Pontiac Fiero
| Pontiac Fiero | |
|---|---|
1988 Fiero Formula
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Pontiac (General Motors) |
| Production | August 1983 – August 1988 |
| Model years | 1984–1988 |
| Assembly | United States: 900 Baldwin Avenue, Pontiac, Michigan (Pontiac Assembly) |
| Designer | Hulki Aldikacti & George Milidrag |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Sports car |
| Body style | |
| Layout | Transverse mid-engine, rear-wheel drive |
| Platform | P-body |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Transmission |
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| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,373 mm (93.4 in) |
| Length | 1984–1986: 4,072 mm (160.3 in) 1987–1988: 4,144 mm (163.1 in) 1987–1988 GT: 4,193 mm (165.1 in) |
| Width | 1984–1986: 1,750 mm (68.9 in) 1987–1988: 1,753 mm (69.0 in) |
| Height | 1,191 mm (46.9 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,116 to 1,265 kg (2,460 to 2,789 lb) |
The Pontiac Fiero is a mid-engined sports car built by Pontiac from 1983 to 1988. The Fiero was designed by George Milidrag and Hulki Aldikacti as a sports car. The Fiero was the first two-seater Pontiac since the 1926 to 1938 coupes, and also the first and only mass-produced mid-engine sports car by a U.S. manufacturer. Many technologies incorporated in the Fiero design such as plastic body panels were radical for their time. Other features included hidden headlamps and, initially, integrated stereo speakers within the driver and passenger headrests.
A total of 370,168 Fieros were produced over the relatively short production run of five years; by comparison, 163,000 Toyota MR2s were sold in their first five years. At the time, its reputation suffered from criticisms over performance, reliability and safety issues.
The word fiero means "very proud" in Italian, and "wild", "fierce", or "ferocious" in Spanish. Alternative names considered for the car were Sprint (which ended up on a Chevrolet car instead), P3000, Pegasus, Fiamma, Sunfire (a name which would later be applied to another car), and Firebird XP. The Fiero 2M4 (two-seat, mid-engine, four-cylinder) was on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 1984. The 1984 Fiero was the Official Pace Car of the Indianapolis 500 for 1984, beating out the new 1984 Chevrolet Corvette for the honor.
The Fiero was conceived as a small, two-seat sports car with all new suspension and V6 engine. While General Motors management and accountants were opposed to investing in a second two-seater sports car that might compete with the Corvette, they perceived the oil crisis as a market opportunity for a fuel-efficient sporty commuter car. To this end, the Fiero was re-designed to use a fuel efficient version of GM's 2.5 L (150 cu in) four-cylinder "Iron Duke" engine capable of 31 mpg‑US (7.6 L/100 km; 37 mpg‑imp) in the city and 50 mpg‑US (4.7 L/100 km; 60 mpg‑imp) on the highway with the economy-ratio transmission option. These figures are U.S. Environmental Protection Agency test-circuit results, published by Pontiac, and confirmed from multiple sources. It was impressive mileage for a 2.5 L engine of the period, and still good by today's standards, but the three-speed automatic reduced highway mileage to only 32 mpg‑US (7.4 L/100 km; 38 mpg‑imp). With respect to fuel economy, the Fiero was intended to appeal to a market niche for which the Corvette with its V8 engine was unsuitable.
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