Jalopnik: Fiero

The case for a 250 GTO-based 240Z replica

Peter Orosz — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:00:00 EST

Is replica-building an authentic form of automotive self-expression or merely a case of trying too hard? There’s only one way to find out: take a Ferrari 250 GTO and turn it into a Datsun 240Z. More »

The Lamborghini Fiura Will Haunt Your Dreams

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:30:00 EST

It's been a long, arduous three years since V8 Archie kicked off his Pontiac Fiero-based Lamborghini Miura replica project, and hell if he's not all done with it. Risking cries of vehicular blasphemy, we say this thing looks damn good. More »

The Tyler Shipman Memorial Fiero Car Show

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EDT

An amazing group of car enthusiasts gave Fiero lover Tyler Shipman his last wish, and though Tyler passed on his spirit continues with a memorial car show. A local news report captures the magic. More »

For $18,900, Catch a Zimmer of Hope

graverobber — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EDT

In Donnie Brasco, and undercover cop goes in so deep, he almost loses himself in his alter ego. Today's NIce Price or Crack Pipe Zimmer really a Fiero in disguise, but will its price make you say fuggedaboutit? More »

For $8,995, 350-Horse Fiero makes Riverdale Fun Again

graverobber — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:00:00 EDT

In the comics, Archie spent years trying to decide between Betty and Veronica. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Fiero has a V8 Archie's 350 conversion, and your only decision is whether buying it would be a Jughead move. More »

The World's First Reverse Fauxrarri

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 20 May 2010 12:00:00 EDT

Here's a nice Ferrari 308 GTSi selling on eBay with a suspiciously low bid. Why? Oh, it's got a Pontiac Fiero engine. We present to you the world's first reverse Fauxrarri. More »

Announcing The Tyler Shipman Memorial Car Show

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EDT

The story of Tyler Shipman's Fiero moved us all, and now the crew who gave Tyler his last wish are hosting a car show this summer to raise money for the center that took care of him. Details below. More »

Pontiac Fiero: The Definitive History

Aaron Severson — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EDT

Aaron Severson, editor of Ate Up With Motor, wrote this excellent, well-researched history of everyone's favorite mid-engine mulletmobile — the Pontiac Fiero. It offers an interesting and comprehensive look at the car's too-short life. —Ed. More »

Fiero Enthusiast Tyler Shipman Passes Away

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:30:00 EST

Tyler Shipman, the young Fiero enthusiast with cancer who finished his project car in December with the help of the Fiero community, passed away last night. More »

LeMons Torture Test Results: Pontiac Fiero

Murilee Martin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:00:00 EST

We can't say that we were surprised by the abject horribleness of the Pontiac Fiero in the 24 Hours Of LeMons, what with the car's tendency to overheat, excessive weight, and indifferent 80s GM build quality. What does surprise is is how quick the Fiero is when it's not in a million pieces and/or being stripped as a parts donor for the other Fieros in the race. More »

The Ten Most Blasphemous Fauxrarris

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST

Not everyone can own a Ferrari. They're expensive, fast, and constantly blow up. But making a Pontiac look like an Italian stallion to avoid the first problem is just plain wrong. Our look at the ten most blasphemous Faux-rarris below. More »

Fiero Enthusiasts Give Dying Teen Last Wish

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:00:00 EST

Tyler Shipman loves Pontiac Fieros so much he posed for his senior picture with one he bought for $150. Weeks later he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He'd need a miracle to finish his project car. More »

Tyler's Toy: Project Photos

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:40:01 EST

California Car Wash Hates Pontiac Fieros

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST

A car wash in El Dorado, California absolutely will not wash Pontiac Fieros for reasons we can't even begin to comprehend. In fact, they've even gone so far as to ban them in writing. More »

Grassroots Motorsports Competitor Builds AWD Hybrid Fiero

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EDT

This is a hybridized Pontiac Fiero, but it doesn't work like you might think. Instead of some fancy trickery with the gas engine, this one uses an electric S10 motor to power the front wheels. More »

Brand-New 1988 Pontiac Fiero With 221 Miles For $40,000!

graverobber — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:00:00 EDT

Turning 21 can mean big changes — new opportunities, more respect and the chance to strike out on your own. But as Nice Price or Crack Pipe knows, sometimes it can be hard to spread your wings. More »

Unicorn Fiero Makes Carpocalypse All Better

Wes Siler — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EDT

It's been a pretty bad day for the car industry, even by Carpocalypse standards. Here's something that'll make any GM fan-boy smile. More »

An Elegy for Six Missing Cylinders

Peter Orosz — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:00:00 EDT

If you're spotting Lamborghinis in Eastern Europe, watch out for chronic cylinder shortage. More »

1988 Pontiac Fiero Formula for $5,000?

graverobber — Fri, 22 May 2009 07:30:00 EDT

If you have unsightly open spaces on your driveway or front lawn, Nice Price or Crack Pipe Fieros has an AMAZING offer for you. We have the fast-acting coverup that will actually save you money! More »

Pontiac Is No More, But The Survivors Flourish Down On The Street

Murilee Martin — Sat, 02 May 2009 13:00:00 EDT

Oldsmobile, Plymouth, and now Pontiac; this century is rough on the old Detroit marques. With the the demise of Pontiac in mind, let's check out the classic Pontiacs I've photographed down on the Alameda street. More »

NPR Questions Jalopnik's Inclusion Of Pontiac Fiero In Top Ten List

Ray Wert — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EDT

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Our Pontiac top ten list made it into Kai Ryssdal's final note on yesterday's NPR Marketplace. Ryssdal expressed shock at the Fiero's inclusion. A lesson: never underestimate the staggering awesomeness of a mid-engined two-door. [NPR] More »

The Top 94 Lemons Of The 24 Hours Of LeMons South Spring 2009

Murilee Martin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EDT

After every 24 Hours Of LeMons race, we put together this list of the top finishers for you. And when we say "top," we mean "every single car that managed to get onto the track." More »

Backyard Ferrari Of The Day: Fierrari 512 Testarossa

Murilee Martin — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST

An interesting difference between Backyard Lambos and Backyard Ferraris is that eBay apparently won't let you use the word "Ferrari" when you're trying to sell your Fauxrrari. That's why the vehicle we're looking at today is actually a "512 tr FERR@RI" replica. More »

Backyard Lambo Of The Day: The Redding Fieroborghini Murcielago!

Murilee Martin — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:30:00 EST

I found so many backyard-built Fauxborghinis while trying to find a suitable opponent for the '72 Stutz Blackhawk in last Friday's PCH that it seems a shame not to share some of the better ones with our readers (no, I'm not going to do a whole week of Fauxborghini PCH challenges). Hence this new (and no doubt short-lived) series: Backyard Lambo Of The Day! Today's BLOTD hails from the woods of Northern California, where the availability of good cheap beer from the nearby Sierra Nevada brewery seems to make a keyboard's CAPS LOCK key incredibly alluring. I can't slog through the entire description without getting a terrible headache, but I've gleaned sufficient info to say that we've got a mean-looking Murcielago replica on a stretched frame, with a stroked V6 sitting next to it. The seller was going to finish the project and sell it for $85,000, but he or she lacks the time and garage space to finish the project and that means it's priced at a mere 20 grand. Hmmm... you can get running BMW 750iLs for next to nothing these days- why not buy a cheap engine-donor car and build yourself a V12 Fieroborghini with this car? More »

Seven Lap Fiero's LeMons Exploits Chronicled In The Gray Lady's Pages

Murilee Martin — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 14:00:00 EDT

The Pontiac Fiero may be one of the most perfect 24 Hours Of LeMons racers that very little money can buy. On paper, it looks like it should dominate: mid-mounted V6 engine, lightweight plastic body, and so on… but Fieros always blow up at LeMons. That's what makes them so great, because the spirit of the race is best captured with a sure-to-disintegrate fast car that makes heroes of its team members. And hey, ~~when hell freezes over~~ one day a Fiero will take the checkered flag! Until then, we'll be able to read accounts such as the one written by Seven Lap Fiero team member Eddie Alterman for the New York Times. Be sure to watch the highly entertaining video in the article by sometimes Jalopnik photographer Fabrizio Costantini, and then contemplate the pervasive, STD-esque spread of my term "Malaise Era," which gets dropped in the piece. More »

Fat Guy In A Little Fieroghini

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:20:00 EDT

This video might offer the best reason to own a Fieroghini, beside the longing stares you'll get from every roadside gawker you pass of course. Imagine the hours of amusement you'd have presenting the opportunity to drive it to your plus-sized buddies and then laughing as they struggle to exit afterward. Of course taping it for merciless ridicule later and then posting it to the internet for the whole world to point and laugh at would be part of the fun too. See, Fieroghini, comic accessory for the everyman. [Youtube] More »

Your Chance To Own A Canadian Fiero Classic: Enterra Vipre!

Murilee Martin — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EDT

Forget about all those backyard Fiero hack jobs, your Fieroborghinis and your Fierraris. Really, forget 'em! You can now own a genuine Canadian-government-backed 1986 Enterra Vipre, which is currently getting some solid eBay bid action. The Enterra Vipre was based on the '86 Fiero GT chassis, so you get the mighty six-banger. Thanks to Josh for the tip! [eBay Motors] More »

And The Winner Of The Greatest Use Of Fiero Powertrain: '39 Chevy Rat Rod

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT

The art of chopping up Pontiac Fieros and using their guts in other projects is one which occasionally, if rarely, produces something really unique. Instead of a passe Nailhead up front, or a cobbled together amalgam of collected parts, LuckyFast Eddie of Camden, Delaware has dropped the whole enchilada — engine, trans, and suspension — from a Fiero into the tail-end of a chopped-and-stretched '39 Chevy. More »

The Greatest Fierrari Enzno Ever Sold

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:20:00 EDT

We've seen a lot of Fierraris lately, hopefully the world runs out of Fieros eventually so we aren't subjected to the ongoing night terrors they induce, but this one is particularly brash. This p**sy magnet yellow Fierrari Enzno is perhaps the finest example of the breed, complete with crooked, off-brand Ferrari prancing horse logos, four off-kilter exhaust tips, pop-up DVD player, brilliantly executed engine-cover-mounted TV antenna, luxurious APC racing seats... the list goes on and on. The best part is this car's claim to fame. More »

PCH, Fiero-Based Hell Edition: Fierrari or Zimmer Quicksilver?

Murilee Martin — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:20:00 EDT

Britain beats Italy, though by the slimmest of margins, in yesterday's Choose Your Eternity poll, with the '64 Lotus Elan eking out a 51/49 victory over the '60 Lancia Flaminia. That means we'll need to set up a Britain-France PCH Schmackdöwn Challenge™ pretty soon... but that comes only after we cross the river of flaming gasoline that separates us from Fiero-Based Project Hell. The General saw fit to build vast quantities of mid-engined, plastic-bodied cars back in the 80s, and that means that hundreds of cigar-chomping entrepreneurs believed they could make vast quantities of cash putting "improved" bodies on Fieros. Fierraris, Fieroborghinis, Pantieros, Fiersches... and let us not forget Fiero-based coke-dealer-centric statusmobiles! More »

PCH, Northstar Swap Edition: Toyota MR2 or Pontiac Fiero?

Murilee Martin — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:20:00 EDT

Since yesterday's Packard Straight Eight Swap Edition (which was won by the '37 Pontiac) was so much fun, we're going to stick with Alternative Powerplant Hell for another day. All engine swaps are fun, of course, but the best ones involve stuffing an engine much, much larger than anything the car's designers ever considered. When you accomplish such a swap, you get respect; when you start with the knuckle-shredding, sanity-destroyingly tight engine compartment of a small mid-engined car (say, a Fiero or MR2)... well, that's when folks start treating you with the deference reserved for the truly mad! More »

CNN Revisits Italian Fauxrrari Forgeries

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT

Proving once again the speed with which stories are cycled through in a 24-hour-news-cycle network, CNN has decided to run coverage on the gang of Italian Ferrari forgers we brought you back in February. The in-depth coverage includes pointing to, and comparing pictures of, a real Ferrari 328 GTS against the real fake example. Italian-accented experts remark on how good the outside is, then point out how poorly-executed the interior and engine are. Honestly, as far as Fierarris go, this one isn't too bad, and the dimmer among us would probably fall for the fakery unless giving it a more than a passing glance. [CNN] More »

1986 Pontiac Fiero GT

Murilee Martin — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EDT

We saw a DOTS Fiero a few months ago, and the mid-80s are recent enough that the Fiero may be something of an iffy candidate for DOTShood. However, nice ones are getting fairly rare nowadays and I figured we're due for a GT model in this series. That's the reason we're going to take a look at this very clean '86 Fiero GT I spotted on the island's East End, and it should provide us with fuel for a spirited debate on the contentious Fiero issue. Do we love the Fiero, even though the General bean-countered a great concept into something, well, somewhat less than great? More »

When A Regular Fierrari Is Just Not Enough: Fierrari Limo!

Murilee Martin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT

The Fiero Ferrari we saw recently was pretty nice, all right, and there's no denying the appeal of a Fieroborghini or the Fierenzo. But if you crave a Fiero-based Italian supercar, yet also need the VCR and mirrored ceiling of a limo... well, today is your lucky day! We've found this fine Fierrari that's been stretched and converted into full Limo Overload (and we mean that "Overload" part literally, because this vehicle still has the stock Iron Duke four-banger, which isn't quite working; the seller states "really dont exactly know? could be major eng? or Minor?"). But so what? You've got room for a GMC Twin Six in that easily-expanded engine compartment! [eBay Motors] More »

Stephen Colbert Steals Fierarri Story...Again

Ray Wert — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:50:00 EDT

We know we already told Stephen Colbert not to steal our stories. Apparently he's not listening. That's right, last night the propagator of "truthiness" yet again snatched up a story from our pages to splay across the basic cable airwaves. Last time it was "Our Country, Our Truck" and this time it's the Fiero Ferrari story. Stephen Colbert, just a reminder that this does nothing to help you get off of our "On Notice" list. Watch yourself there Frenchie — the only ones who should be doing any splaying whatsoever will be us. More »

Fierenzo Makes Way To CraigsList, Get It Now For $7500

Ray Wert — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:40:00 EDT

Yes friends, while not quite as hot as the Fieroborghini, we've found the Coyote 3-kitted Fiero up on Tampa's Craigslist that gives our Enzo-saving hearts a warm and fuzzy feeling. Although the seller's doing a fine job, we've put together how our own ad would have read. Here goes:

"Have you always wanted a Ferrari Enzo, but just didn't want to put up the top dollar or found yourself not on the list to buy one? Well friends, who needs the Italian stallion when you can buy yourself a re-bodied 1986 Pontiac Fiero with the same level of reliability as a real Ferrari. Best of all, no one will ever know the difference. At least anyone with absolutely no knowledge of cars. And if they're blind. And if they lack both the sense of touch and hearing. Basically, if you're trying to impress a corpse on the cheap, the Fierenzo is the way to go..."

Fieroborghini, With Bonus Kit Car Identification Poll

Murilee Martin — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:30:00 EST

Even though only 11% of you chose the If only they'd put Lamborghini bodies on them at the factory poll choice in Friday's DOTS Fiero poll, I feel compelled to share this fine example of a "Lamborghini Countach" that I spotted in the island's East End last week. Sure, the fit and finish isn't quite up to Yugo standards, but at least it's not another boring Camry or Malibu! I'm pretty sure it's based on the Pontiac Fiero chassis, but its smog check records indicate that it's registered as a 2000 model. That's why I'm including a poll, so that all of us have a chance to debate this car's identity.
More »

1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll

Murilee Martin — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 09:30:00 EST

When we had the Detroit Malaise Poll (which, by the way, was won by the beautiful T-top-equipped '78 Eldorado), I realized that I had no Late Malaise Detroit cars in this series. In fact, other than the '80 IHC Scout, we haven't had any 80s American vehicles here. To remedy this situation, I grabbed my camera and started walking, intending to shoot the first DOTS-worthy 80s Detroit car I found... and I didn't have to go far before I spotted an example of GM's coulda-been-a-contender mid-engine car... More »

PCH, Kit Car Edition: Fieroborghini or Bradley GT?

Murilee Martin — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:30:00 EDT

With the unregisterable JDM WRX pounding the daylights out of the turbocharged SE-R in yesterday's Choose Your Eternity poll, you'd think we'd find a couple of nice Japanese cars for you. A couple of sweet deals on, say, an AE86 that was only driven to church on Sundays and a fully restorable Fairlady. You'd also think that bolts never cross-thread, circuits never short, and mushrooms never grow on car carpeting! No, this is Hell, where you take what you're given, and today you're given kit cars! More »

GT-Fiero?

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 17:00:00 EDT

Ah, the ceaselessly amazing world of Fiero-based exotic replicas. Which DNA has been implanted in the Fiero cell this time? Yes, it is indeed that of the Mk1 Ford GT40. V8 Archie's GT4T has V8 power, front and rear clamshell lids and um, uh, no Gurney Hump. Still, for a mere $45k, you can go out and shame Enzo Fiero all over again! We're totally buying one to go with our A.J. Foyt mask. Now we just need to find an ersatz Mulsanne straight in some sprawling Central Valley mixed-use office-industrial complex. More »