Spicy Fiero kit car has off-road aspirations
My sister had a black 1988 Fiero that I was going to buy from her when I turned 16. Of course, she spun out on the freeway NASCAR-style only weeks before the transaction was to take place, and my little two-seater was gone forever. While I still want one that looks like this, I probably won't fit in one very well. However, thanks to a company in Arizona that modifies Fieros into just about anything a person could want, there's hope for me yet.
PISA (Phoenix International Sport Automobiles) has taken a run-of-the-mill Fiero and turned it into the buggy you see above. It's called the Jalapeño and it takes about 200 hours to complete. Mods include a lift kit, 12 inches taken off the front, many new body panels, and a Jeep-like grille on a somewhat forlorn-looking face. We don't know how well the Jalapeño fares off-road, but it certainly looks the part. Who would've thought you can get a Fiero with a commanding view of the road?
[PISA via Winding Road]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ronaldraygun 6:57PM (2/25/2007)
fuggles
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Jeff Banks 7:30PM (2/25/2007)
Kind of like a modern day beetle baja sort of thing. I like it.
How come Fieros are always used to make kits? They don't seem to be that common of a car.
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DarkWizard 7:36PM (2/25/2007)
#2 Agreed, you almost never see them on the road anymore. In fact, most Fiero's are probably in the hands of die-hard fans or members of a local Fiero club - in other words, exactly the kind of people who would never do this to their car.
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jamey 7:36PM (2/25/2007)
yea!! an 88' black fiero was my first car. (now its in my brothers claws) it was far from fast, but if it couldnt handle and look good.
Personaly I like some of the other kits from PISA better (they have all been around for a long time. how is this just showing up?) but this is the most unique for sure.
here is somthing else along the same lines:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=209062463&dealer_id=58407881&car_year=1987&search_type=both&num_records=&make=PONT&keywordsfyc=&transmission=&distance=0&model=FIERO&address=30060&make2=&advanced=&default_sort=priceDESC&certified=&max_mileage=&max_price=&sort_type=priceDESC&min_price=&first_record=76&body_code=0&end_year=2007&color=&keywordsrep=&start_year=1981&drive=&pager.offset=75&engine=&doors=&style_flag=1&fuel=&cardist=2212
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Howard Kerr 8:04PM (2/25/2007)
I've read many times that manufacturers are trying to combine sports car attributes with AWD capabilities...this would seem to be a good attempt at that, certainly more of an off-roader than an Audi TT.
I like the idea of the short wheelbase, short overhangs, and what should be 50-50 weight distribution (or is that a drawback when off-roading?). However, I sure hope PISA REALLY strengthens the Fiero's frame as I understand that it has a habit of cracking under normal use.
BTW, I may be wrong, but I think one reason why you don't see many Fieros around is that the 4 cylinder engines were pretty crappy and once they died...that was it. I used to see a few Fieros up near my parents home in Northeastern Pa....but even those yard decorations are disappearing thanks to stricter building code enforcement.
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Stoneman 9:01PM (2/25/2007)
Waste of money. Really, if you want to throw money away, please forward it to me; I'll even video tape myself buying a few 50 inch flatscreen HDTV's if you'd like. I'll even throw a few to the corner beggars.
Stoneman
http://www.stonemanautoreview.com
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ron 9:02PM (2/25/2007)
BLASPHEMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Dave 11:11PM (2/25/2007)
mind-bogglingly old news
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Big jim 10:25PM (2/25/2007)
the grill looks like it's off a Jeep CJ-7
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matt_gabriel_ri 11:11PM (2/25/2007)
I had a 1988 Fiero GT, with the T-tops. The Fiero is, perhaps, the only domestic vehicle who's design could be considered beautiful. Sleek and uncluttered, it looks like a vision of a future that never was.
The '88 model year had a suspension tweaked by lotus, and in '87 a refresh of the styling made a good thing great.
The downside was the engine... you had an anemic 4 cylinder motor or an unreliable POS V-6 motor. (Mine blew a headgasket.)
The upside is, you can easily and cheaply swap out the lame powerplants for a Chevy smallblock, with a weight penalty of less than 150lbs with kits from people like V-8 Archie. Now you have something with the power of a Trans-Am, and the handling of an Esprit (well, almost. Close enough for the money and effort involved.)
With the power problem solved, I've never understood why anyone would butcher the bodywork into an obvious kit-car. No-one believes it's a real Ferrari, dude, let it gooo... and now this. Yeugh.
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Clint Harm 11:41PM (2/25/2007)
Breaks my heart! I love my Fiero. Doesn't even see the rain much less roads with even a small potential for pebbles!
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drolds1 1:58AM (2/26/2007)
"How come Fieros are always used to make kits? They don't seem to be that common of a car."
The Fiero's structure was a space frame, like a race car. The composite body panels were merely bolted on. This made them very easy to swap out.
This is why there are so many kits for them. It's a bolt-on operation.
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GM WHO? 6:21AM (2/26/2007)
They should have called it the PISA SHlT!
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scott 7:24AM (2/26/2007)
Ypu would be suprised at the number of Fiero's still on the road. Where I live in the midwest they are yet a very common site.
The 4 cylinders had their problem but it was rare for the 2.8 to have any problems.
As for power it was good in 1980's but by todays standard event he Vette was under powered.
This kit has been around for at leat 10 years or more and is nothing new. Fiero's are cheap and adapatable so they make great kit cars. This is o different from what the VW went through.
At this point I have have 22 trouble free years with my Fiero with no plans to sell it. In a way I wish my engine would have an issue as it would give me an excuse to install a new aluminum LS Chevy V8 with no weight penalty. Yes it is less weight as the V6.
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Nellydesign 8:15AM (2/26/2007)
This seems like a no brainer... I mean the Chevette suspension was well known for it's off road prowess. Should be able to take speeed bumps with ease.
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Phelix 8:18AM (2/26/2007)
what PISA says about this kit is that the fiero's mid-mounted engine puts good weight on the back wheels, which makes it ideal for off-roading. that's what they say, anyway. there are much nicer things that can be done with a fiero, though.
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Esprit bird 1:52PM (2/26/2007)
Wow they killed a Fiero...i would of loved to have one...
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suse 11:19AM (5/08/2007)
help! does anyone remember a "kit" that made a VW bug (engine, chassis, etc.) into a silver, sport-car-looking "thing," that -- when you stopped at a light, sounded just like a VW bug -- sputtin' and clankin' . . . we used to "sneak it out" on a regular basis . . .yes, that was bad (we were 14-15), but my daughter (the next generation) can't find her way out of our neighborhood, and we only have one street. kids today are used to "car service." they sit in the 3rd row of the surburban, with t.v., phone, drink, ipod . . . this has been BUGGING ME FOR YEARS!!! DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THAT THING WAS CALLED?? THANK IN ADVANCE! SUSE
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