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PONTIAC FIERO HISTORY & FACTS 1984-1988…MADE IN THE USA --The Fiero boasts a number of engineering firsts, including space-frame chassis structure, impact resistant plastic body panels and laser-guided "mill and drill" body panel alignment. --Pontiac spent over $300 million to produce the Fiero, yet cancelled the car on a "hunch" they would lose a maximum of $20 million between 1988 and 1995. --Several factory prototypes were made, including a Fiero convertible, a Turbo V6 with an Intercooler built into the rear wing, and a 4 seater. These were brought out of hibernation recently by GM and shown at the Fiero 20th Anniversary Spectacular in Pontiac, Michigan. Over 300 Fieros were present. --Spectators at the unveiling of the Fastback Fiero mistook the GT version as the new Corvette. --GM was struggling with the problem of employees purchasing Fieros before the public had an opportunity. Never before has this been a problem with a GM car. There were an estimated 10,000 1984 Fieros were sold to plant employees the first year. --Of the 370,107 Fieros manufactured, Bright Red was the most ordered color (128,926) and Yellow was the least ordered color (1166). --The Fiero was the first American car to win IMSA GTU and the ONLY mid-engine car to ever pace the Indy 500. --In 1985, the Fiero won at Sears Point (one of 3 straight victories), beating such successful competitors as Chevrolet's Corvette and Ford's Mustang. --A 4-cylinder Fiero belting out 370 bhp took the NHRA's Competition Eliminator title at the Keystone nationals on September 15, 1985, with a best 1/4 mile time of 9.72 seconds at 134.41 mph. --The Fiero won well over 40 races in the 36 months it raced. --Unfortunately for enthusiasts, most of the proposed performance options, including a turbocharged V-6, a five-speed gearbox, and a decent suspension, were not on the original '84 model. --Pontiac had wanted to build a rival to Chevy's sports car for almost 20 years. Although it was designed at first as a commuter car, Pontiac engineers had high hopes of one day making it a true competitor to the Corvette. --Chevrolet's fear that Pontiac would develop a Corvette fighter at half the price contributed to GM’s "pull the plug" decision, according to GM insiders. --Performance? The 1987 Fiero GT could clip the Ferrari Dino's wings to 60 mph by 0.3 seconds and better it to the quarter mile by 0.5 sec. Only at decidedly illegal speeds in the States could the Ferrari pull away. From 60 mph, the Fiero hunches to a halt 20 ft shorter than the Dino. But surely the Ferrari is the handler? No, Fiero snakes around the cones 8.5 mph quicker. Road & Track, Ferrari Dino 246 GTS vs. the Fiero GT. --273 pieces of steel are held together with 4300 welds, forming the Fiero's chassis. The steel chassis weighs approximately 600 lbs. The exterior plastic weighs approximately 175 lbs. --Early prototype cars were badged with Subaru nameplates to confuse spy photographers. --No matter where in the world it is today, each Fiero frame went through a 2.5 story Gilman mill-and-drill machine where its chassis was gauged at the tops and leading edges of both doors and centered cross-car, then drilled with 39 mounting points for the external body panels. This precision allowed panels to be fitted within + -0.50mm. The entire process took less than 1 minute to complete. --Following the mill-and-drill procedure, the frame was dipped into an electronically charged primer called cathodic elpo uniprime. After dipping, the Fiero chassis was never drilled or pierced again. --Early names considered for the Fiero: Sprint, P3000, Pegasus, Fiamma, Sunfire, and Firebird XP. Pontiac first used the nameplate 'Fiero' in 1968 on a Pontiac 'idea car'. --The real Indy Pace Cars - all 3 of them - had 2.7 liter Super Duty engines that produced 232 horsepower at 6500 rpm and 210 lb.-ft. of torque at 5500 rpm. They would accelerate from zero to 60 in 7.2 seconds, and had a top speed of 144 mph. --Pontiac's WS6 suspension improvements, standard on the GT and on the new Formula, elevated the 1988 Fiero's handling to the level of the best sports cars on the market: Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette, and Lotus. --2M4 designations, which described the car's function as 'two-seat, mid-engine, four cylinders', were used from 1984 through 1986. --There are 3 different types of Enduraflex panels used on the exterior of the Fiero: RRIM (fiberglass reinforced reaction injection molding, SMC (sheet molding compound), and TPO (thermoplastic olefin). RRIM is used in the bumper covers, front fenders, door panel, and front quarter panel. SMC is used in the hood, headlamp covers, roof, rear quarter panel, and trunk. TPO is used for the rocker panels. --Space frame facts: 300 major stampings; 6 major modules; over 4000 total welds; over 30% of welds are automatic; over 10% of total welds are performed by robots. --Pontiac purchased Ferrari 308's for handling, engineering and comparison purposes. --The Fiero turned in a profit every year it was sold. "...the car is beautifully balanced and almost refuses to do anything but go where you point it. In it's tenacious stick and ability to go very fast over a mountain road with a minimum of driver effort, the Fiero GT feels more like a smaller, tighter Corvette than a direct competitor to any of the import 2-seaters. It feels solid, strong, fast and it's a little bigger than it looks. It looks racy and exotic, sticks to the road like glue, sounds good and gets you from one side of the mountains to the other quicker than all but a few cars on Earth." --- Road & Track on the 1987 Fiero GT

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