That story has been popularized but the truth is probably more vague. Corvettes then were unaffordable to the age group who would plunk down the payment for a Fiero, and market share was shrinking. The people buying them were getting older and so was GM management, who weren't managing any new platforms to catch the eye of younger buyers. About all they had was the Camaro/Firebird, which could arguably be said to be cannabalizing Vette sales just as much or more so as it had the same V8.

So you had the aging, heavy, and not much raced Vette with little more than a "baller" reputation, the Camaro/Firebird getting hot rodded and taking up a lot of redneck market, then the Fiero - which didn't get the V6 any too soon and which also got sandbagged until the final year for any handling packages.

It should have been raced against all comers with cars on the Wide World of Sports at every opportunity. But, sadly, no - Corporate sat on their hands and did nothing. The Camaro/Firebird was getting most of the attention and production when you look at the numbers. Sure you make double the profit on a Vette - but they were making many many more Camaro's and Firebirds which offset it.

My take, it would do no good to blame Camaro and Firebird owners for wanting to buy what they wanted. Big honking V8 muscle car stuff was still the rage - don't forget we were a hair's breadth away from a FWD Mustang turbo 4 at the same time. We already had suffered the Pinto version and it flat out sucked so bad Ford was forced to drop in the 302 just to get some creds back. How many of those do we see at car shows today? Not many. People tore out the k frames to put under 34's.

Pontiac did what was asked of it, showed that composite body panels were possible and that did go toward future Vette and even truck body works. As a demonstrator of technology it succeeded, as a car Pontiac never backed it to win. Rolling over and going tits up because Vette Inc. had them by the shorts? Not so much. They didn't even put up a fight.

Who eventually benefitted? Kit car makers who adopted composite panel tech. Like, F5. They weren't bath tub chopper gun extravaganza's of Kustom Kulture and that is what makes them so good for the builder today. A real tube frame and sandwich skin that doesn't weigh more than the frame = you VW builders no doubt remember those days.

Other than when just changing lanes, mirrors don't always help. For example, come up to an intersection where the roads intersect at something other than 90 degrees and you going to have to crane your head back to see. That's where the huge B pillars on the first generation Fiero would block your view.

The side glass on the pillar was just for looks as I recall. You couldn't see through it since it was blocked by an interior panel.

It was a shitty car, and by the time they began to get it sorted out, the competition had won the race.

Good friends sister had one.

Brand new and it was in shop a great deal of the time.

When warranty was ready to expire she purchased a MR2.

And it was flawless for years.

GM created a lifetime Toyota fan with that piece of shit.

Apparently each one sold burned about three times judging by the number that people "witnessed" burning down.

They were fun for a day, but not really a car I'd want to put up with long term. There's just no space inside those things.

You were watching Future Man, weren't you.....That is what started this thread!

I had a friend that put a 454 in the front of an '86 Fiero GT. There wasn't much "Fiero" left in the finished product aside from the body and interior.  Coolest part of it was that the engine, obviously, didn't fit under the hood.  The hood had to be cut to allow the front of the valve covers to stick out.  Got lots of attention at local cruise nights.

An Alabama 10 = an Alaska  7 or 8...

...which = a 4 (tops) in most states.

In other words, I don't believe you.

Pics of smoking hot blonde?  

The summer before and the early part of my senior year (89), I dated a 5'10" redhead with a background in jazz dancing.
She drove an 84 Fiero.
We tested the limits of a dancer's flexibility on numerous occasions.
Oh, to be 17 again...

I had an ‘84 4 cylinder Fiero.  Great looking car, but the motor was locked up.  I gave a whopping $200 for it, then had a friend rebuild the Iron Duke motor.  It was a sweet little car and a ton of fun to drive. I got caught in a thunderstorm and didn’t see a junk transmission fall off a flatbed truck going the other way.  When I did see it sliding toward me in my lane, it was too late.. it smashed the plastic front end.  I got it semi fixed, but it looked like hammered shit and I was tired of it by then.  I sold it, and even with the wrecked front end I made a little profit on it.

My brother had a 6 cylinder GT.  It was comsiderably quicker, but his car was a clapped out POS. It set behind his shop for years until he finally sold it.

I never had one, but I always thought the GT was a sweet, sweet looking little ride.  Still wouldn't mind having one, though I'd rather have an ND Miata...

I was reading about these a few weeks ago for some reason.  IIRC, the gist of the article was that the engine never matched up with the "performance car" persona.  IIRC, the engine was focused on fuel economy, and lifted from the Citation or something.  Said the power deliver was always a bit anemic, and delivered in too "flat" a way to be fun to drive.  Also said the suspension was all parts-bin stuff, so it never really handled as good as it looked, either.

Not sure if that applies to the GT as well.

I was in a dealership in the very early 90's where a used one DID catch fire at the end of a test drive. One of those things you don't forget.

Also, they were mostly bought by women. An 80's chick car for the most part.

I had an 86 Fiero SE in California in 1987. My payment was $309.00, my ins payment was $325.00 a month.

Pontiac. It was a test bed for building concepts. It was only supposed to exist for 4- 5 years IIRC.

The mid engine tax.

Had a buddy in HS with an MR2, he had the same problem.

The Mera part of the Fiero story is interesting. I had never heard of it before.

Attached File

I don't think I ever rode in one that wasn't some manner of POS.

That's cool!

The fiero I drove, handled worse than a brick.  Maybe it's due to the fact I had just driven a supercharged mk1 mr2 before it.  But damn, it had slightly more power, and the front end lift was atrocious. Braking was lack luster though also. That should be easily fixed.

The swaps are dammed cool though.  The platform had potential, but the suspension was, borderline terrible. Needed some serious love.

I killed one that I know of back around 1993-94.

Guy brought it in for me to appraise and the engine (V-6) grenaded on me when I was road testing it around the block.
He put up a bit of a fight about it but lost.

I don't know too much about this car, but there was a LAT story on it, and according to the story, it needed a total redesign and some other mechanical enchancemnts that the GM suits didn't want to commit so much money to the car, so they killed it.

Fiero killed itself.

The toyota MR2 took its place.

I've seen many car fires.  None were Fieros...

The fiero came at one of the most unfortunate times in automotive interior design history. Fake plastic bolt heads on the dash, for example... seriously, what the fuck?

The one I drove never burned (as far as I know), but it sure as hell wasn’t going to beat anyone in a race. The tiny interior made for a decent audio platform, though.

You must admit.  A cheap mid engine chassis could make a cool project car.  The other day I did a search for used Fiero's, the only one I found was $8,000...

Guess they've become collectable.

Ended up being more light the Corvair than 55 Chevy. Ashame too because they were both neat designs that just needed some tweaking to make them decent vehicles.

That's pretty much what the video said.

I enjoyed mine, as it was a fun car to drive.

I wouldn’t call it a dream car, but I liked the Fiero. Wouldn’t have turned down anything though.

Loved the Probe and Camaro too. That late 80s Camaro is still my favorite.

This PNI

I never drove a MR2, but I rode in one a couple of times. Seemed like a better put together vehicle than the fiero.

This is the one I had from 1999-2001.

Are they really that big of a PITA to work on?

Less room than a shoe box.

I had a six cylinder 1986 GT.

It was a blast to drive. I sold it and bought a 'vette. I regretted that ever since.

Having rode in one, I would never purchase one for myself.  A standard cab 2 door truck has more room inside.  And a 6ft 4in person doesn't jave to crawl out.

Adam Smith with his Free Market Economy.

No.  Modern cars and trucks have less room to get at various engine components than what the Fiero offers.  That being said, the front 3 spark plugs are a pain to change on a stock 2.8 because the intake manifold is so tall and blocks space under the front of the deck lid.  The 3800 doesn't share this problem and is much easier to work on in a Fiero than the stock 2.8 is.

84-87 Fieros had "parts bin" suspension and brake parts it shared with the Chevette.  This is NOT what the design team of the Fiero envisioned for the platform, they originally wanted to use the unique (Lotus inspired/designed) suspension on these cars from the beginning.  The 88 Fiero received these upgrades, but by then the car was already going to be axed.

Even with the upgraded suspension and brakes the 88's received, they still fall short - especially when you do an engine swap.

My '87 has a brake upgrade and adjustable coil-over struts in the rear.  I have more upgrades planned in the future.  But here are some pics of my car:

Wait, there are 7 and 8s in AK

An Alaska 7 or 8 would be a 4 or 5 in Alabama

That emblem on the side post makes me sad.  Wish we were still seeing this on cars.

Looks great!

I tend to be a jap car guy but I can appreciate anything. the fireos have always been the car that could have been.  It could have been a real sport compact contender, but GM screwed the pooch.(seems to be a reoccurring theme.)

Neutered so as not to steal Vette sales.  Nothing more than a trailer park white trash mobile IMO.

OK, that's true.  Visibility to the right rear was criminally unsat.  Now that you jog my memory, I think I may have dicked up my neck clearing my baffles a few times.

(this one)


DID I MENTION I WAS THERE WHEN THAT PICTURE WAS TAKEN?
Yah.  Baby.   Even wore my Don Johnson jacket.  I was the suave guy wearing shades.