Ergo, you had to pull up the lever to set the brake, disengage the lever and lower it to exit the car.
Likewise, to release the brake, the lever was raised and engaged, then lowered.
The Fiero was pretty innovative in a lot of ways. Unfortunately it was introduced in ‘84 and the new Corvette sucked all the oxygen out of the room that year getting an overwhelming amount of the automotive press’s attention. The early Fiero also suffered from a very weak powerplant which was addressed within a few years, but in true Pontiac form, they cancelled the car just after they finally got it right.
The body must have rusted out. With the old GMs, the car usually went long before the engine and drive train.