RR of the Day: 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT
We have seen some Pontiac Fieros that have not been on the receiving end of owner TLC. This car is not one of them. Flickr user eightyeight_gt_v6 acquired his 1988 Fiero GT V6 in 1996 with a paltry 59,000 miles on it. The car served as a daily driver for five years and currently sports 73,000 miles on the odometer. No longer a daily driver, the car is reserved for cruising and occasional driving.
According to eightyeight_gt_v6, the '88 Fieros had a more compliant suspension and a better ride than the others, making them more collectible than their peers from other MYs. His GT is well equipped, featuring all the goodies save for T-Tops, leather, and power mirrors. The car is equipped with a 5-speed manual from Getrag, which is significantly more fun than the 3-speed auto the cars came with as an option.
The car's been lightly modified with upgrades like a freer-flowing exhaust, K&N filter and performance chip. Nothing extreme, though, as eightyeight_gt_v6 is looking to preserve the car's overall collectability. The Fiero GT remains one of the nicer GM designs from the 80s, and the V6 cars we've driven were indeed very fun to spend some time with. We're sure that this one, with the tweaks made to it, brings a smile to its driver's face as well. In his Flickr description, the owner says that the cars are actually good candidates for engine swaps such as the Northstar V8. Now that sounds like a good time.
Thanks for taking such good care of your Fiero GT, eightyeight_gt_v6. And thanks for sharing it with us, too. It's today's Reader Ride of the Day.
We're still on the prowl for more rides of the 80s, so tear yourself away from the John Hughes movie you're watching and submit your photos to our Flickr account by following the directions after the jump. Molly Ringwald will still be there waiting for you when you're done.
How to submit to RR of the Day:
Create a Flickr account if you don't already have one. Search for and join the group called 'Autoblog RR of the Day'. Upload up to three photos of your ride to your own account at a size no larger than 450 pixels wide if possible and include as much information about it and yourself as possible. Even if your ride is sweet, it will not be chosen if there's not a lot of info accompanying it. Click on each photo and just above the picture it will say "Send to group". Click that and select the Autoblog group. You're done, that's it!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
JayP 10:44AM (11/23/2006)
Nice. Nothing says '80s like skirts and gold mesh wheels.
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DG 10:57AM (11/23/2006)
You may want to check the definition of platry before using it again to describe a low-mileage vehicle:
pal·try (pôl'trē)
adj., -tri·er, -tri·est.
1. Lacking in importance or worth. See synonyms at trivial.
2. Wretched or contemptible.
That car's in great shape. Not my cup of tea, but it's good to see people preserving things they love.
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djbango 11:12AM (11/23/2006)
They killed the car when they were just getting it right. it was better looking than the MR2 at the time, in fact the next gen MR2 took many styling cues from the Fiero GT. I little more power and a little more faith from GM, the nameplate could be still alive today.
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ohmy 11:19AM (11/23/2006)
Fantastic blast from the past!!! GM finally got it right and killed it. I had a silver 87 GT that I drove trouble free till 85K miles (then I traded it). Not the lightest car ever but for its time it really was an incredibly fun car to drive... I miss it...
This one gets my vote!
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Richard Warren 3:02PM (11/23/2006)
#3 100% correct, by the time they killed it, it was pretty good
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Jason_801 12:00PM (11/23/2006)
I wish they'd bring the Fiero back, assuming it could be done and still conform to current regulations.
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CoolBlue87GT 12:00PM (11/23/2006)
Very nice ride / write up. I currently have two Fiero's , one with only 1,700 miles, a rare Blue 87GT, is 100% stock. I bought new in 1986, and a 88 Formula Fiero. Both have V6/5 sp trans.
If you want learn more about the Fiero, visit [url]www.fiero.nl[/url] w/ over 13,000 members.
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Schneegz 12:26PM (11/23/2006)
Bring the Fierro back? For what purpose; so that it can compete with the Solstice?
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unemotte 8:28PM (11/23/2006)
I remember driving home late one night and seeing two on fire in a 10 km spam !
This will for sure be my pick of the week !
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Edmond Dantes 1:37PM (11/23/2006)
The Fiero names for many will be tarnished because of their engines catching fire. This was a very decent car in its day. That beign said, I'd rather see a Solstice Coupe then a Fiero return.
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Chris 2:02PM (11/23/2006)
What a blast to drive. I had an '85 I purchased in '94 with 50,000 miles. It was the first of the V6 models and was plagued with problem after problem.
When it was working though, it was a blast to drive. Plenty of torque and a great exhaust note. It's short wheelbase made it much too easy to spin.
Mine met it's match when its 2nd to 3rd gear synchromesh shattered. It's too bad GM gave up when they were just starting to figure out the mid-engine setup.
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Bill Maher is an Idiot 2:56PM (11/23/2006)
"Bring the Fierro back? For what purpose; so that it can compete with the Solstice?"
My thoughts EXACTLY. Pontiac finally made a decent sports car. No sense in ruining that.
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JS 2:55PM (11/23/2006)
One of my old girlfriends had a Fiero she used to drive around and that thing was a blast to take through the windy roads.
On the other hand, where are the great old Land Rovers from the 80's?
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papercutninja 3:04PM (11/23/2006)
I have no problem with Fieros, unless they're:
A. A Fierrari
B. On fire
I always loved the mini-Firebird look of it.
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That One Person 3:23PM (11/23/2006)
When I was out searching for a car about a year ago, I came across an 87 Fiero SE V-6. It was absolutely gorgeous and only had about 75k miles on it. And the guy selling it only wanted about $3000 for it. I should have bought it and not my POS Regal.
Anyways, this is a nice car. Great find!
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Scott3 6:08PM (11/23/2006)
As a 21+ year owner of a V6 Fiero I can say while my car was not perfect it has been a great car.
I have had no engine problems, no tranny problems, no rust problems, etc [did have a belt on the tape player break]. I am still on my original exhaust and my car still runs like a top.
Any of the handling problems of the early cars were corrected with my Herb Adams sway bars and bushings.
While the Fiero was a great car in the 80's it is not fair to compare it to the Solstice as the years have provided Pontiac with technology we only saw in race cars in the 80's.
As for the Fires it was mostly oil leaking 2.5 engines that owners neglected to fix and once a fire starts on the exhaust it would ignite the rear deck lid.
Many want to blame GM and Chevy for the Fiero failure. They did each play 1/3 the blame each but Pontiac took a chance on a promise and a roll of the dice and push the car into production with many unresolved problems.
Problems like a Still born GM 80 project that would fill out the plants 250,000 car capacity being cancled, using the Iron Duke when it was the worst engine to use in this car and the only one offered by GM to Pontiac.
Finally pomising GM a high milage car when they had no intentions other than a sports car. Even the Miata would have died if they sold 135,000 Miata's the first year and followed it up with 75,000 the next. The 2 seat market is just To limited to flood it with that many on any 2 seater mark.
The Fiero did do its job of bring people into Pontiac showrooms and help sell lot of Grand Am's when Pontiac was near death in the early 80's.
The Solstic and Sky today are more right today because of the errors of GM and Pontiac. So we can see the little car is still doing its job for GM today.
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thisislame 10:43PM (11/23/2006)
is this a joke? Pontiac Fiero... pathetic.
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Patrick 7:18PM (12/31/2006)
Pontiac, Why did you kill this incredible car? This is when I lost all faith in GM and domestic car makers in general. The Fiero GT fastback had the most sophisticated style of its time. I owned an 87 w/5spd Getrag. It was my dream car. I loved having a 2 seater with a mid-engine. The car rocked! I kept it till the clutch wore out.
The Soltice definately makes me think of my old Fiero but why would someone build a convertible with absolutely NO TRUNK SPACE with the top down? STUPIDITY. And that's the thinking style of GM. If you're going to do something do it right. And just like so many people before me have stated just when GM was getting it right they killed it. They killed off my business for them as well. No more Pontiacs for me. Badge re-engineering is not for me. It cheapens the vehicle. Cheap Cheap Cheap is all they're good for and they even get that wrong.
Sorry to bash domestic car makers but the straight white men who make all the decisons seem to lack all style and common sense.
The only car I would consider from GM is a Corvette but even the new styling is lame. It's too conservative given the Vette's history. It's a rehash of the 1984 model. Sexy then but antiquated now.
I wonder where my old Fiero is now...
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