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1985 Aldino Fiero: Are You Fooled?

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I am not a huge Ferrari fan. I didn’t spend my youth plastering posters of F40s and Daytonas on my walls like those other kids. But the Ferrari BBi Berlinetta Boxer was different – that was a car that got my blood pumping and still does to this day. Which is why you might understand how, with only a quick glance while scrolling through eBay listings, this faker caught my eye. It’s what I like to call a Fierarri, and it’s here on eBay with a $10,000 Buy-It-Now! 

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The seller says he is a Fiero collector, so I get that you might want to own every variant and one-off ever made. But I’m missing something, because this kit doesn’t even appear to fit this car all that well. The suspension appears jacked up, giving the car unsightly rake. The interior is only a little better, but the steering wheel and shift knob would need to be replaced ASAP in order to be taken seriously. It’s difficult to tell if the body kit installation was done at a high level, so an in-person inspection is vital.

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The engine is a turbocharged 3.4L pushrod, which should liven things up a bit considering the stock unit wasn’t a bad performer out of the box. But things look messy here, as there appears to be remnants of yellow overspray from a past attempt to paint the intake manifold. Still, the 3.4 conversion is well-documented as a popular engine swap for Fiero vehicles and combining the L32 V6 with turbocharging has got to be heaps of fun in a car like this.

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Image courtesy of hotrod.com

The shame of it is that this kit actually looks halfway decent when the suspension sits at a normal level and fatter rear wheels are incorporated. The kit was made by a company called Aldino, which appears to still be in business today. If you’re bent on making your Fiero stand out in the crowd, I’d finish what was started here and coat it all in a fresh black paint job. And then the last part is obvious: the vanity plate that says “Fierarri.”

Comments

  1. Avatar photo Jim

    I don’t see how a Fiero could be worth $10k but I must say I have seen “Fiero-Ferrari’s” that look very cool, but they are still Fieros!

    Like 0
    • Avatar photo pursang

      there is some sort of Ferrari / Fiero conversion on RT. 10 WB in East Hanover, NJ, north of River Road. In yellow, near the REI store. Been there for years.

      Always wanted to buy it and drive it to my boss’s home and let him deal with it.

      The horrors, the horrors.

      Like 0
      • Avatar photo Greg NJ2SC

        There is a red one on 46 in lodi nj as well. Been there for at least 10 years.

        Like 0
      • Avatar photo theGasHole

        Yes I have been past that many times (including today) and believe it’s at a car stereo shop. I honestly never thought it was a real car but some sort of plastic shell. Ugly tho. And I like Fieros.

        Like 0
  2. Avatar photo Mike

    This makes me ashamed to be a Hoosier.

    Like 0
  3. Avatar photo hhaleblian

    I was ashamed to be from Illannoy until I saw this. I feel better now. Thank you BF.

    Like 0
  4. Avatar photo Jason Houston

    Looks like a flimsy 98c Hotwheels bathtub toy. You can have all of mine.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar photo John

    I’d like it better if it came with the parts to put it back like it used to be. If you keep in mind that Fieros are NOT Ferraris, the later ones, especially the V6s, are really not bad little daily drivers. A good one is a pleasant place to spend a few hours. It just too bad that the car was never developed to its potential by its makers. It doesn’t need fake parts, just good ones.

    Like 0
  6. Avatar photo jim s

    i like them with the stock bodywork. this kit looks really bad and/or badly installed.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar photo Dan h

    IMHO, making one brand of car look like another brand is artrosious. Better off NOT trying to make it look like a Ferrari but instead keep it as a Fierro with some body mods and a built up engine. It would at least not be as embasassing ro drive, maybe even a little bit fun.

    Like 0
  8. Avatar photo 300guy

    The seller is from Noblesville…kinda strange area anyhow. Makes since in a quirky way…

    Obviously, I have exactly ZERO desire for this car. Now, if anyone knows where a ’12 300 srt8 is with sub 50k mileage and mid 20’s on price…call me. LOL!

    Like 0
  9. Avatar photo krash

    ….didn’t we already have enough reasons to want to forget Fieros….

    ….and now you bring us this…..

    ….God, just take my sight now!!

    Like 0
    • Avatar photo Jeff Staff

      Please accept my deepest and extremely sincere apologies. ;-)

      Like 0
  10. Avatar photo Kevin Harper

    I like kit cars. I am fine with Tupperware cobras with 302s, D or C types with independent rear suspension vs the correct, or even a Stratos with an alfa engine. I really like the self designed cars like the ultima gtr. But I really hate these kind of poor copies and bad builds, they are what give kit cars a bad name.

    Like 0
    • Avatar photo Jeff Staff

      Agreed – there are some nicely executed ones out there. Even on cars that may not be my style, if it’s done right, I’ll give it a thumbs up. But when executed sloppily, it’s a total turn off.

      Like 0
  11. Avatar photo theGasHole

    When I was growing up in the 80’s and early 90’s I had a bunch of Fiero body kit brochures, most likely ordered from KitCar Magazine. I really liked Fieros then and still have a soft spot for them now.
    Some of the body kits offered back then were pretty cool. I never liked the idea of turning a Fiero into a Ferrari, or Lamborghini, or what have you. I did like some of the elements of the kits and I always thought if you applied some elements of the kits to a Fiero it could look pretty good. Corson Fiero made a really good looking droptop Fiero kit which IIRC was about $10k back in the late 80’s-early 90’s.

    Like 1

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