The Pontiac Fiero was a fun car to be around. If in doubt, take a look at the original promotional videos near the bottom. I personally spent a lot of time in and around this car.
In late 1983 Pontiac unleashed the mid engine sports car on the general public. At the time, I was enjoying my 2nd year as a certified dealership mechanic.
Pontiac launched a giant marketing campaign pushing the new fiberglass sports car. General Motors successfully lobbied for the official use of the pace car designation on the new model. Hence, the 1984 Fiero Special Edition was born.
I worked at one of the largest Pontiac dealers in the United States at the time. It was two typical large dealerships put together and it had about 60 auto repair bays, not counting the separate body shop and on-site detail center. Many PMD (Pontiac Motor Division) executives called it the flagship, because it sold more cars then all others in the zone combined.
The reason I am trying to give you an idea about the size of the place is because on many days every single bay had a Fiero in it.
Truly a sight to behold. You could stand in the center of the shop and look around all 360 degrees and see nothing but white, black and red ones. Other colors weren’t offered until 1985.
So in early 1984 every bay of the largest dealership I ever worked in was occupied with some type of warranty repair on a Fiero. The mechanics at this dealership nicknamed the vehicle the Pontiac Repairo. Being honest, what it really meant for all of us was job security.
Pontiac Fun for One on a Straight Line Run
This two seat flying wedge was a fun car when it first came out and it got better with every single year they built it.
Of course, they had plenty of room for improvement since the first year had major problems. The fun really got started when they launched the GT model. It could really get up and go and the five speed stick-shift transaxle would chirp second gear when speed shifted.
Behind the dealership was basically just a bunch of streets laid out with no homes, because of a new-home developer that went into bankruptcy. Many of the fun loving mechanics use to take the Fiero’s and race them on this empty road course like go carts.
Advantages of the Pontiac Fiero
Since this automobile is made out of fiberglass it doesn’t rust away like many other vehicles of the 80’s. For this reason you’ll still see the Pontiac Fiero out on the road and available for sale.
Another nice thing about this mid-engine sports car is all the cool upgrade kits available. Sure many are body kits that make it look like some other kind of car, but my favorite upgrade would be the V8 conversion kit.
You can supercharge the original V6 or you can go for the V8 upgrade conversion kit that turns it into a little monster. If you decide that you want one, and prefer to keep it in stock condition, make sure all of the outstanding recalls are completed.
You can still get parts at many GM dealerships by campaign number. The local pull and pick junkyard is another place to find components. Even though Pontiac is out of business it will continue to be supported for years to come.
Fiero Has 99 Problems but No Fun Ain’t One
I’m not sure if it’s true, but my shop foreman told me the 1984 Pontiac Fiero holds the record for the most recalls on any single model car ever built.
My foreman Mr Dave McKenna, was one of the top Pontiac mechanics in the United States. His picture was on the GM Philadelphia regional training center wall. I’m not sure if what he said is true, but I can tell you the recalls I performed on the vehicle were very serious ones.
One that comes to mind, would be an upgraded parking brake system. The factory installed parking brake would not adjust properly for rear brake wear and wouldn’t hold the vehicle on a hill.
This is a big problem, because most of these cars came through with the manual transmissions option. The biggest safety item they had recalled was for engine compartment fires.
I remember a few months after they released the car in late 1983 we had a few come back on the flatbed that suffered from this problem.
I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a fiberglass car burned to the ground, but basically it looks like a charred melted lump of plastic. The vehicle was no longer identifiable after the engine compartment fire consumed it.
I remember a fireman stopped by to see the aftermath. He said the flames were of epic proportions. Pontiac performance has a list of Fiero safety campaign numbers and required parts online.
Fiero Fun for Everyone, bookmark or share with a friend.
Original Pontiac Fiero Commercial
Fiero GT Burn Out
This car makes for a great project vehicle because you can still get parts and the body will never rust out. You can also get dealership quality auto repair manuals for it.
I owe a debt of gratitude to Pontiac for taking a chance on a mid-engine sports car that made sure there was plenty of work for factory trained mechanics. This next page will take you to other vehicles that can be included in the fast hot cars category.
If you are a fan of these kinds of vehicles then this next story will probably interest you. A site visitor submitted their own story about a 1984 Pontiac Fiero project car and a repair that should be considered if you own one of these vehicles.
One thing that I can say about the auto-facts.org website is that it covers many different topics related to the automotive subject. This next link will take you to the home page that provides a brief rundown of what else is included on this website and how to get answers to those burning automotive questions.