time the car has a bad reputation and few people buy it, so production ends. Sad.
Fiero was an extraordinary car, especially with the V-6!
I bought it brand new in 88 from Feder's dealership in upstate NY in red with auto. couldn't afford the 6 cyl.. after 2 years the engine was clacking loudly, and the fan belt snapped around 30k. Moved from Florida to Ct where it was an absolute skateboard in the winter. Took huge loss in getting it gone. I now have a 21 Miata, but still miss the Fiero. Another problem was having service garage put it on the lift and bending the long cooling pipes from the front to the back which where just under the pinch welds. First oil change and the pipes were bent. Did not know until several months later when I decided to change my own oil. Another mess, with a cartridge paper filter in the crappy iron duke and some ridiculously large nut on the oil filter cover. Despite all that, i love the design.
Wow, I wanted one so bad when I was a kid!
Yeah same. This was a car I emailed him and suggested doing 2 weeks ago. He replied saying it was actually 1 he was making now.
My now ex wife and I special-ordered a very early 84 model two days after the Fiero went on sale. We took delivery in October 1983. The car never did catch fire, although the automatic transmission went out at 68,000 miles. I still have the original window sticker and owner manual.
We bought the wife an '88. She loved that car and it lasted a long time for her. Eventually, mechanical failures led to her finally parking the car. I didn't love the car as much as she did, but I did like the car. I thought it was cool.
The 86 that you displayed in red and gray was the very first Pontiac fiero that I owned
I actually wrecked the first one 2 days after the initial release, hit some gravel, and due to the different center of gravity spun around into a ditch. The replacement parts weren't available yet so they called it totalled until parts came in
FINALLLLLLY!!!!! Thank you for being a real researcher 🙏. So many TH-camrs crap on the Fiero for being a lousy “sports car” because they never took the time to learn it wasn’t…..until the V6 GT was released.
I teach racing/high performance driving and was in a Fiero on a track in Pennsylvania, when I noticed smoke, then flames coming from the rear mounted motor. We drove to a flag station and exited the car. The station had a fire extinguisher so the fire was quickly doused, but it gave me personal experience with the Fiero's tendency to self-immolate.
I had 4 Fieros, the last one I converted to a GT. They were fun little cars for people like me who liked go-carts as a kid.
The one thing I will always remember about the Fiero is a Transformer named Punch/Counter-punch. His/their "2006" alternative mode was also a symbol of this car's history. He/they seem to have issues within.
did 180K miles in my 87'GT and never had a problem with it...was a good car.
Thanks a ton! I’ve been waiting for this episode! As I’m sure many others have too!!
I bought an '88, with the duke,rebuilt it and drove it from Louisiana to the rockies to ski.
Averaged 33 mpg at 75mph with the headlights retracted. Not fast on the straight but didn't have to slow down for corners. Much to the surprise of pick up drivers trying to run up my tailpipe.
Sadly it ended up with a 40 ft power boat on it,a propeller through the sunroof. My favorite American car and the best $450 I'd spent on buying one.
I bought a Miata ND2 because as kid , I adored “the Pontiac Fiero”
When these came out my Dad became a Fiero nut! Crazy about them. But since we were dirt poor, the closest he ever got to getting one was a pamphlet and a test drive.