1986 Pontiac Fiero GT 

Ah...the Pontiac Fiero GT:  America's only mid-engined sports car.  Never seen one on the streets?  The "fastback GT" model above is one of approximately 40,000 that were made worldwide from 1986 to 1988.

Ever since chopping up a 1985 Fiero GT "notchback" to build my Ferrari replica, I've had a longing to own an orginal fastback.  I spotted this car in April 1999 at a second-class used car lot in Wynantskill, NY.  It was a one-owner car with now 68,000 original miles on it.   It has original paint and is garage kept.

Okay, I know what you're saying...it's a mid-engined sports car, big f***ing deal.  Well, until you've driven a mid-engined car, you have no idea what you are missing.  Lemme explain:  since the engine is in the back of the car (but mounted forward of the rear axle - hence the term "mid" engine), this more closely balances the weight ratio from front to back (45% / 55%), which drastically improves the handling. 

Just to give you an idea, most front enginesports cars (e.g. Camaros, Corvettes, Mustangs) have so much weight in the front that when they corner, they tend to "push" into the turn at higher speeds.  We've all experienced this is exaggerated sense in a front-engined car on an ice-covered road: it just won't turn and you slam straight into the snowbank (or, worse yet, another car).  In the business, this is called "understeering", and is the primary reason why many of the higher end sports car makes (i.e. Ferrari, Porsche) use a mid-engined platform.  How about a "rear engined" sports car?  Well, you have just the opposite effect - "oversteering", or what most laypeople refer to as"fishtailing."  

Another unique (at this price range, anyway) feature of the Fiero is that it has four-wheel disc brakes and a low center of gravity.  Disc brakes are not "self-energizing" like drum brakes. (Drum brakes continue to apply themselves through centrifugal force after the brake pedal is initally depressed, sometimes resulting in the brakes "locking up" which causes the driver to temporarily lose control over the vehicle.)  The four-wheel disc brakes allow the driver to give very minute braking inputs into the system without getting a lag or delayed reaction. 

The Fiero only weighs a bit more than a ton because most of the body panels are made from SMC fiberglass as opposed to steel, and the reduced weight doesn't hurt its performance.

The Fiero GT isn't the fastest car out on the road today, but what makes it interesting is that they are seldom seen.  I saw more Ferraris  than Fieros on the road last summer.  (Come to think of it, I saw more Fieros than Pintos...)  Nevertheless, it is a very exciting car to drive, hence Pontiac's marketing slogan during the days of the Fiero:  "We Build Excitment!"  

Hopefully you'll agree that these fastback GTs are timeless in design, and judging by the number of Fiero clubs worldwide, owning a Fiero puts you into a zealous fraternity of sports car enthusiasts.  I'm a member of both the Mid-Atlantic Fiero Owners Association and the New England Fiero Association. If you want to see for yourself you can read the accolades on the dozens of web sites dedicated to the Fiero, or you can drive one for yourself.  I recommend the latter.

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Fiero fans have visited this page since
January 21, 2000

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