If you like economical, mid-engined two-seaters, the 1980 s were your years. Fiat (and also, a little bit later on, Bertone) supplied the X1/9, Toyota offered MR2s, and also also General Motors butted in by developing the Fiero. Offered from the 1984 with 1988 design years, the Pontiac Fiero showed plenty of promise but ended up being mostly disappointing, somehow resembling the profession of the Chevy Corvair of a number of years previously. Today’s Junkyard Gem is a once-spiffy 1986 Fiero GT, located in a self-service yard near Denver, Colorado.
After a long and painful development period extending completely back to John DeLorean’s XP-833 Poltergeist (which wound up being a significant impact behind the initial Opel GT), the Fiero lastly debuted in 1983 as a 1984 design. The top-of-the-model-range GT showed up the list below year.
The Fiero was constructed as a notchback sports car and also as a fastback, with all the GTs being the last kind.
I could not obtain the engine cover open, however this cars and truck would certainly have left the assembly line (in Pontiac, Michigan) with a 2.8-liter V6 ranked at 140 horse power.
This cars and truck has a five-speed handbook transmission, making it a reliable opponent forToyota’s MR2
The 1986 MR2 was much less effective than the Fiero GT (112 horse power versus 140), however additionally scaled in considerably lighter (2,459 extra pounds versus the Pontiac’s 2,780 extra pounds). The MR2 additionally set you back much less, valued at $11,298 while the Fiero GT set you back $12,875(that has to do with $30,540 and also $34,805, specifically, in inflation-adjusted 2022 bucks).
At The Same Time, the $6,998Honda Civic CRX two-seater drew away numerous prospective Fiero customers regardless of being a front-engined/front-wheel-drive cars and truck, and also the $7,186Ford EXP/Mercury LN7 additionally placed a damage in Fiero sales. I can not discover a rate for the 1986 Bertone X1/9, however it set you back a hard-to-believe $13,990 in 1984.
GM still was utilizing five-digit odometers in numerous automobiles by the center 1980 s, however this Fiero has a six-digit device and also therefore we can see that it almost attained 150,000 miles throughout its driving profession.
The 1984-1987 Fiero experienced a parts-bin suspension layout, with the front suspension obtained from the Chevrolet Chevette and also the whole back transaxle/suspension setting up raised from the front end of the Chevrolet Citation. For the 1988 model year, GM lastly invested the cash to make an enhanced Fiero-specific suspension … and afterwards quickly place a stop to manufacturing. Very advertised fires and also quality-control troubles for the 1984-1987 autos had actually done their damages, and also simply over 25,000 of those better-handling Fieros were offered.
I made use of to see a whole lot even more of these autos throughout my junkyard takes a trip, and now my personal junkyard Fiero sightings are to a pair each year.
I still see Fieros on race course, nonetheless, so the Fiero information isn’t all negative!
Below’s in-car video clip from among the Salty Rumbling Competing Fieros on the High Plains Raceway track.
Similar to a hang glider.
It resembles a billion francs.
When bumming a ride house from university, constantly await the Fiero that does not have the Iron Duke four-cylinder.