Jalopnik: Pontiac Fiero

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 »

Top Gear USA Tries To Save Roadmaster, Fiero... Cutlass?

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 15:30:00 EST

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This week's Top Gear USA challenge will be to prove to GM they should bring back one of these Old GM products: Buick Roadmaster, Pontiac Fiero, or Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. We're voting Roadmaster because, you know, Buick still exists. 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 $39,500, The Fauxborghini Hides Its Fiero Shame

graverobber — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EDT

The Lamborghini Diablo is one sexy beast, and may even act as an automotive aphrodisiac. While today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe contender isn't the real deal, neither is its price, but does that make it more of a roofie? 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 »

Recipe For Fieroghini Profit: Phase Two

Sam Smith — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST

Phase one: Get a Fiero. Phase two: _______. Phase three: Profit. Wish all plans were this simple? Now they can be. Phase two is up for sale on Craigslist. Here's what you need to make your very own Fieroghini. 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 »

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 »

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 »

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 Ten Greatest Pontiacs

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:59:00 EDT

We told you months ago Pontiac was dead, but today GM CEO Fritz Henderson made it official. Now that the pointy-arrow brand is gone, we'll mourn by celebrating our ten favorite examples of driving excitement. More »

Fiero Recovers From 7-Lap Altamont Nightmare... Then Gets Wrecked In Toledo

Murilee Martin — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EDT

The tale of the Pontiac Fiero entered by some Car & Driver guys (not, as I may have implied earlier, actually sponsored by C&D) at the 24 Hours of LeMons SF in May was indeed heartbreaking: after Mike Austin's sister Erica spent three days towing the car all the way out from Michigan, the plastic Pontiac managed seven laps before clutch and transmission woes made it a permanent fixture in the pits. My team was pitted nearby, and we were impressed by the team's good humor in the face of their nightmare. For the Toledo race, they came roaring back with a new name (Seven Lap Fiero), and things were going great for a while…
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 »

Hold Out For The Babe With The V6: 1985 Fiero

Murilee Martin — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:40:00 EDT

I had my very first college spring break in 1985, just like the guy in this ad... only I didn't have the opportunity to catch a ride to Fort Lauderdale from an attractive 80s chick in a brand-new Fiero. No, my '85 spring break involved catching a ride to Tijuana in a Bondo-and-primer '66 Fairlane reeking of exhaust leaks and beer farts. I must have gone to the wrong school! This guy, on the other hand, went to a college with an all-Fiero-driving female student body, so he could afford to be picky. 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, 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 »

What Makes A Race Car Faster? A Fiero Wing, Of Course!

Murilee Martin — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:00:00 EDT

When we added a great big hood scoop to our V8 Volvo LeMons racer, it immediately became apparent that something was missing from the picture. But what? Walking around to the rear of the car, it hit us: we lacked a wing! Skeptics might point out that a wing would be aerodynamically meaningless on a brick-shaped car running on a track with top speeds of about 60 (the crueler skeptics might even refer to a wing as "useless dead weight"), but we know that's hogwash- the bigger the wing, the faster the car! 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..."

Italian Supercar Forgers Find Fieros Fantastic

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:40:00 EST

One upping the shenanigans of Unique Performance, a group of fine Italian coach builders has been caught by the police after attempting to forge supercars - badly. Seems these upstanding fellows thought slapping some kit car bodies onto the delightful chassis of GM's famed Fiero was a great idea, then the plan was to pass them off as one of Italy's most famous exports. We're not convinced, we're barely even holding in the laughter. The best is the buff mag on the work bench being used for inspiration. The Wall Street Journal article about this story seems to have only gotten the story partly right (typical). More »