From 1980 to 1988, a very popular TV show called Magnum PI depicted a private detective who tooled around Hawaii in a Ferrari 308. In a country already in love with cars of all sorts, Americans fell in love with the Ferrari in the show and it wasn’t long before the 308 was the Ferrari everyone associated with the brand. Meanwhile, a company called Corporate Concepts capitalized on this craze to make what could be called a Ferrari 308 replica using a Pontiac Fiero as the foundation. Unlike many replicas, this one had almost perfect proportions. Cast your eyes on this red 1987 Pontiac Mera for sale on craigslist in Phoenix, Arizona. In great condition and with just 38,800 miles, is this the Thomas Magnum tribute car you want to drive? Is it worth the $26,500 asking price? Thanks go to T.J. for this fabulous Ferrari-like find!
The eighties were such a wonderful time to be alive. If you loved television and cars, there was perhaps no finer era in human existence. Every show seemed to have easy-to-follow plot lines, heroic characters, and awesome vehicles. From supersonic attack helicopters to talking Trans Ams, every night there was great entertainment just a turn of the knob away. You also didn’t have three thousand channels available to confuse you. During that time, Ferrari’s basic entry-level 308 became a star on Magnum PI. Just as Burt Reynolds sold a whole lot of Trans Ams for Pontiac, Tom Selleck should get a new Ferrari every year for life for the exposure he gave the automaker in the American market.
The problem was that the average American consumer didn’t have Ferrari money. Even the entry-level 308 costs far more than the average Camaro, Corvette, or Mustang that the average American customer used no. Also, this was not the type of car you jacked up on Saturday morning for an oil change. With the replica and kit car movement in full swing, a company called Corporate Concepts came upon the idea of using the new Pontiac Fiero as a base for a lookalike Ferrari 308. Dubbed the Mera, this vehicle took advantage of Fiero’s space frame design to create new body parts that bolted onto the mid-engine sports car.
The big problem was, and is today, that Ferrari is very interested in making sure their various trademarks, patents, and intellectual properties are well protected. In Mera brochures and in every type of communication where Corporate Concepts was able to convey the point, they made an almost Herculean effort to state that the Mera was not a copy or replica of any car and that no common lines were shared. While you may not be able to lift a fender off a Mera and bolt it directly to a 308, the wheelbase and proportions of the Fiero were perfectly suited to making a car that looked very Ferrari-like. Of course, the mid-engine design of the Fiero made it all possible as well.
Looking at this 1987 example of a Mera, you can see the subterfuge is almost perfect until a hatch or door is opened. Instead of supple, Italian leather and the legendary chromed shifter gate, we get the usual expanse of GM plastic. This car also has a set of custom seats that look at first glance to be seat covers. The seller tells us that the car is equipped with air conditioning, an AM/FM cassette player-equipped sound system, power windows, power locks, a tilt steering wheel, and cruise control.
Powering the car is a 2.8-liter V-6 backed by a five-speed manual transmission. A 16″ set of wheels from Europe get the power to the ground. The car is advertised to run, drive well, and be in good condition.
Given that there were only 247 Meras made in 1987 and 1988, nice examples are hard to find. With a $26,500 asking price, one would think that figure would be a bit too high. The situation that made the Mera attractive to certain folks in the eighties is still an issue today. Ferrari 308s are selling for well over the asking price of this very presentable vehicle. If you have a crush on a Ferrari 308, but don’t have the money to pony up, then the Mera may still hold some appeal.
Have you ever owned a Mera or a Fiero for that matter? What was the experience like? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Hopefully they have the 1988 suspension under it or better. Really clean proportional lines especially for a kit car of this era. The ‘80’s sucked for American performance without aftermarket upgrades but sometimes someone would hit it out of the park (Callaway and Greenwood as examples).
The LX 5.0 Ford Mustang was a pretty good deal and performer in the 80s
I always liked them simply because it made for a good looking Fiero. Unlike almost all Fiero body kits, this one was spot on.
If it was $13K, I’d be thinking hard about it. $26.5…no thanks.
The problem with most kit cars are that the proportions and design relationships weren’t always right. The Mera was spot on. I’m a fiero fan anyway so that’s another plus.
I appreciate GM making the fiero. Nowadays no company would dare venture too far off the cuv recipe anymore.
Agreed, Mike, the Mera was the best Fiero body kit!
It looks great, i think low 20’s is about right, i doubt you will fool any car nuts. Good thing it is a manual.
I remember the Court battle between Ferrari and GM over this vehicle. GM had to stop using the Ferrari name plates on the vehicle. But this is a great example of a Fiero would look like . I seen one up close at dealership it was beautiful looking. A supercharger will look cool on this motor and give it great take off..Good luck to the next owner. 🐻🇺🇸
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GM was not involved in these at all, aside from manufacturing the bone-stock Fiero donor cars that Corporate Concepts then bought and transformed into Meras. While some Pontiac dealers offered the Mera conversion as a “dealer option” on new Fieros (comparable to ordering a new conversion van), they did so without the blessing or involvement of Pontiac or GM. As such, it would have been Corporate Concepts and perhaps those Pontiac dealers who got sued by Ferrari, not GM itself.
#1 GM was not involved…. it was Corporate Concepts that got sued…. AND NEVER was a Ferrari Badge affixed at “the factory” EVER! just to clear that up
I’ve had 2 of these one Mera and one kit car body. Both were fun drivers. I used one as a daily driver last winter lol. Should of seen the looks when I’d go to Walmart in a snow storm in it. My daughter’s friend posted a video of me doing donuts in the snow at Walmart. They didn’t know it was me and when my daughter saw it she was like hey were you out doing donuts in your car last night. Lol yup but u should not drive like that. Anyway Ferrari looks fiero budget very nice ones are selling for 20k u can pick up a runner with cosmetic issues for 10-15 depending on condition. I have done a 3800 supercharged swap into a fiero and would run circles around my buddies real 308. And at 10 percent if the cost. I should have kept the Mera and done the 3800 swap to it but I wanted to build a 55f100. Good fun cars as long as you don’t take life serious and try to tell someone it’s a real Ferrari.
Good looking car, but I think a standard Fiero is just as good looking, maybe more so, esp with the slotted Pontiac wheels. A nice Fiero is going to be much cheaper than this, that is how I would go. Besides, why would you want people looking at you in what they think is an exotic car. I have ridden in some of my friends Ferraris and let me tell ya, not all those glances aimed at you look friendly. People tend to see snobbery behind those wheels, whether it is true or not. When we would get out to fuel the car, we might have someone come over to ask a question, but more glares than anything else. With the economic realities of this nation presently, I have to believe it is not going to be any better.
You had me at “cassette player”!
One Magnum Fiero used for driving scenes was last seen sitting neglected behind a building on a CBS lot somewhere. Hopefully someone was able to save it.
I don’t get it. It’s not a Ferrari so why on earth would you want people to think it is, status?? Maybe you want your Fiero more attractive to uneducated car thieves?
Instead of this kit I think I’d spend the money on performance upgrades for the Fiero and enjoy that proudly.
take off the F-Car badges…. and drop a 3800 SC in the back and then understand “why” a little more…. i did :)
Looks like it’s in good condition, probably a little overpriced, but if you’ve just got to have it, maybe it’s worth that much.
I’m not sure that the term ‘kit car’ is appropriate for these.
It is my understanding that they were all produced from brand new Fieros and the complete conversion was carried out by Corporate Concepts to an extremely high standard.
Living in Australia I have never seen one but then I have never seen a Fiero in the flesh either.
It’s a wonder that all the Ferrari badging – the prancing horse on the body and the hubcaps, the pininfarina badge on on the rear fender – doesn’t attract the attention of Ferrari. If I owned this car, I would remove all those badges. Otherwise, this looks like high-quality construction.
Ferrari did sue Corporate Concepts (and perhaps the affiliated Pontiac dealers as well), but it’s not clear if CC/dealers fitted any Ferrari logo/script badging vs. owners just finding and fitting those on their own.
It must have been much easier to cover up the exterior than it was to cover up the interior. Same problem with most of these types of cars.
The Fiero exterior wasn’t so much “covered up” as completely replaced with new body panels, as they all just unbolt from the underlying spaceframe — a construction approach GM later applied to the Saturn S-series sedans/coupes.
i have one 1987…. got it for 9K in ’09 then had a 3800 SC on the back and that all it needs! so fun to drive and it gets the looks…. the best part is when i hear “kit car” and i get to show the sales ad from YouTube and explain the story…. thats when its gets real good. people are all abuzz and it attracts a crowd after like 30 minutes after i arrive :)
i have all Mera Badging too No F-Car emblems for My Mera X