In 1964, Car & Driver magazine famously compared Pontiac’s new-for-’64 GTO (Gran Turismo Omologato) to Ferrari’s version, concluding that the Italian might be faster on a road course, but the American GTO gets the drag strip win. Fast forward 20 years and Pontiac’s mid-engine sports car, the Fiero, spawned aftermarket body kits to transform the attractive two-seater into a Ferrari lookalike. This package deal in Elkhart, Indiana includes two such 1987 Fiero-arris for one price. The listing here on eBay has attracted over a dozen bids with at least $4500 offered.
While readily distinguishable from Ferrari’s lovely 308, the lines and even the wheels make a fine tribute to the Italian super-car. Since both cars share a two-passenger mid-engine configuration, the transformation comes less contrived than other attempts.
The 2.8L V6 makes 140 HP, enough for some back-road fun but nothing serious. Several options exist to get more Ferrari-like power in these cars. The silver car features the five-speed manual and the yellow car an automatic. They were cherished “His and Hers” cars before the former owner sadly lost his wife in 1999. They languished in storage until about four years ago when the current owner acquired them. Since then they’ve been outdoors, and now the seller’s declining health forces another sale.
Both engines have run in recent years, but this duet will need a full going-through before they can be enjoyed again. Both motors are free-turning. One car has locked brakes and the other a locked alternator. I’ve driven a five-speed Fiero GT. They are good-handling cars despite a predilection for understeer when pushed, a condition easily cured by ridiculous horsepower. If you bought this pair, which one is yours and who gets the other?
I didn’t want to clutter up the piece but one more story… My friend had a Fiero GT when they were fairly new and uncommon in rural Pennsylvania. We were cruising and a FWD Olds Calais came up under our rear bumper. My friend wasted no time leading the Olds to a bypass onramp and floored the Pontiac about the time most people would be slowing for safety. The Olds dropped back but I could see him behind us almost on three wheels. After some more antics, the driver flashed his lights a couple times and we pulled into a convenience store, hoping he wanted to talk and not blow our heads off. Luckily he was simply curious about the Fiero. He came around the front and looked at the logo and said “What does that say? Ferrari?” We were like “No, man; it’s a Pontiac.” He thought it was the coolest thing ever. We gave him props on the five-speed Calais and his skillful thrashing. Most people never know how well their cars corner, but he used up every bit of grip that Olds and its skinny tires could muster. Never saw him again.
That sound like the guy that hid one million in the snow along the road in Minnesota. I think they found him in a wood chipper by a lake. Was he kinda funny looking?
The bodies always seemed to sit so high on these kit cars. Especially in the wheel wells
According to Wikipedia only 247 of these were produced by a company called Corporate Concepts and that they were sold thru Pontiac dealers as the Pontiac Mera. I had never heard this before
In my old age I vaguely recall a story about the Fiero GT and Prince Albert of Monaco. Apparently the prince was quite smitten with the car but Pontiac couldn’t/wouldn’t sell him one. That was a major PR fail.
If Pontiac had licensed the 308 shape from Ferrari they could have continued production for at least another 3 years. These look remarkably cool. I think I’ll show them to my local Fiero maven and see if he wants one. Or two.
Ah the old Pontiac vs Ferrari GTO story. To set the record straight, the Pontiac was NOT the car you could order. The car used in the magazine article was modified. It had a 421 instead of a 389. The gears in the rear differential were also I believe changed. To exactly what, I don’t recall. The article was some good reading though. To put some light on to which car was the one to buy, Ferrari GTO sold for like $70 million dollars and Pontiac GTO in pristine shape $70 thousand dollars. Apples to Oranges. As far as Fiero? Enough said.
The ringer still exists: https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2019/03/28/jim-wanger-1964-gto-car-and-driver-cover
Another interesting footnote about the article is that they had no Ferarri GTO. The comparison was pure conjecture.
After it got out that the Ferrari in Miami Vice was a Corvette, people lost their damn minds. There has been so many Fiero conversions done that a Fiero with all original body panels is rarer than the kit car crap job car. Pontiac always wanted to build their version of an American sports car. But NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO! Chevrolet didn’t want it. Chevrolet stole the center console from the Firebird/Trans Am for 1974. It got a peek at the end caps for the Firebirds rear spoiler and presented them as their own. The GM acceleration hierarchy was as follows from the beginning of the F-body till the demise of Pontiac. Corvette is the fastest, followed by the Firebird and finally the Camaro. Pontiac engines are heavier than a big block Chevrolet. Do you ever wonder why the Rat motor was not in a 2nd. gen Camaro after 1973? Pontiac got to build the Fiero and imagine that it was designed strong enough and enough room to have a small block Chevy installed. After the Fiero Pontiac got to build the Solstice along with the Saturn Sky. Surprise, surprise, Hot Rod Magazine wrote an article about how to install a Corvette LS in a Solstice. It was pre-engineered for this new drivetrain, so much so, that the design and all the tooling and spare parts were sold to a Spanish company who’s sole purpose was to build a little supercar with current Corvette drivetrains. The car is called, or was called, the Taro.
Years ago I tripped on a local car show in Logansport, Indiana one sunny afternoon. Spent a few hours looking at a wide variety of cars, some extremely well done. The one which caught my eye as a performer was a LS-swapped Solstice. Just plain WOW.
And to think, I have a mid nineties LT1 and drivetrain sitting in the garage…
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/hrdp-1009-what-ever-happened-to-smokeys-hot-vapor-engine/