Autoblog

Click on the image for more pictures of the Fiero Car Boat

Is there anything that the lowly Pontiac Fiero can't be turned into? We've seen Fiero off-roaders, Fiero Ferrari's and some Fiero conversions that completely defy classification. This latest find is not a driver, but a floater. Proving the phrase, "Where there's a will, there's a way," is the Fiero Car Boat. Judging from the pictures, somebody with some not-so-mad-fiberglassing skills has managed to make a Fiero watertight (at least we hope so!) and hang an outboard motor on the rear-end stern. The seller refers to his Fiero Car Boat as "The Best Advertisement Money Can Buy." Perhaps this is true... just so long as the amount of money being spent is very, very low. Some good news: it does come with a nice trailer. Thanks for the tip, Josh!


[Source: eBay Motors]

More than twenty years ago, Pontiac dealers sold their two-seat Fiero with a special "option" called the MERA. Essentially a complete re-body over the Fiero's then-advanced space frame, brand-new cars rolled out of the showroom looking much like a Ferrari 308. Over the next two years, 247 Fiero MERA models were built before Ferrari dropped a legal hatchet on the operation, and Corporate Concepts was forced to end production of their "kit."

We had put this blasphemy out of our minds until this week, when police in Rome uncovered a counterfeit car operation once again making fake Ferraris. In the Italian case, real customers (the police called them "car fanatics on a budget") were found to be paying upwards of $30,000 for each of these pseudo-Ferraris. The police report mentions that "donor cars" were involved, but they don't name names.

Photos released by the Italian police quickly confirmed our fears. In one image, a dusty red crackle-finish intake manifold proudly bears the Ferrari name. We recognize it as the 2.8-liter, 140-hp V6 that powered the Pontiac Fiero GT in 1988. The interior bares more irreverence as a knock-off Ferrari steering wheel tries to hide 80's-era GM switchgear. It is painfully obvious that the "Polizia" have stumbled upon an illegal reincarnation of the Fiero MERA, but this time on sacred Italian soil and offering more than one model. It is hard to imagine a criminal ring going this far to make a buck, but we are more stupefied by the knuckle-heads who actually paid them for these cars.

Thanks for the tip Mike!

[Source: Reuters]

Now here's a Fiero bodykit that's worthwhile. TransFX, a California-based custom car maker responsible for several GM concepts as well as lots and lots of Batman's cars, boats, and planes, built four of these bodies for a Universal Studios project. Designed to be mounted on a stretched Fiero chassis, only a single roadgoing version exists, and the Volo Auto Museum will sell that to you for $65,000. You could spend less than one third that price and pick up this body shell, allowing you to then dream up your own undercarriage. We think it'd be good with a Porsche Boxster plugged in underneath.

What you get for $14,000 is a very cool futuristic bodyshell on casters. The outside might look an awful lot like a car, but climbing underneath tells the whole story. There's nothing to this car, yet. Its just waiting for you to marry your chassis to its bodywork. Then you'll have the task of creating the entire wiring harness, installing all the lights, the interior, and about a quintillion little issues that always crop up with kit cars, which this essentially is. What we want to know is what ever became of the project these props were commissioned for. We also hope that whoever wins the auction at least uses a Fiero GT as a donor. It just wouldn't do to put this car on a 2M4. The Iron Duke is definitely not an engine befitting Batman. Then again, the GT's 2.8 is merely suited to Boy Wonder. Now, a Northstar starts to show promise. Hmm.

Thanks for the tip, Jordan!

Click on the image above to view the high-resolution gallery

As big as the muscle car market has become, not everybody wants to spend their weekends working on a vehicle that gets 8 mpg while still reaching 60mph slower than a V6 Accord. For some, their everyday transportation has become their passion. Other vehicles, like the 80's Monte Carlo or Buick Grand National, are collectible because they act as newer versions of the muscle cars of the 60s and 70s, but with smaller price tags.

While Gratiot avenue still reserved most of its space for vehicles that are older than I am, plenty of newer classics had their day in the (hot) sun as well. Our favorite was the Ferrari 328 GTS Fiero dressed up in its best Italian suit, and was on sale for "only" $13,000. There were three or four Prowlers, a few souped-up PT Cruisers, plenty of Corvettes, and a couple of Vipers as well. There was even a Dodge Nitro that someone dropped at least $15,000 on. Take a look at the high-res image gallery of our 80's-and-up shots from the Gratiot Cruise.

All photos Copyright ©2007 Chris Shunk / Weblogs, Inc.

Click image for mini-gallery

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]

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.

The news that is not 'right' has uncovered some interesting automotive tidbits while scouring through obscure trademark filings.

First, General Motors has patented the term "8 speed" for use with what is presumed to be an eight-speed transmission. Logical, no? That would put their premium brands, Buick and Cadillac, on par with Lexus' newest tranny int their flagship the LS460.

Second up, LLN says that on October 6th, 2006 (whaaa?), GM filed a 'published for opposition' writ through the trademark office for the word 'Firebird.' We have no idea what the designation 'published for opposition' means (is there a patent lawyer in the house?), but LLN contends that it's a necessary step when reregistering a title. This may be what Bob Lutz has been mentioning under the name 'GTO,' but what's more interesting is the 'Fiero' moniker has also been re-applied for. This may be the first step in the General's plan of offering a small, hard-top coupe, but if it's just a Solstice with a fixed lid, our interest is only mildly piqued. Doesn't the name Fiero imply a mid-ship layout? We think so.

Finally, Lexus may not be pursuing the whole perfection thing soon, as they've applied for two new slogans: "The Passionate Pursuit of Potential" and "The Pursuit of Potential." We think it may be best to let our readers do the analysis on those.

Ready, set, speculate!

[Source: LeftLaneNews]

Be prepared to 'go for baroque,' because we know you've always privately lusted for a bold restyling of Pontiac's Fiero. Always keeping our readership in mind, we couldn't wait to pass along this minty-fresh red Zimmer Quick Silver now at auction. The 1986 model seen here is motivated by the General's 2.8-liter V6, and sports a full red-cow interior, along with plenty of timber paneling. As it has yet to hit its reserve price on eBay, perhaps someone will be able to catch a small bargain.

As the seller notes: "PLEASE NOTE: This is a professional restoration shop quality, factory quality refinish, NOT a Bubba, low cost slam some paint on it respray."

Interested parties are advised to bid now, before West Coast Customs catches wind of this chrome-dipped mid-engined oddity. If the Quick Silver's styling is a bit conservative, might we suggest this Elvis-approved Stutz Blackhawk instead?

[Source: eBay]