There’s something enjoyable about cars with lore, and one 1980s Pontiac fits that bill perfectly. From jokes about fires to spawning a zillion kit cars to becoming an odd obsession, the history of the Pontiac Fiero is wild, and it looks like people are catching onto the fact that this mid-engined oddity is one of GM’s most interesting cars.
It wasn’t that long ago that you could buy project Fieros by the batch and nice ones for sensible money, but times are changing. These days, a spectacular example of a Pontiac Fiero now costs nearly as much as a brand-new Mazda MX-5. Wow.
So how did we get here? Is it simply a matter of attrition, a weird way to launder money, or the financial effects of MD 20/20? Well, it turns out it’s something even more intriguing. This might come as a shock to many people who were alive in the 1980s, but the Pontiac Fiero is now cool, and not just ironically so.
What’s The Appeal?
There was only one decade in which America could produce a mid-engined sporty economy car, and that was the 1980s. Widespread adoption of front-wheel-drive was fairly new, and little mid-engined machines made a ton of sense from a parts-sharing perspective, should rear-wheel-drive be desired at some point.
Your definition of sense and my definition of sense might be a little different, but bear with me here. With economy cars being predominantly front-engined front-wheel-drive, engineering a cheap rear-wheel-drive performance car can be expensive. In addition to a new platform, such a car would require a new rear suspension setup, a rear differential, a driveshaft, a longitudinal transmission, and all that jazz. Instead, why not just take a transverse powertrain and move it nearly eight feet backwards? You can re-use control arms and MacPherson struts, run fixed-length toe arms instead of tie rods to keep the rear wheels pointed straight-ish, re-use the transaxle, and you wouldn’t need a driveshaft running down the center of the car.
With that in mind, Pontiac used a bunch of GM economy car parts, some plastic panels, and a fancy steel spaceframe to create a mid-engined car for the masses on a shoestring budget. Was it perfect? No. An incorrect dipstick helped early four-cylinder examples self-immolate, and clueless dealers crushing the fore-aft coolant pipes under the car didn’t help either. The standard four-speed manual transmission was outdated in a world where five-speeds were becoming the norm, and the Iron Duke four-banger wasn’t exactly suited for sports car duty. However, the Fiero looked rakish, had a surprisingly plush interior, and was still fun to throw around.
The most valuable Fieros are from 1988, and the final model year Fiero was a brilliant example of GM getting it right immediately before killing a model. See, Pontiac engineers had a dream for the Fiero’s suspension from the beginning, and it was finally realized for 1988. Instead of rear suspension from a Citation and front suspension from a Chevette, the Fiero finally got its own handling bits. New front control arms and knuckles shrunk scrub radius and reduced kingpin angle, while a new tri-link setup out back, tweaked rear spring rates, and different anti-roll bars complemented the front setup. With staggered tires and new brakes to back up the suspension changes, the Fiero was substantially improved but still not perfect, as Road & Track found out.
Does all the work better? Definitely yes. How much better? It’s a noticeable improvement over the 1987 Fiero but still with a way to go. especially when compared with the nimble MR2. The Fiero remains a wide, heavy car with slow steering, not very subtle and not responsive to the light touch. Manhandle it and you’ll get results. Much of the older design’s numb feel is gone, there is more road feel and the car turns in better, though retaining a basic understeer. But it still has the annoying bump steer (maybe we can call it “bump wander” now), and undulating road surfaces produce so much suspension movement that it is hard to place the car accurately. Whether this is excessive front-end sensitivity or misaligned rear suspension, the driver must make constant corrections on all but the smoothest roads. On an ideal surface the Fiero has lots of grip, hanging in there better than the MR2. The ride is improved, especially in reducing the shocks that were transmitted so jarringly through the structure before.
Alright, so even the best Fiero wasn’t as buttoned-down as the first-generation Toyota MR2, but it still looked neat, and the improvements for 1988 certainly weren’t nothing. Maybe that’s partly why pristine ones cost so much.
Are They Seriously That Expensive?
Believe it or not, absolutely. Earlier this week, this silver 1988 Fiero GT sold on Bring A Trailer for $26,500. With only 4,100 miles on the clock, it’s absolutely mint, and a nifty sight even with its three-speed automatic transaxle. The GT got a 2.8-liter V6 which upped pace dramatically over the base four-cylinder, while a fastback roofline finished everything off.
The craziest part of well-kept ultra-low-mileage cars is always how well the plastics have kept, and would you just look at the cowl plastic on this silver Fiero. It’s just so beautiful, it’s unreal. Even though I love driving my stuff, I totally understand preserving an example or two because details like this are just astonishing.
Now, if you want one with a manual gearbox, the price for a top-tier example isn’t much more than one with an automatic. This 1988 Fiero GT has the five-speed row-your-own gearbox, and it sold earlier in May on Bring A Trailer for $27,500. Okay, so 11,000 miles may be substantially more than 4,100, but it’s still mint, and dark red with gold wheels and a tan interior feelss like an inspired choice.
A quick glimpse inside reveals carpeting so plush you could lose a small pet in it, perfect gauge hood upholstery, and absolutely immaculate seats. It genuinely looks like a new car in here, except we don’t need a time machine to admire it. Considering how many absolutely beat Fieros are out there, the cabin of this one’s a revelation.
Is A Collector-Grade Pontiac Fiero Worth It?
If you’ve always wanted one, why not? There are more accomplished cars you can get for between $26,000 and $28,000, but at the same time, that sort of money for a concours-grade one-year-only example of a neat car doesn’t sound obscene, especially when few Fieros were ever preserved. Plus, unlike a driver-condition 996 Porsche 911 or pretty much anything else European, a Fiero won’t cost an arm and a leg to maintain because parts are cheap.
The flipside? You can still get an absurdly good Fiero for less than half of what top-tier examples go for, and if you’re looking for a sharp driving tool, a pristine Fiero might not be the car for you. Truthfully, it’s not the car for most of us, but to the few who are obsessed, we salute you.
(Photo credits: Bring A Trailer)
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that shape aged incredibly well
These ones with the buttresses yes, the originals with the vertical B pillar look awful to me. It’s amazing how much adding that little window there completely changes the look of the car.
You have it exactly backwards – the notchback has kept up a timeless style. There’s something about a wedge that works no matter what decade it is.
The fastback has a distinctly “cool for the ’80s” look that gets a little cringeworthy, like seeing an elder Gen-Xer hanging out at the club in stretch jeans and creepers.
I’ve always loved the Fiero and totally understand why nice examples have gotten expensive. This is a format that simply doesn’t exist anymore. There’s no modern equivalent.
I have always seen the Fiero GT as the affordable alternative to a Delorean 🙂
I had a college roommate who bought a Fiero in the day. I always loved that car so I can believe it. That format and size are underrepresented, especially from old-school auto companies.
I think that 88 GT with the flying buttress is beautiful design work. Classic. That red one with the gold wheels pictured is sharp! But seriously, when you consider these examples are one year production from a single generation model, time machine condition, mid to high twenties really isn’t that much. I’d bet those prices are only going to go up.
Right after the Fiero left us, I bought a used 86 2M6. That car got me hooked to Fiero’s, mid engined driving dynamics, that raspy, snorty V6 and the cool, Red back-light guages at night. So I traded it on an 86 GT. Black with the silver aero pieces, rear wing, Delco cassette with equalizer and separate subwoofer. With both cars, no troubles save for GM’s poor execution of the rear emergency brake system. But that GT body, the psuedo fastback with shaded rear quarter acrylic windows, it remains to this day, a beautiful design that will only get better as the years pass by. I learned that John Cafaro led the design for the 86 fastback GT. He later went on to do the complete redesign of the C5 Corvette.
I see alot of people groaning about the interiors. I have to tell you, the Fiero interior is one well designed and long wearing interior. The only achilles heal I remember in my years of ownership were the cheap plastic brackets that mounted low on the outer lower seat cushion; their purpose was to allow the seat belt to ride on it and look stylish at the same time. They always seemed to break away on every Fiero I ever recall seeing. The sun does a good job of warping the forward shift console vinyl. Other than that, the Fiero remains in my eyes, one of the best things to come out of Roger Smith’s GM…..thanks to alot of dedicated GM Fiero people.
I attended a zoom talk/interview with John last year with the Fiero club. It was entertaining.
Why did somebody put this funny looking Pontiac body kit on a Ferarri?
I always wanted to get a Ferrari and put a Fiero body kit on it just for shits and giggles.
I once saw an article about a Ferrari that had a GM 2.8L V6 swapped in.
Still more fun to drive than any normal car you can buy today.
As the owner of not one but two Fieros, I feel like I must weigh in here. Both of mine are highly modified examples of the 1986 vintage.
My road car is my interpretation of what the Fiero could have been. 300hp to the wheels, turbo V6 with a 5 speed. 88 rear suspension and corvette brakes all the way around. Clean factoryish 87 coupe body and stockish interior. Its a rowdy little car and a really fun place to spend time. Surprisingly spacious inside!
We also campaign a Fiero endurance race car in Lucky Dog Racing league. The amount of Fiero dwindles every year, but we are very proud of the results we get with such a handicapped platform. Its satisfying to punch so far above our weight class! Check us out and follow along with the insanity.
https://www.facebook.com/TeamFieroline/
Also… If any autopian writers happen to read this we would love to host you at a race and could even get you on track if you ever wanted to write about the experience…
Hey Damian, I’m a 3x Fiero owner, myself, pro driver, and have written here. Let’s look into this and I can pitch it to David!
https://www.theautopian.com/i-developed-a-suspension-for-a-peruvian-race-team-then-they-invited-me-to-help-them-race-at-the-countrys-only-track/
My time has come! Nah, there’s still plenty of cheap 87 and earlier ones like mine, let’s be honest
There’s an ass for every seat I guess
If you’ve always wanted one, why not?
Because if you didn’t get one when they were $8000, why would you get one at $26,000?
Timing. People reach a certain age, the nest is empty, and it’s now or never.
And they absolutely ain’t making any more of them.
There’s a yellow Fiero that’s spent the last decade or so in this small dealership parking lot in my hometown, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t dream about buying it one day. It’s probably one of the most unexpected cars you can find in a small roadside dealership in all of central Portugal. I have no idea how much they ask for it but I’ve been tempted to ask about it. No idea if it’s functional; it does get moved around, but not much and not very often. Might be a paperweight for all I know. I still lust after it.
I bought my 88 back in 2001 for $1,300 (4 cylinder, 5-speed, low miles). It’s been a great car to wrench on, modify, break, and modify some more. The 3800 supercharged swap made it so much fun. It has taken many revisions, but I finally have the suspension dialed in. It isn’t quite competitive in autocross (SSM class) but it is fun.
I’m currently selling my 88 Formula with a 5 speed for $8.8k. Really fun cars! You get way more attention in a fiero than a MR2!
As someone who owns two 89 MR2s and has been into them for most of their life, it kills me when I get the random “sweet Fiero!” Lol
me want, GenX’r here, I’ve wanted a 88 GT forever, by the time I have a place to store it, I won’t be able to afford it as a “fun/classic” car
You could just as easily replace Fiero with Fox Body Mustang Cobra, or EM1 Honda Civic Si, or any other top trim version of a popular sporty car from the Radwood era. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug and people my age will pay a premium for exceptionally clean versions of cars they either had or lusted for back in the day.
I think they cost that much because the nostalgia market is heating up for 80’s cars.
I feel like I’ve seen a few 80s Camaros and Firebirds sell for over 20 on BAT. Having owned a few of those, I have absolutely no nostalgia for them. I think you had to be too young to drive one back then to have any fond feelings for GMs of this vintage.
Huh, I didn’t expect them to ever really get expensive, but then there are a lot of other vehicles I never expected to appreciate in value that have.
I had a friend back in the late 90s who bought an ’85 or ’86 Fiero GT with the 5-speed for $1300. It ran fine, looked okay aside from severe clear coat separation, and had just under 100,000 miles on it. It was a fun car, but the interior was peak ’80s GM garbage and even with the V6 the thing was anything but fast. The first-gen Supercharged MR2 he picked up after his Fiero blew a head gasket was substantially better. I don’t recall if he ever got the Fiero running again, but I know we had some good times in the MR2 until he wrecked it…
I honestly we’re at peak Fiero collector money right now. Not a great car by any definition, but by 1988, the GT or Formula was a good sports car before GM squashed it from taking the crown of the Corvette.
I remember watching CHiPs as a kind, lamenting all the cool cars they destroyed filming it. Dad said it was because “Those Datsun 510s and Toyota Celicas weren’t worth anything back then.”
With how many are used for kit cars, snag the best ones and let the builders take the iron-duke dregs.
Dad said it was because “Those Datsun 510s and Toyota Celicas weren’t worth anything back then.”
They might also have been wrecks fixed up just enough to work in the stunt but dangerous lot poison otherwise
I watch CHiPs reruns now, and I’m always completely amazed at the amount of cars destroyed in the average episode. It’s so wonderfully comical, esp. as the show has almost zero other violence.
My dream fiero is an 88 formula, I want to drop the V6 and put in a 4cyl turbo from a mid 2010s regal gs with a 6 speed manual.
What’s the appeal? Gen Xers and Millennials have money now.
And not to mention the entire concept was so bonkers, even in its time. GM producing a mass-market 2 seater with a mid engine?! WTF?
The ad campaigns at the time even made fun of this – “Now I’m not sure I want one of those I-talian cars…”
You guys have money??
-poor 34 year old millennial
Kinda! – 42 year old millennial, DINK (both factors probably help)
you’ll get there one day. Im surprised I did well enough to buy a home
They had enough money “then” too.
They were both awesome and obtainable back in the day. GM even pitched them as a commuter car, the kind of thing you’d drive to the office or train station.
That said, I actually saw one in flames on the side of the highway back in high school; we’d all heard about this of course, but never seen it live.
I know the later V6 models are more desirable, but I still think the overall proportions of the original 2M4 are the best looking.
That’s really interesting, I’ve always felt the later revised styling was better looking. But I guess that’s what makes the hobby great, variety! If saddled with a 3 speed I can’t imagine that the v6 variant is enough faster to be more fun than a stick shift 4 cylinder. The iron duke is a gruff little thing, but it’s not like the 2.8 v6 is anything special.
I like the playful sportiness of the original design; it’s a happy little guy. The redesign looks perhaps more “Pontiac”, which isn’t a knock against it at all.
That 2.8 v6 is a turd of an engine, especially when saddled with the 3 speed auto. The later Fiero looks pretty awesome but I can’t believe people are paying this much for one, I guess for Gen Xers who dreamed of buying one in high school it may be worth it? And if it’s your dream car and you do buy one beware those clean plastics break and wear very easily. I owned an ’88 Pontiac Trans Am and let me tell you interior build and materials quality was not job one at GM in the ’80s.
For folks where a specific car is, “the one”, I encourage folks to consider it. Though I also encourage them to drive them as much as possible before committing to a purchase. Everything always seems better through rose-tinted glasses, and outside of full high-quality restos, everything is work compared to anything new.
For much more recent stuff, my recommendation is to Turo a car three times. If you’re willing to spend money to rent it the third time annd enjoy it, you’re actually willing to own it. If renting it for a day makes you think twice, you don’t want it.
Yet like most anything else, if you weren’t interested in it before, you probably shouldn’t be interested in now. There’s no “one special trick” for old cars people are hiding from you that doctors hate and don’t want you to know.
The Turo advice is solid! I think the bummer is that it’s not always possible, especially with older cars to get a real chance to drive before you buy. I assume this is part of why you see so much turnover on BaT now. I think sadly many of these dream cars either don’t live up to expectations, or as you point out the quirks and maintenance of even a well maintained “classic” can get pretty frustrating (and expensive.)
I recently had this experience somewhat, I’d dreamed of buying a BMW M coupe for years, and had even bid on one on BaT. Finally got a chance to sit in a friend of a friend’s Z3 coupe he was selling and turns out at 6’4″ I don’t comfortably fit, it was bummer enough realizing that it was no longer my dream car, imagine if i’d flown 1,000 miles to pick up one I’d bought sight unseen.
And to your last point, totally agree. It’s like when my brother who is the sort of moderate car enthusiast that gear heads love to hate but who keeps sports car sales afloat called me to see what I thought of him trying to find an ’80s BMW M5 because it was his favorite car in Forza. I was like trust me you don’t want the classic car ownership experience, it won’t actually be faster than your leased 330i, it will be less comfortable, and it will need to be fixed frequently if you actually drive it.
Based on the Saturn Sky Redline I owned and the broken cupholder mechanisms, non-functional radio buttons, and door panels that would barely stay on…interior quality was pretty far down the list well into the current millennium.
So you’re saying the Sky was actually falling (apart)?
YES!
Ha well I haven’t owned anything GM newer than ’96-which was actually much better than the ’80s cars.
Gen X-ers that really wanted one could have bought a lightly used example for half of what they took home from a summer job.
American cars lost value very quickly in the 80s.
Yes, hence why I was able to buy a 10 year old GMC as my first car for only $1200, even in 2000 money that’s dirt cheap. But not everyone did buy one then-not a very practical car. Perhaps I’m wrong but it’s hard for me to see what other factor would lead to increasing values for these.
Just nostalgia. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Camaro of this vintage selling for $25k on BAT lately. I stopped looking at BAT to avoid the urge to warn the bidders.
I remember a friend buying a gold Fiero in good shape for $500, which wasn’t that odd of a price in the mid ’90s. It was a 4, but at least it was a manual.
I always look at pictures of Fieros and think “man what a great looking car! I should totally look at getting one!”
Then I start looking at pictures of that awful 80s GM interior and think “ugh. But that’s what I’m gonna have to stare at the whole time I’m driving it. Pass.”
Doug D does a great quirks n features run through that notes that the Fiero crest (which is awesome) and PONTIAC are stamped all over the interior, even in some really oddball places like on the undersides of lids, etc.
I’ve seen these with a mid 90’s Firebird interior swap. IMO not great but a move in the right direction:
https://images.fiero.nl/pffimages/DCP_2299s_2.JPG
The binnacle look like it’s sad.
One of the best modifications I made to my Fiero was removing the stock interior. The dash is a nightmare and I was blown away with how heavy it was. Long term plan is to build a dashboard that follows the classic 911 concept of a handful of simple gauges in a very simple layout.
Godspeed, you crazy bastard! Great idea!
The beauty of the 911 dash is that it is only a couple of lines and the primary span is one simple line. The issue with dashboards is always the intersection with the windshield, but I plan to run a full-length defogger so it will have a curve to match the windshield then a straight line to match up to the dashboard.