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Mid-Engine Survivor: 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT

It’s hard to think any car from the ‘80s as being a survivor but that’s exactly what you get with this 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT. An unmolested survivor in very good condition with only 67,000 original miles. The Fiero, however, does have somewhat of a checkered past, but more on that in a moment. The Fiero chassis has become the go-to chassis for building European super kit cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche. If you’re looking for a nice driver or a future kit car then head to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to check out this 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT or find it here on eBay where current bidding is up to $2,025 with no reserve.

The GM brass was initially opposed to the Fiero concept because they felt another two-seat sports car might compete with their flagship sportscar the Corvette. After some retooling of the design to a 2.5L four-cylinder engine and repositioning of the car in the marketplace as a “commuter” sports car with mpg estimates of 31 in the city and a whopping 51 on the highway, it was approved for production. The Fiero was extremely popular when it was released and the demand for more power eventually led to the release of the V6 Fiero GT featured here.  Unfortunately, there were reliability issues and design flaws that led some Fieros to catch fire. Although the fire issues were almost exclusively related to the 1984 model year Pontiac couldn’t shake the bad press and production was halted after only 5 years and GM was eventually forced to issue a recall to make corrective measures. The good news is the popularity of the Fiero is on the upswing.

The interior is fairly clean with no rips in the upholstery. The carpet does show some discoloration and the poorly installed aftermarket stereo detracts from what otherwise is a clean dash appearance.

Out back, in this mid-engine layout, we find the aforementioned V6 engine that was available in 1986 on the GT. The 140 hp engine mated to the 4-speed gearbox produced 0-60 times in just under 8 seconds and quarter-mile times in the low 16-second range. The engine compartment could use some detailing but otherwise, everything looks complete and in order.

In 1986 the Fiero was available in four colors but if you are going to own a Fiero it should be red right? The red paint on this one is holding up well with no obvious dings or scratches. All moldings, trim and badges are intact and in good condition giving this little Fiero a nice curb appeal. This is a nice clean example of what could become a pretty rare car and a good deal at its current bid price. What do you think, is this a car that deserves to be preserved or is it destined to be a future kit car?

Comments

  1. Avatar Classic Steel

    Oh these were interesting for sure.
    The two seater and rear engine reminded me of the lil Fiat X19 with a better looking body..

    The buzz on them was about fires and engines ..

    “Now add to this the fact that some of the connecting rods being used for the Fiero were found to be defective. An internal memo from Pontiac reveled the problem to be with anywhere from 10 to 40 percent of the connecting rods. This problem was only exacerbated by low engine oil levels, and fires would result. At least, this is one of the causes. A wiring harness mounted just above the exhaust manifold was also given to melting and starting electrical fires, and improperly-tightened head bolts would also sometimes crack the block and start a fire. Basically, there were a lot of things that could go wrong.”

    https://carbuzz.com/news/famous-for-catching-fire-pontiac-fiero

    Like 4
  2. Avatar Frank M

    Beautiful car but not a GT. GT’s came out in 1985 and have a 3 spoke steering wheel and 1986 and beyond also have the sail panels instead of the notch back. Some ambitious customizers have converted notch back to sail panels, but the 4 spoke steering wheel is a dead giveaway. We almost bought a converted one several years ago. But they couldn’t/wouldn’t come up with a title. :-)

    Like 3
  3. Avatar 409 Jim

    The Fiero offered here is a Fiero SE, not a GT

    Like 6
  4. Avatar JoeNYWF64

    They should have introduced the fastback at the beginning & built only that.
    Prefer the earlier less heavy looking nose.
    Could you get 1 w/o a/c?

    Like 1
    • Avatar Ralph

      As far as I recall, a/c was optional the whole run, though most Fieros did have it, the only ones I’ve seen without it were usually very basic 4 cylinder Fieros.

      Like 0
    • Avatar Ralph

      A/C was not standard, but I’ve only seen really base 4 cylinder Fieros w/o a/c.

      Like 0
  5. Avatar AndyP

    I hate to say it
    But the plastic body panels on these and the Saturn cars were amazing
    I parked in a Go Train public parking in Toronto for 20 years where people don’t car and let the door fly into the car in thw wind
    Plastic panels kept my car looking nice long
    And any scratch almost buffed out with no effort

    Like 3
    • Avatar JoeNYWF64

      You dont see that today, because most everyone is driving grandpa’s favorite – vehicles with lot shorter & lighter 4 doors.
      I’d rather drive an old beater 2 door with dents!
      A beater 2nd gen super heavy f-body door can inflict some mighty heavy damage on a car who dared to park too close.
      & sometimes you accidentally lost a grip on 1 of those doors when you opened it. lol

      Like 0
  6. Avatar GeorgeL

    Ordinarily, I’d say the manual transmission is always the car to have, but from what I remember test driving these when new, the low seating position made for very awkward shifts and it wasn’t the smoothest manual to operate, either. If I was going for a Fiero, I’d probably choose an automatic.

    Like 1
  7. Avatar DonC

    Buy it! Convert immediately to a Countach!

    Like 0
  8. Avatar Joe

    Joe4340 In 1986 they only offer the Fiero 2M4 (4 cyl) and 2M6 (6 cyl). This is a 2M6. GT wasn’t offered until later.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Ralph

      No there was a Fiero GT in 1985, it had the 1984 Fiero Indy bodywork and a V6.

      Like 1
      • Avatar Frank M

        True. In 86 the sail panels were added. Also the 85 had the 3 spoke steering wheel.

        Like 0
  9. Avatar Marko

    Fiero VIN decoder, says the 5th digit “F” indicates it is an SE model.

    My ’85 SE has the afore mentioned Three Spoke steering wheel, usually referred to as the Formula wheel. Was used in Firebirds too.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Bbob

    I had the 87 4cyl ,great car ,just to low ,suvs could not see me when I was next to them .I was below there mirrow.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Steve S

      Bbob my dad had a gold 87 fiero with the 4tec 4 cylinder engine and 5 speed manual transmission. The car had between 150k and 200k miles on it. To George it was pretty comfortable to shift the seating position didn’t make it awkward to shift at all. All you had to do was drop your hand a few inches and the gear shifter was pretty much right next to the steering wheel. You could also rest your arm on the center armrest to shift very comfortably also. The steering wheel had 2 spokes on each side of the steering wheel with a horn button between them on each side of the steering wheel. The only bad thing the horn buttons could break pretty easily.

      Like 1
  11. Avatar Steve Grajek

    The Formula’s were pretty cool.

    Like 0
  12. Avatar dogwater

    Buyer be wear the engine is are to work on ……..

    Like 0
  13. Avatar P Wentzell

    GeorgeL – YES! My boss (back in the day) got a new GT w/5speed, and to say shifting and the driver position was awkward would be an understatement.

    Like 0

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