It's hard to believe that it's been two decades since the Pontiac Fiero went away. The Fiero was a project that began with great promise and ultimately dissolved into the pre-Lutz era corporate politics that was General Motors in the late '80s. Early spy photos showed a hot looking little two-seat mid-engine sports car. Rumors early on had it powered by an aluminum block 2.9L turbo V6. Unfortunately, the prospect of a mid-engine Pontiac that would out run a contemporary Corvette did not sit well with the bow-tie boys. The result was the first production iterations of the Fiero being neutered to within an inch of their lives. By the time Pontiac fixed what was wrong with the early models, its reputation was so bad that no one would touch it any more. Over time, surviving Fieros have undergone all manner of visual and mechanical transformations coming out looking like faux Lamborghinis and Ferraris. They have even been stuffed with heavily boosted small block V8s. The one missing project that we haven't seen is probably the one closest to the original vision for the car.
Take an original four-cylinder Fiero body. Add the upgraded suspension from the last '88 GTs. Then insert the 2.0L turbo direct-injected engine used in the Solstice GXP and other cars mated to a six speed gearbox. That engine is now available in front-wheel-drive form in the Chevy HHR SS, so it should be doable. A Fiero with 260 hp and 260 lb-ft peaking at 2,000 rpm, what a deal! Any takers?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
inteller @ May 7th 2008 4:02PM
can I get a WTF?
Someone got stuck in the Wayback Machine.
Why not just get a Solstice GXP?
Dude @ May 7th 2008 4:57PM
I was thinking the same thing.
Derek @ May 7th 2008 5:27PM
Mid engine gives superior weight distribution, lower polar moment of inertia and lower driveline losses. There's a reason why all of F1 and most LeMans prototypes as well as most supercars are mid engined.
Ricky @ May 7th 2008 8:13PM
None of which the Fiero platform really takes advantage of... I would rather swap the 2.0L turbo 4 into the late Toyota MR-S, lighter, stiffer, stronger, and prob much easier to come by.
Dave @ May 7th 2008 9:08PM
Midengine cars are inherently safer also, because they do not have an engine block to screw up their front crumple zones. Look up the crash test results and you will find 5 stars for both the Fiero and the first gen MR2 WITHOUT AIRBAGS!
I would much rather have seen GM build a new Fiero than a Solstice. Safer, better MPG, better handling, and quite possibly cheaper.
BTW - the 88 suspension was excellent (although I bet GM could do better now), and it outhandled the MR2. The only significant difference between a base 88 suspension and an 88 GT suspension was the rear swaybar.
Johnny @ May 7th 2008 4:04PM
Off topic but I would absolutely love it if GM made another Fiero.
Toyota made the mid engine convertable MR2 for 22 grand Im sure GM can make a Fiero for 25 grand. I'd line up for one. Make it a targa like the original. Sweet.
Flashpoint @ May 8th 2008 8:28AM
you'd have a hard time getting these fat f'in Americans in one of these.
StickShift @ May 7th 2008 4:06PM
I've wanted to do something like this done since the supercharged Cobalt SS came out. Ever since the HHR SS was announced I've been waiting patiently for someone to pull the trigger...
TriShield @ May 7th 2008 4:11PM
Because that engine is still very expensive to get second hand or from GM.
You can pick up complete Northstars and S/C 3800s for a song out of wrecked cars now so those swaps are much more prevelant.
Chris @ May 8th 2008 11:47PM
By the way, the turboed Ecotec has also been available for years in a fwd layout in the Saab 9-3.
Esprit bird @ May 7th 2008 4:12PM
I always wanted a Fiero...then i got married -_-
Maybe one day.
416Hammy @ May 7th 2008 4:13PM
So mid-engined Fieros suffered from engine fires...
...and mid-engined diesels suffer from engine fires (R8 V10 TDI concept)...
...therefore, a mid-engined diesel Fiero CANNOT suffer from engine fires, because two negatives make a positive?
Farris @ May 7th 2008 4:22PM
Who said anything about diesel? The author is talking about a Direct Injected gasoline motor.
Also, from what I understand about the Fiero (not a whole lot, I will admit...):
The engine fires were caused by people driving the Iron Duke like it was a sports car, ie keeping the revs way up constantly, which it was not designed to do. This caused bad things to happen to the oil, which would spray onto the exhaust manifold, catching fire.
I could have sworn that Pontiac remedied as many of them as they could, but the damage to the public perception was done.
'Course, I was born the year the Fiero was cancelled, so it's not like I know any of this first hand.
Jake @ May 7th 2008 5:25PM
I think its a good idea.
I have a 2200 mated to a 5 speed in my car in its a lot better than the tired Iron Duke that came in the 84 that had the fires.
Its not OHC but I bet with a small Turbo it would put out enough to make the car a lot of fun to drive and still get good MPG.
The only thing stopping me is the money. :D
I am not afraid of a swap only the cost and time to do one. My V8 swap is done but the rest of the car is taking a long time, the 2200 was done before I got the car but the rest of the car is tired.
beken @ May 7th 2008 5:23PM
I'm willing to bet you never actually saw a Fiero engine fire yourself, have you? Most people who say Fieros catch engine fires have never actually seen it happen themselves.
jgp @ May 7th 2008 5:38PM
The V6 Fiero never had engine fires. The only Fiero with engine fires was the model with the Iron Duke/Tech IV, one of the worst engines ever made.
416Hammy @ May 7th 2008 5:40PM
@Farris
Oops... I was thinking TDI when I saw DI used. BTW, you do know your history quite well, for a young pup. ;-)
@beken
You're right. I haven't seen a Veyron break 250mph with my own eyes either, so I guess that must not be true either.
The Fiero started life as an engineering hack-job, with Pontiac cutting too many corners to avoid brand-cannibalization. It ended life unable to overcome its own past history.
MR2 FTW @ May 7th 2008 4:15PM
I drive a Supercharged 1988 MR-2. More reliable, better fuel economy, and it's faster than the V6 Fiero's. Also it doesn't catch on fire, which is generally good.
DetroitWhat @ May 8th 2008 1:06AM
Does it run on soy sauce too?
Torrent @ May 7th 2008 4:15PM
It sounds doable, but why not just get an HHR SS or a GXP?