3 May 2009

My first Fiero encounter was when my Dad brought home a 1984 Indy Pace car. This cool little car just appeared in his driveway in the Sacramento suburb of Carmichael. He still has that car as well as another we purchased. Back then I was a Mustang guy, specifically any fastback as well as the 1964.5-1967 Mustang coupes. I finally have registered more Fieros than Mustangs, though I have drove Mustangs longer.

The Pontiac Fiero was always special, even if GM didn't know what to do with it. It has to rank as one of the most unusual, but revered car ever produced by an American automobile company. Although Pontiac is slated to be closed, the Fiero will go on and in fact, thrives all over the world. It is supported by a rabid group of devoted fans and that group appears to be growing!

The Fiero had some unusual engineering for a domestically create vehicle. All the exterior panels were non-metallic with four different types of reinforced composite plastic are used in the body panels. SMC Sheet Molded Compound was used for the hood, roof, rear upper quarter, and rear deck lid. Reinforced Reaction Injection Molded urethane was used for fenders, door panels, and lower rear quarters. Later years, the rear lowers were of injection molded nylon. The front and rear fascias were made of Reaction Injected Molded Urethane. Thermoplastic Olefin was used for rocker panels. Even so, the cars weight in at nearly 2700 lbs, 800 pounds heavier than the average compact sedan since it had a robust "space frame" safety design. The mid engine, two seat design was unique and by 1988, it was truly a decent car with a better engine, brakes and suspension. Earlier years suffered in all three areas and that reflected GM's lack of foresight or in less kind words, cheapskate engineering.

Despite GM's lack of enthusiasm for the "P-Body". the fan base has stepped up and supports the car vigorously. Many owners produce improved parts, custom body kits or find way to extend the life of the car that was been abandoned by GM long ago. The Fiero lends itself unlike almost Unlike any other car, the Fiero offers a very flexible platform for personalization and upgrading. This forum is an example of the many things people are doing to keep the "plastic fantastic" Fiero on the road!

Thanks for stopping in!
John L. "Wudman" Wood
Webmaster
FieroDriver.Com