“Neoclassical” models describes much of what Zimmer’s U.S. lineup consisted of, and while creativity was through the roof, driving dynamics were largely an afterthought. Believe it or not, there is a Pontiac Fiero hiding underneath that swoopy exterior, and today some collectors still believe limited production alone is enough to command a high asking price. Find this Zimmer Quicksilver here on craigslist for $22,500 and go here if the ad is archived.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Rocco B. for the find. The Quicksilver may not look anything like a Fiero from the outside, but it’s all there – right down to a wheezy six-cylinder mounted midship, and paired to an automatic transmission. Enthusiasts claim only about 170 were ever built, making it one of the rarer oddballs to materialize out of the 80s – but in this case, the question is whether that exclusivity demands a high asking price.
The interior is the dead giveaway as to this car’s origins, with the tightly-bolstered bucket seats straight out of a Fiero, along with pretty much the whole interior. I don’t mind taking one car and building another, but the whole execution seems rather short-sighted: add some huge chrome bumpers, extend the nose by several feet and call it a day? Sure, it maintained Zimmer’s adherence to combining multiple eras of style in one car, but what were buyers really getting?
My favorite feature is the steering wheel, as this was a popular 80s aftermarket design for European makes that I’m more than a little shocked to see inside a Zimmer. There’s no doubt the low mileage has kept this one well-preserved, but details like the strawberry-scented air freshener are legitimate causes for concern. While I applaud the seller for preserving a truly bizarre creation like the Quicksilver, I do think the price needs to come back down to earth to encourage a sale.
Never ceases to amaze me where you find a fiero.
Have they yet surpassed the beetle in terms of the crazy stuff bolted on top of them? Lol.
Whenever I see these I must be careful with my comments as I knew the designer. He did some really good stuff too – his personal driver was the best looking Bugatti Type 35 inspired “replica” but it was on a 4WD Jeep (or maybe International) chassis – really much better than it sounds but just as outrageous as what you might imagine!
Looks kinda like the love child of a Pontiac Grand Prix and a Thunderbird . . . but not really bad looking, just weird. As for the price, well without seeing the car in person,how can you say? If it’s fabulous with no needs, what else you gonna get for your 22? A year old Corolla??
Totally “Eye of the beholder”…Maybe the seat folds down in the back for easier engine service.
I remember one of these was on the cover of Motor Trend in 1986 or ’87, if memory serves. I liked them, especially the chrome laden rear end.
I heard the main reason Zimmer stopped producing it is because Pontiac stopped making the Fiero, so at least the Quicksilver was around for two or three years.
Was on Car and Driver.
Thanks for confirming what the Myth Buster’s proved. You can put a shine on a turd.
Find a big construction blender put 1/3 of a 67 Toronado, 1/3 85 Fiero, 1/3 85 Eldorado and that’s what you have.
Maybe the proportions in the pic vs in person are off, but I would have guessed it was an Olds Tornado of the same vintage. Perhaps even an unmodified one… like a weird cross between a Tornado and a Riv… ;)
I was thinking Olds or Buick Riviera with a bumper from a 70’s model.
Some angles good, other angles, um… awkward.
Wait a minute – when you feature a V6 Fiero, that’s the hot engine to have, but here it’s wheezy.
I remember reading the Motor Trend story on the Zimmer. It was an interesting idea, kind of an in-one-era-and-out-another design that typified some of the styling excesses of the1980s.
A 4×4 Type 35, Chinga-Trailer? Now that IS different!
I don’t blame the owner for not driving this very much.
You gotta love the Corvette parts on this car. I don’t think they helped it though.
If Buick or Olds had their own variant of the Fiero, it could have looked something like these. I kinda wanna do an ’80s Buick T-type treatment to one of these — swap in a 3800 S/C, paint the chrome bumpers and rocker trim in metallic graphite, blackout the rest of the trim, add salad-shooter alloys, et voila!
A perfect example where “rare” does NOT mean “valuable.”
I have to say I don’t have fond feelings about any form of Fiero’s. When they first came out I saw one at a new car show. Being in the mood for a new car I tried it out, getting into the car. Where that’s where the joy ended, I got into the car but was not able to extricate myself, I was stuck in there. It was length, not the width that was the problem: 160 lbs and 6’4″ tall. I couldn’t get out of it. I finally was able to climb over the console and drag myself out of it via the passenger door.
That was my one and only experience with a Fiero and that was enough for me.
The car looks good for what it is but it’s not for me.
I’m 6’3 190lbs, have had 2 Fieros. Even drove one cross country and never had a problem getting in and out and was surprised at the leg room. Cramped? For sure. But what 2 seater isn’t?
I’m 6’1″ and at the time 235 pounds…my two friends were of similar size; by using the console as a makeshift seat and removing the sunroof, all three of us fit. Fortunately for us, the base MPs were quite forgiving of our antics.
$22k for people to laugh at me? No thanks.
On a related note, just in case you wondered where all the Fiero’s went…They are in a wrecking yard near Ardmore AL. I drove by and did a double take. Tried to post a photo but it failed, here’s the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheFieroFactory/
Here’s their photo:
I saw one last year in person that was painted Mercedes silver and the owner had swapped in an LS motor, added extra sound deadening and some other refinements. I wouldn’t buy one, but I was surprised that I actually liked it.
gorgeous example! why no pic of the expensive chrome grille? i’d take all i could get.
Just for the record, the car was featured by Car and Driver, not M/T. BaT held an auction for one recently!
I lived around the corner from the Zimmer factory in Pompano beach Fl and remember seeing the Quick silvers and the other car they built the Golden Spirit which was a stretched mustang 5.0. They Always had a bunch in the lot waiting for pickup. Along a sidewall were front clips off the mustangs.
Were the cars ever picked up?
I’ve heard of the Zimmer Quicksilver. I remember seeing an article for the car in either Car and Driver, or Road and Track back in the day. I thought it was quite a handsome looking car. At the time, I thought it was way better looking than the Pontiac Fiero from which it was based.
There’s a fiero sitting outside a tire shop in Kemp, Texas. The owner got it for his son but he didn’t want it, when I asked if he would sell it he hem hawed around and wouldn’t give a direct answer. I always heard how they caught fire a lot. I wanted to make a custom dune buggy out of it, but it never happened.
$22,000. ? Seriously
final yr wuz the best, upgraded until almost perfect. That’n fiat x/9 (or whatever it is) R great rally cars. Not bad 4 USA in that yr.
What was the v8 used in them so often aftr mrkt?
Nother co. “Ferrari” s them w/chin spoiler, etc…
Thanks, Jeff.
The 4.1 and 4.9 Cadillac engines…supercharged 3.8 is another popular choice.
Soundtrack by Hans.
Odometer looks futzed with.