Pontiac Fiero

The Pontiac Fiero has some very interesting qualities, good and bad. It was built by GM in 1984 through 1988. The Pontiac Fiero was going to be a true GM sports car. It was a mid engine car as most exotic sports cars are. This means that the engine sits behind the driver. Having the engine behind the driver has many advantages in a sports car. This is why they are often used today in many kit car conversions. First the front to rear weight is usually close to 50/50 which would be a perfect balance.

 

This makes the car very neutral as it drifts through corners, easy to control. This engine layout also gives the car an advantage in acceleration, as more of the weight is on the back wheels. The front end of the car can also lift higher during acceleration which transfers even more weight to the rear end of the car. This gives it a better quarter mile time. The other advantage to a mid engine sports car is in braking. Any car will transfer the majority of it’s weight on the front wheels as it stops. The mid engine car has more weight in the back of the vehicle. Although the some weight is still transfered foreward, it is less. The extra weight on the rear tires allows them to help slow the car. This results in improved braking distances to much less than a front engine layout. The Pontiac Fiero did have some down falls also. As GM tried to hurry to get the car out to the public, an engineer found a problem with the car. They had a few engine fires not long before release. The engineer desperately tried to fix the problem but management turned their heads. Pontiac released the Fiero and obviously had problems with fires! The first few years of production seen incredible numbers in sales (duh!) but soon the problems emerged. Connecting rods were built poorly, broke through the engine and caused fires as did wiring problems and leaks. The Pontiac Fiero sales quickly plummeted even as the problems were getting solved. The Fiero came in two models the SE and the GT. They came with two engines, the 2.5 liter four cylinder and the 2.8 liter v-6. Both were engines were descent for a light weight car in the 1980’s. Many people seen this car as a new age hot rod. Conversions were made dropping a Chevy v-8 in a Fiero and after market build ups were constantly being made for these cars. Even the stock engines had the option of aftermarket heads that could produce incredible power even by today’s standards. One other complaint some people had with the Pontiac Fiero was the suspension. Although it wasn’t terrible it could have been better. GM did actually fix this problem as it referred to Lotus, a mid engine performance car builder. They worked together on the suspension and built it the way the suspension should have started out. Owners were very pleased but the year was 1988 and the car was discontinued. Too little, too late. Today these cars still have a following which is evident in the high prices still wanted for the desirable 1988 GT. Many kit car enthuaists love the mid engine layout and the bolt on body panels the car uses! The bolt on panels make changing the body to any style a much easier task. The cars out there are pretty much safe from the fires and other problems first experienced. Recalls were issued and problems taken care of by inthuasists. Many kit car enthuasits are using today’s engines to power the Fiero. The Chevy 3.1L and 3.4L are an almost direct swap in. The Pontaic 3.4L DOHC engine which makes 215 hp. The supercharged Buick 3800 engine which makes 240 hp. The Cadillac northstar engine which makes 315 hp. Still being used are the Chevy v-8 engines, cheap and make as much power as you want. Today most of these cars can be purchased for almost nothing and even the first cars can be alot of fun to drive. Many body kits are available for these cars. The Lamborghini is one popular kit are the Ferarri F355 and other various kits still being produced daily. Too bad Pontiac didn’t start with a model like the 1988 Fiero and they would probably been around a lot longer!