More pics at link
Posted on 10/09/2020 3:36:19 AM PDT by Joe 6-pack
The Pontiac Fiero is just one of those cars that gets a bad rap. It was never quite as good as it seemed on paper, but its poor standing among mid-engine sports cars is more a result of its often shoddy transformation into European exotics. It may seem like all Fieros have met this fate, but alas, that isn't so. In fact, the final Fiero that rolled off the line has been preserved for history. Its interior is still festooned with the pre-delivery plastic, the entire exterior of the car is immaculate, and to say it hasn't been used much would be an understatement; it has just 582 miles on the odometer.
Since it's the last Fiero GT built, it's also the most well-sorted. It has the best suspension and the most powerful, 2.8-liter V6 engine, but unfortunately, it packs an automatic transmission. That being said, it's red, absolutely spotless, and going up for sale at auction in November.
The GT was the top of the heap in terms of luxury and performance, which should help this Fiero fetch a higher price on the auction block. Its 2.8-liter V6 made 140 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque when new and although this isn't a ton of power, the V6 Fiero GT weighed just south of 2,800 pounds, which helped it reach 60 miles per hour in a reasonable 7.5 seconds.
It's also a desirable car because it got the non-parts-bin-special suspension that the Fiero engineering team always wanted for the vehicle. This setup was only available for the 1988 model year. Also, there are other desirable options like air conditioning and cruise control should you ever, y'know, actually drive it.
The one-owner Pontiac is being auctioned off by GAA Classic Cars in Greensboro, North Carolina. And as to how the owner got it, it was one of the two final cars raffled off to employees when production was ending. The owner has kept it ever since he won it back on Aug. 16, 1988. I'm assuming he's driven the admittedly few miles with all of the plastic still covering the interior, which sounds like fun. Maybe you can do that too if you buy it.
More pics at link
Could have been a great car. As it was, it was pretty innovative for its day in terms of materials and layout. This is what happens when enthusiasts and engineers are overruled by bean counters and marketing.
>> what happens when enthusiasts and engineers are overruled
Or the engineers #’d up — happens.
Fiero was garbage.
I'm not sure that was so much the case with the Fiero. For the American auto industry, the mid-engine layout was new territory at the time, and the first year or so had some real problems with engine cooling. This was quickly resolved, but also arose from those backing the car being forced to use GM off-the-shelf parts for cost savings.
The performance was deliberately kept toned down throughout its life because GM Execs didn't want it to outshine that *other* two seater built by Chevy, or the Camaro or Trans Am for that matter.
With the right choices of engine, transmission and suspension, this little rocket could have been a world class performer, but was cancelled just as they were starting to get it right.
The Toyota MR2 outlasted it by a couple of decades.
A guy at work had a Fiero that he really liked. He rear ended his supervisor on the way home from work one day. Oops!!!
I haven’t seen one on the road in years.
Toyota pushed the performance envelope. Pontiac failed to get everything out of the car that they could have.
Fair enough. I’ll do my homework regarding the Fiero. It’s been a while.
Scraped my knuckles up until the mid 80s. They latter years weren’t good years for US auto manufacturing.
I’m generally not a fan of Doug Demuro’s reviews, but this is a fair going over of a later model Fiero:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0crFUxksXg
Will do. Thanks!
The Pontiac Fiero is definitely one of the worst constructed vehicles I ever had to perform work on as an auto mechanic back in the 90s.
Thanks, Joe for posting. My friend, (great baseball coach for young boys) Mike Kelly worked at Pontiac motors...where they built the Fiero. He said HE won the car (from a drawing I think) the last Fiero to come off the assembly line. I think there was a write up in the Oakland Press at the time. I thought I saw him in the grocery store last week. I wasn’t sure if it was him...the old guy had a mask over his face. He looked 100 years old. I didn’t approach him. He would be around 70 years old. I sent the family a text about possibly seeing Mike. Great guy.
Just sayin’
I pity the fool
A friend of mine owned one and loved it. Then the engine blew and was not repairable. Goodby Fiero.
Called it the Pontiac Fiasco at the time.
I still have my 1992 Firebird 3.1 Coupe (for a 21 yr old - v8 was too expensive on insurance) — my father bought it for me as a college grad present — I just started my Senior year and before I graduated - he passed away from his cancer treatments... Like Kirk and the Enterprise... I’ll see it burn and crash before I give it up... I used to undercover drug deals - speed patrol in it... when I was a trooper... it has 229,000 miles on it and looks new — had the engine flipped at 150,000 -— same interior - same engine - same wheels... I just did a full carpet clean this summer again... it’s all about how one takes care of these... YES, high mileage — but it has gotten me to multiple Army bases - caught bad guys - and served to get me where I needed safely...
Glad to see this little icon survived -— too bad Pontiac dissolved... 1969 Firebird is a great collector — even the 1978/79 models -— HUGE car — Fire Phoenix!
Under-powered but great handling car. It was fun to drive. Never had any real problems with it (both headlamp motors went out at different times and cost as bundle to fix). The stereo speakers in the headrests sound way cool...
They got the styling right, especially on the second generation version. The non-functioning rear side glass in “flying buttress” panels was a clever touch. The Fiero name and concept seems ripe for a modern reboot done right with proper engineering. The only catch might be overlap with the now-mid engined Corvette.
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