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99-477: The Pontiac Fiero is a rear mid-engine , light sports car manufactured and marketed by Pontiac for model years 1984 – 1988. Intended as an economical commuter car with modest performance aspirations, it was Pontiac 's first two-seater since their 1926 to 1938 coupes, and the first rear mid-engine mass-produced car by any American manufacturer. In addition to using 4- and 6-cylinder engines to help Pontiac meet America's 'CAFE' average fuel economy requirements,

198-546: A "1986½" model, as the new fastback body restyle was not yet ready for release at the start of the model year. Though originally conceived by Pontiac insiders as a new model, possibly called the "GTP" or "GTU," it has been said that GM management at the time felt that using "GTP" or "GTU" suggested a racing car, an image they did not want to promote. Individuals present at the unveiling of the new fastback roof style, in February 1984, at GM's Arizona test track , actually thought it

297-452: A "strip" style of speedometer , with the needle making a long sweep across a horizontal line of numbers to indicate speed. This was changed for 1981 to a more conventional round dial format, with some further minor tweaks for 1986. The 1987 model year was the end of the line for GM's North American coupe utilities, which included 420 leftover El Caminos and 325 Cabelleros that were reported first sold in 1988. Offered from 1978 until 1980 only,

396-402: A 5 1/4-inch subwoofer with an amplifier. Red and Light Gray Metallic colors were dropped in favour of Light Gold Metallic (M56), Silver Metallic (M16) and Bright Red (M81). The clutch hydraulic systems were redesigned with new master and slave cylinders and the optional air conditioner gets a lighter compressor and condenser. 1987 saw changes to the front and rear fascias on the "base coupe" with

495-554: A Japanese-designed Isuzu five-speed transmission as used in the J-body platform , also produced at the Muncie, Indiana plant. The 1986 Fiero arrived on September 12, 1985, however, the GT model was not originally listed. The previous year's GT became the 1986 SE. The 1986 GT was delayed until January 3, 1986. This was the first time the fastback roofline was offered, sometimes referred to as

594-454: A four-row crosshatch pattern; this persisted through the vehicle's demise in 1987. Caballero interiors featured a bench seat in standard models, though an upgrade to bucket seats with a center console and floor-mounted shifter was available. Most models with automatic transmission carried the shifter on the steering column . Cloth or vinyl upholstery choices were offered in a variety of colors. The instrument panel originally featured

693-445: A handful of 2+2 designs . Additionally, some microtrucks use this layout, with a small, low engine beneath a flat load floor above the rear wheel-wells. This makes it possible to move the cab right to the front of the vehicle, thus increasing the loading area at the expense of slightly reduced load depth. In modern racing cars, RMR is a common configuration and is usually synonymous with "mid-engine". Due to its weight distribution and

792-590: A large "Diablo" decal on the tailgate. When Chevrolet dropped the Royal Knight option from the El Camino option list for 1982, GMC's Diablo remained but was now analogous to the "normal" Super Sport model. This meant that the flame decal was gone, but little else changed. However, when the El Camino Super Sport gained a new dealer optioned aerodynamic front end from Choo Choo Customs for 1984,

891-443: A limited "Indy Pace Car" edition, consisting of an Indianapolis 500 -themed option package on SE -model vehicles (a package that was specially reissued in 1985). Approximately 2,000 of these vehicles were sold. The Indy had aero body cladding and new front and rear fascias that would be used on the 1985 GT. Only the four-cylinder engine was available, though a few prototypes were fitted with a unique periscope-style inlet sprouting from

990-432: A limited edition "Pontiac Fiero Presents Daryl Hall & John Oates" vinyl greatest hits album enticing them to participate in the sponsorship tour. The LP was Rock 'n Soul Part 1 . The album cover featured Hall & Oates standing with a red 1984 Fiero SE. Also, for marketing purposes, the 1984 base model was featured in a 1983 episode of the television show Hardcastle & McCormick . The 1984 model line included

1089-447: A plus to many Caballero fans and collectors. Exterior appearance remained largely the same over the truck's nine-year lifespan, with the biggest changes through the years coming mostly in the form of grille design. From 1978 through 1981, this consisted of either "eggcrate" style (1978), horizontal bars (1979 and 1981) or vertical bars (1980). Then for 1982, the front end was changed to a full-width grille design housing four headlights and

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1188-648: A regular commuter. The car also proved uncomfortable for some drivers because of the lack of power steering. At the beginning of production the Fiero was only available in Red (M71) and White (M40) colors with Black (M41) and Light Gray Metallic (M14) introduced later, the paint shop was only able to handle four different colors at a time. All 1984 models came with the same 2.5 L I4. Although sales literature listed only two models available in 1984, there were at least three models available with different optional packages. There

1287-465: A second two-seater sports car that might compete with the Corvette, young Pontiac engineers in 1978 were able to sell the Fiero concept to the corporation as a fuel-efficient four-cylinder "commuter car" that just happened to have two seats, rather than a muscle car. When the engineers brought back a running prototype in less than six months, it was given the green light for production. They perceived

1386-531: A sign of greater things to come. The 718 followed similarly in 1958. But it was not until the late 1950s that RMR reappeared in Grand Prix (today's " Formula One ") races in the form of the Cooper - Climax (1957), soon followed by cars from BRM and Lotus . Ferrari and Porsche soon made Grand Prix RMR attempts with less initial success. The mid-engined layout was brought back to Indianapolis in 1961 by

1485-638: A similar vehicle, the Ford Ranchero , also with a Spanish name ("Rancher"). GMC also offered special trim packages for the Caballero under other Spanish names: Diablo, Laredo, Amarillo. As for the car's old nameplate, GM would later revive the Sprint name for a rebadged Suzuki Cultus sold under the Chevrolet banner. The Caballero and the fifth generation El Camino shared their mechanical parts with

1584-409: A vehicle looking similar to a 1985 Fiero GT, but modified to avoid trademark issues. Other plastic-kit display models were released by MPC- ERTL in 1:25 scale. One was a 1984 2M4 kit 10883, the other was 1987 (essentially identical to 1986) GT kit 6401. Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout In contrast to the fully rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout , the center of mass of the engine

1683-416: A year, Hoglund negotiated a deal to reopen a plant once shut down in the heart of Pontiac, Michigan . He and his staff wanted to prove that cooperation between management and labor could be solved without the use of robots on the assembly line, which GM's top executives wanted. Likewise, Hoglund allowed the hourly paid workers to choose the two-seater's name — hence the name "Fiero." A mid-engine layout

1782-417: Is aware of 260 fires attributable to the condition, along with ten reported minor injuries." The Fiero is a popular base car for replicas of supercars such as Ferraris and Lamborghinis, as well as for various other kit cars, due to being one of the least expensive mid-engine cars available on the market. When the Fiero's 1984 model was introduced, it played a major role in building the "excitement" image that

1881-448: Is in front of the rear axle. This layout is typically chosen for its favorable weight distribution . Placing the car's heaviest component within the wheelbase minimizes its rotational inertia around the vertical axis, facilitating turn-in or yaw angle . Also, a near 50/50% weight distribution, with a slight rear weight bias, gives a very favorable balance, with plenty of weight on the driven rear axle under acceleration, while distributing

1980-627: Is sometimes referred to as the Muncie 282 or the Muncie Getrag 282, as the design was licensed to General Motors for manufacture by Muncie (Getrag never built the 282). This Muncie transmission is the stronger unit, designed for use with the higher output of the V6. The unique plastic body-on-spaceframe design, helped the Fiero to achieve a NHTSA NCAP frontal crash test rating of five stars, the highest rating available. According to Hemmings Motor News,

2079-404: Is that models with the prototype power steering were noted as being too loud. The four-cylinder engine received an in-pan oil filter element and balance shaft. A "Formula" option was added, which offered many of the GT features with the standard coupe body, including the 120 mph (190 km/h) speedometer, WS6 Suspension (which includes offset crosslace wheels) and the rear spoiler. 1988 marked

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2178-639: The 1923 Benz Tropfenwagen . It was based on an earlier design named the Rumpler Tropfenwagen in 1921 made by Edmund von Rumpler , an Austrian engineer working at Daimler. The Benz Tropfenwagen was designed by Ferdinand Porsche along with Willy Walb and Hans Nibel . It raced in 1923 and 1924 and was most successful in the Italian Grand Prix in Monza where it stood fourth. Later, Ferdinand Porsche used mid-engine design concept towards

2277-497: The Auto Union Grand Prix cars of the 1930s which became the first winning RMR racers. They were decades before their time, although MR Miller Specials raced a few times at Indianapolis between 1939 and 1947. In 1953 Porsche premiered the tiny and altogether new RMR 550 Spyder and in a year it was notoriously winning in the smaller sports and endurance race car classes against much larger cars –

2376-575: The Chevrolet El Camino . This light-duty pickup truck was identical to the El Camino except for the name, and the chassis for both cars was based on the Chevrolet Chevelle station wagon/4-door sedan wheelbase. The Sprint's first year was also the first year for mandated lower-octane unleaded fuel which necessitated a reduction in engine compression; GM's A.I.R. system, a "smog pump", was added to control tailpipe emissions. 1972

2475-491: The Chevrolet Malibu series, but rode on a 9-inch longer wheelbase . Other than different nameplates and minor trim variations, it is difficult to distinguish a Caballero from an El Camino at more than 10 paces distance. It was largely for this reason that the Caballero did not sell in the higher volumes that the El Camino did over the years (many never even knew a GMC version existed), though that rarity now counts as

2574-605: The Cooper Car Company with Jack Brabham running as high as third and finishing ninth. Cooper did not return, but from 1963 on British built mid-engined cars from constructors like Brabham , Lotus and Lola competed regularly and in 1965 Lotus won Indy with their Type 38 . Rear mid-engines were widely used in microcars like the Isetta or the Zündapp Janus . The first rear mid-engined road car after WW II

2673-631: The United States and Canada as the GMC version of the Chevrolet El Camino . Trim designations, emblems, and wheel trim differentiate the GMC from the Chevrolet . The vehicles were built on the General Motors A platform through 1981; for 1982, it was re-designated the G platform as the A platform switched to front-wheel drive . In 1971 GMC began producing the Sprint, their version of

2772-464: The gearbox and differential . This represented an extremely innovative sportscar at a time when all of its competitors (aside from the rear-engined Porsches), from Ferraris to Aston Martins , were traditional front-engined, rear-wheel-drive grand tourers. The Pontiac Fiero was a mid-engined sports car that was built by the Pontiac division of General Motors from 1984 to 1988. The Fiero

2871-399: The oil crisis as a market opportunity for a fuel-efficient sporty commuter car. The Fiero was redesigned to use a fuel efficient version of GM's 2.5 L (151 cu in) four-cylinder Iron Duke engine capable of 31 mpg ‑US (7.6 L/100 km; 37 mpg ‑imp ) in the city and 50 mpg ‑US (4.7 L/100 km; 60 mpg ‑imp ) on

2970-574: The "base car", came with the M-19 four-speed manual with a 0.81 top gear along with 4.10:1 differential, giving it better acceleration at the cost of fuel economy, 42/26 mpg. An automatic 3-speed transmission, MD-9 Hydramatic 125-C, was available along with A/C which was shared with the Pontiac Sunbird . The starting price was $ 8,499 ($ 24,925 in 2023 dollars ) for the Sport Coupe. The top model

3069-430: The 1975 model. Other than annual grill revisions and a switch to quad-stacked, rectangular headlights in 1976, the Sprint remained relatively unchanged through 1977, when the "Sprint" name was replaced with "Caballero" for 1978. The Chevelle SS was dropped after 1973, but the El Camino was one of the few Chevrolet models to retain an SS package. Following suit, GMC continued to offer the Sprint with an SP package, though it

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3168-516: The 1986 production year came with a four-speed with a final drive ratio of 3.65. The lower-geared 4.10 four-speed transmission showed improved acceleration, but sacrificed fuel economy. Isuzu and Muncie (Getrag) five-speed transmissions were available, depending on model and equipment beginning in 1985 for the Isuzu five-speed which came on four-cylinder cars and in 1986 for the Muncie five-speed which came on V6 equipped cars. The Getrag 282 five-speed

3267-541: The 1989/1990 Fiero. Many of the 1989/1990 Fiero prototypes had been demolished in a scrap yard in Australia. Much of its design influence is apparent in the Fourth Generation Firebird . New engines were proposed for the 1989/1990 model year, from the then new DOHC 190 bhp (140 kW) "Quad 4" four-cylinder as a base engine to replace the 2.5 L "Iron Duke" to a new 200+ hp DOHC V-6 for

3366-700: The Caballero for years under the Ute name. Like the Caballero and El Camino, Holden's Ute is based on a car platform - in this case the long-running Commodore series. Rebadged Holden Utes were offered in South Africa as Chevrolet El Camino, and later the Lumina Ute. For the 2008 model year, GM introduced an American version of the Commodore sedan called the Pontiac G8 . Sometime after the announcement of

3465-673: The Diablo stuck with the same front end it had carried since the final factory front clip revision (for the Malibus, El Caminos and Caballeros) from 1982. The Diablo was offered through the end of the Caballero line in 1987. Available Engines: •200 CID 2bbl V6 (1978-1979) •229 CID 2bbl V6 (1980-1981) •231 CID 2bbl Buick V6 (1978-1981)- for California cars only •267 CID 2bbl V8 (1979-1981) •305 CID 2bbl V8 (1978 only) •305 CID 4bbl V8 (1979-1981) •350 CID 4bbl V8 (1978-1979) Holden , GM's Australian division, has offered coupe-pickup models similar to

3564-552: The El Camino and Sprint shared the same body styling as the Chevelle from the cowl to the front bumper. The 1971 models featured the Chevelle's twin parking light lenses, dual "high intensity" headlights and horizontally-divided front grille. A large "GMC" badge replaced the Chevy bowtie and for models with optional engines, engine badges (depicting cubic inch size), identical to those of the counterpart Chevrolet, were placed just below

3663-448: The Fiero as the reason for its demise following its 5th model year. The Fiero was available with the 2.5 L (151 cu in) LR8 I4 , and 2.8 L (173 cu in) L44 V6 . The SD4 (Super Duty 4-cylinder) was the last in a line of high-performance Pontiac engines. A 2.7 L (165 cu in) 232 hp (173 kW) SD4 engine powered the 1984 Indy Fiero Pace Car to over 138 mph (222 km/h) during

3762-590: The Fiero experience helped the company to develop the sporty look of the Grand Am and Sunbird , as well as "road car" features in the once-traditional Bonneville and Grand Prix . Such Fiero advances as the composite skin lived on in new GM products like the Saturn . Several diecast model manufacturers have replicated the Fiero in various scales. Hot Wheels released a 1984 Fiero 2M4 under many paint schemes. Matchbox and Majorette also released Fiero models during

3861-520: The Fiero project had been cancelled by corporate management. However, the project was kept alive by high-ranked defenders, chiefly William Hoglund, who took over Pontiac in 1980, when the brand's popularity was heavily diluted and its cars could be described as outdated. In 1983 Hoglund told his top three dozen staffers that Pontiac would rebuild itself with cars that were exciting and different — terms that described Aldikacti's "commuter car". In order to meet Hoglund's marketing teams goal of 100,000 cars

3960-427: The Fiero project to Hulki Aldikacti, a Turkish born executive with over twenty years of experience. Its design was unusual for GM, and stood out from their other products. The two-seater's development budget from design to plant retooling, was 400 million dollars, a fraction of a typical GM development budget. Aldikacti's initial challenge was with GM's corporate structure, which split its engineers into two categories:

4059-490: The Fiero were merely on par with other contemporary sporty coupes. The Fiero received positive reviews for its handling (Motor Trend 1984), as well as negative reviews for not meeting expectations of higher performance from its mid-engine configuration. Despite the criticism, the Fiero sold well and although Pontiac operated three shifts at the factory during 1984, they could not keep up with initial demand. The sharing of suspension and other components with other GM cars meant

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4158-451: The Fiero's chassis and structure technology used non-load-bearing, composite body-panels, contributing to the car's light-weight and unique selling proposition . Pontiac engineers modified the design over its life to enhance its performance and reposition the two-seater closer to the implications of its sporty configuration. The Fiero 2M4 (two-seat, mid-engine, four-cylinder) was on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 1984, and

4257-706: The G8 ST was cancelled due to budget cuts and restructuring. And still, there was a chance that a coupe - pickup (or rather, a "sedan – pickup") could return to GMC. General Motors executive Robert Lutz announced in January 2008 that the division will display a GMC-badged version of the Holden Crewman , a four-door version of the standard Holden Ute pickup, at the New York Auto Show in March. Ultimately,

4356-452: The G8, GM announced that they would also be shipping over a revised version of the Ute. Since Pontiac shares most of its dealerships with GMC franchises, there was wide speculation that the Ute would be rebadged as a GMC (though not necessarily a Caballero or Sprint). However, GM later announced that the new pickup would also be Pontiac-branded, as the G8 ST. In January 2009, GM announced to dealers

4455-454: The GT model which included upgraded suspension tuning, wider tires, and a V6 engine having 43 hp (32 kW) more than the base four-cylinder. In 1988, changes included a completely redesigned suspension (and parts of the space frame) along with two-piece brake calipers and upgraded brake rotors — the latter which had been conceived with the initial design. The available I4 and V6 engines benefited from evolutionary improvements, but

4554-462: The GT models. Even a 231 CID (3.8 L) Buick Turbo V6 powered Fiero is rumored to have been seen at a test track. The single 1989/1990 Fiero GT prototype had an early version of the upcoming DOHC V-6 that would be put into production in the Grand Prix and Lumina Z34 in the early 1990s. This engine developed more than 200 hp (150 kW). GM cited slumping and unprofitable sales of

4653-538: The Laredo was a Caballero equivalent to the El Camino's luxurious Conquista package. Equipment included two-tone paint in various color combinations and a "Laredo" decal on the tailgate. For 1981, the Laredo became known as the Amarillo, and this name would continue through 1987. With the exception of the different name decal on the tailgate, the package was substantially the same. GMC changed this package's name at about

4752-496: The Pontiac Division Motor Company wanted to establish in its car buyers. This car pioneered new concepts such as the participation of autoworkers in production methods as well as new materials provide a showcase as the first production car in the world to use a space/frame chassis with a separate body shell composed of SMC Sheet Molded Composite. According to Design News, Pontiac engineers pointed out that

4851-610: The Renault-engined Lotus Europa , built from 1966 to 1975. Finally, in 1966, the Lamborghini Miura was the first high performance mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive road car. The concept behind the Miura was that of putting on the road a grand tourer featuring state-of-the-art racing-car technology of the time; hence the Miura was powered by a V12 transversely mounted between the rear wheels, solidal to

4950-493: The SE and GT models keeping the same "Aero" nose. The new non-aero noses lost the black bumper pads of the earlier models and had a smoother look. The four-cylinder engine's power rating increased to 98 hp (73 kW) with some major modifications which included a roller cam, redesigned intake manifold, distributorless ignition system (DIS), open combustion chamber cylinder head and upgraded throttle-body fuel injection system. This

5049-621: The Sprint Custom, was GMC's own equivalent of the Chevrolet SS package. It included the same features as the Chevrolet. The Sprint SP was an option package, RPO YE7, rather than a distinct model. Engines were an L48 350 4 barrel, LS3 400 (402) big block, and the LS5 454 365 hp big block. For 1973, all GM A-body vehicles were redesigned. It was the largest generation of the Sprint, but thanks to lighter construction, it weighed less than

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5148-635: The Volvo 740DL station wagon. The official crash test scores were as follows: The Fiero's technologically advanced spaceframe technology went on to be incorporated in the Saturn S-Series cars and the 1990-96 GM U platform minivans. Safety issues escalated rapidly by the summer of 1987, when the fire count for 1984 models reached a rate of 20 fires per month. Fieros were catching fire at the rate of one for every 508 cars sold, surpassing all other mass-market automobile cars. Pontiac engineers knew about

5247-475: The actual pace car at Indy. Callies was the factory's lead engineer on both the pace car and IMSA programs. The Fiero became the first 4-cylinder car to pace the 500 since a Stoddard-Dayton paced the 1914 race. The production of the 1984 model ran from July 1983, until almost the end of 1984, this resulted in Pontiac exceeding its first year goal of 80,000 units, which was 28,000 more than the initial estimate and

5346-414: The car engineers who would create blueprints for the car, and manufacturing engineers who would work out the fabrication and assembly issues. Fiero blueprints traveled back and forth between the two engineering branches, resulting in a waste of time and money. Aldikacti was forced to sit the two teams of engineers down next to one another, allowing for no excuses as to why there was "no build" after his design

5445-408: The car were Sprint (which had previously been used on a GMC and would later end up being used for a Chevrolet instead), P3000, Pegasus, Fiamma, Sunfire (a name which would later be applied to another Pontiac ), and Firebird XP. Aldikacti's unorthodox design methods and personal manner made him unpopular to most of GM's bureaucracy. He was told by counterparts at other GM divisions three times that

5544-501: The car's heyday. Monogram has released and re-released a 1985 Fiero GT model (the re-release is currently available). In recent years, a large 1:18 die-cast model of a 1985 GT was available in red and silver colors. In 2007 the Motor Max toy company began making small die-cast Fiero GT toys under the "American Graffiti" and "Fresh Cherries" lines. Select Wal-Mart locations sold a special "Since '68" Fiero made by Hot Wheels, which uses

5643-551: The cost of developing a new engine would be more than the production of the whole car itself. Instead, Aldikacti was forced to settle for the already manufactured four-cylinder engine GM produced for Pontiac, the "Iron Duke," nicknamed for its heavy iron block. The word Fiero means "very proud", "fierce", "bold", "haughty" "cruel", "severe" in Italian, and "wild", "fierce", or "ferocious" in Spanish. Alternative names considered for

5742-400: The divider bar on the left side of the grille. Both years featured rear end styling taken from the Chevelle station wagon (and were shared with El Camino). For 1972, the Sprint was given the updated Chevelle front end styling, retaining the "GMC" and optional engine badges in their 1971 locations. The Sprint has the same design, features, and equipment as the El Camino, with some renamed. It

5841-417: The end of production for the Fiero. Improvements to suspension, brakes, steering, and improvements to both the four-cylinder and V6 engines took the car to a level far beyond the 1984 model that had received much criticism. 1988 was also the only year a yellow exterior color was available as a factory option. On August 16, 1988, the last Fiero rolled off the Pontiac, Michigan , plant line. The last Fiero built

5940-495: The engine compartment and curving up and over the roof. This "periscope" style inlet was used on the three actual Indy Pace Cars used at the 1984 Indianapolis 500. This inlet scoop fed the 2.7 L (165 cu in) Super Duty engine which was only exclusive to the actual Pace Cars. The Super Duty engine was rated at 232 hp (173 kW) at 6,500 rpm and 210 lb⋅ft (280 N⋅m) of torque at 5,500 rpm. Pontiac's general manager Bill Hoglund nominated John Callies to drive

6039-492: The exceedingly sturdy, 600 lb (270 kg) space frame consisted of roughly 280 separate galvanized and high-strength steel stampings joined by 3,800 welds and, when assembled with the Fiero's mechanicals, was fully driveable without its skin. The Fiero's body panels are purely cosmetic (and aerodynamic) and carry no structural load. The Fiero was the second safest vehicle sold in America from 1984 to 1988, beaten only by

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6138-630: The exhaust manifold or hot exhaust components." David Hudgens, a GM spokesman in Detroit said "if you ran out of oil, and then that coupled with some aggressive driving, perhaps, and maybe not changing the oil very often, you end up with a broken rod, and that's where the connecting rod came in; it is still the owner's responsibility to check the oil." The Pontiac division said in a 1988 press release that "GM tests have shown that running these 1984 cars with low engine oil level can cause connecting rod failure which may lead to an engine compartment fire. Pontiac

6237-489: The favorable vehicle dynamics it produces, this layout is heavily employed in open-wheel Formula racing cars (such as Formula One and IndyCar ) as well as most purpose-built sports racing cars . This configuration was also common in smaller-engined 1950s microcars , in which the engines did not take up much space. Because of successes in motorsport, the RMR platform has been commonly used in many road-going sports cars despite

6336-462: The form of an "option" that changed the original body to a Pininfarina Ferrari 308 -type body, called the Fiero Mera. Corporate Concepts completed the "Mera" transformation and none were sold as kit form. The Mera body change was offered only on new Fieros, sold through Pontiac dealers and is considered a model in its own right. Only 247 Meras were produced by Corporate Concepts before production

6435-411: The highway with the economy-ratio transmission option. The fuel economy was considered as impressive for a 2.5 L engine of the period, but the three-speed automatic reduced highway mileage to only 32 mpg ‑US (7.4 L/100 km; 38 mpg ‑imp ). With respect to fuel economy, the Fiero appealed to a market niche distinct from the Corvette's. Pontiac assigned oversight of

6534-451: The inherent challenges of design, maintenance and lack of cargo space. The similar mid-engine, four-wheel-drive layout gives many of the same advantages and is used when extra traction is desired, such as in some supercars and in the Group B rally cars. The 1900 NW Rennzweier was one of the first race cars with mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. Other known historical examples include

6633-578: The intended show vehicle eventuated as something quite different, in the GMC Denali XT Hybrid Concept, designed by GM Holden upon the Zeta platform, but bearing no resemblance to existing Holden product ... it debuted at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show, but plans for production based upon this unibody concept were subsequently cancelled circa September 2009. In 1974, GMC's sister division, Pontiac , reportedly took an El Camino body, grafted

6732-489: The long-running Super Sport package). Both the Royal Knight and the Diablo carried a hood graphic not unlike that featured on the Pontiac Trans Am ; the Diablo's was in a symmetrical flame pattern that resembled a demon . Besides the hood accents, Diablo also came with lower-body accent paint, body-color mirrors, black-trimmed window frames, a front air dam , color-matched "Rally" steel wheels with trim rings, and

6831-446: The more appropriate Spanish equivalent of "cowboy" would be vaquero , based on "vaca" for " cow "). The Caballero name was previously used as a top trim level on the hardtop Buick Century Station wagon . GMC's use of a Spanish-derived name was perhaps a response to the El Camino's own borrowing from Spanish colonial history (via the assumed reference to El Camino Real, the "King's Road", lit. "Regal Road"). Until 1979, Ford offered

6930-407: The most two seater cars produced by any US manufacturer at the time. The 1985 Fiero did not appear in showrooms until January 1985, with the introduction of the GT model, which looked very similar to the 1984 Indy model without the decals or body color wheels. The three models, and four colors from the previous year were still available and the complaint about insufficient power was addressed, much to

7029-470: The original 1984 mold with a new paint job. The Kenner toy line M.A.S.K. had a black Fiero GT that converted into a glider craft and three wheeled chopper, called "Fireforce." Tonka's toy line Gobots included a character, "Sparky", who converted into a 1984 Fiero 2M4 (called a "P-car" on the packaging). Also worth mention is the Transformers character Punch/Counterpunch , a spy who converts into

7128-497: The planned availability of turbochargers and newer DOHC engines did not happen before production stopped. In spite of the design finally realizing its potential, sales had declined and GM ended production. The Fiero began production in August 1983. In an effort to sell the car as economically sensible, GM equipped and sold the Fiero as a commuter car; although the marketing build-up leading to initial release indicated anything but

7227-443: The previous generation. Engine offerings during this period included a 250 cubic-inch inline six, as well as a variety of V8s, including the 305, 350 and 400 cubic-inch versions of the Chevy small-block V8 , plus the 454 Turbo-Jet big block through 1975. GMC carried over the "Standard" and "Custom" Sprint designations. The inline six was still only available on the "Standard". Catalytic converters were added to all engines beginning with

7326-492: The problems early on: one wrote an urgent memo dated October 6, 1983, to report that two Fieros had suddenly caught fire during test drives. This was only 3 months after the production of the Fiero began. It was first thought to be caused by antifreeze leaking out of poorly installed hoses, when in reality it was defective connecting rods. After one meeting with the Saginaw foundry manager, he wrote that "60 percent to 90 percent of

7425-520: The race. The SD4 was never available in a production vehicle, however Pontiac's Performance Parts counter had all the SD4 parts available and one could garner a 2.7 L (165 cu in) 272 hp (203 kW) version and a 3.2 L (195 cu in) 330 hp (246 kW) version. All 2000 Indy Fiero replicas came with the 2.5 L (153 cu in) 92 hp (69 kW) Iron Duke engine. All automatic-equipped Fieros were equipped with

7524-481: The racing program; however, some ideas may have come from Lotus. Up front were revised control arms and knuckles that reduced steering effort and improved the scrub radius. At the rear, a tri-link suspension with all new knuckles was installed. This new suspension came with staggered wheel sizes on WS6 suspension equipped models, with 15 in (380 mm) by 6 in (150 mm) wide wheels up front and 15 in (380 mm) by 7 in (180 mm) wide wheels in

7623-505: The rear for improved handling balance and to offset the slightly increased front track that resulted from the improvements. Topping off the package were the new vented disc brakes at all four corners, which addressed braking complaints of road testers. A variable effort electro-hydraulic power steering unit, the same design later found on the GM EV1 , was also to be a late addition. This option never made it to production – one reason cited

7722-458: The rear suspension and powertrain was virtually identical to that of the Phoenix ; the Fiero even included rear tie rod ends attached to a "steering knuckle", although these were hard-mounted to the engine cradle and only used for maintaining the rear tire alignment. As the oil crisis eased by 1985, demand developed for more engine power and better performance. Pontiac responded by introducing

7821-630: The rods produced do not exhibit defects." This means at least every 1 out of 10 rods produced were defective and possibly 4 out of 10 were also defective. The Associated Press quoted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as saying it had "...received 148 complaints regarding Pontiac Fieros catching fire including reports of six injuries. Low levels of engine oil may cause a connecting rod to break, allowing oil to escape and come into contact with engine parts. The oil would catch fire when it contacted

7920-496: The same time as Jeep began using the "Laredo" name (as a trim level with the 1980 CJ-7) for a variety of special models in their own line - later evolving into a trim package with its XJ Cherokee and the midlevel (later base) trim level with the Grand Cherokee. The sporty Diablo package began in 1978 as an equivalent to the El Camino's Black Knight (1978)/Royal Knight (post-1978) package (which was, in turn, an upgrade from

8019-449: The satisfaction of the general public. A 2.8 L (170 cu in) V6 engine rated at 140 hp (100 kW) and 170 lb⋅ft (230 N⋅m) was put into the car, satisfying most critics of the base engine. The V6 was paired with a modified Muncie 4-speed transmission. The four-cylinder engine was slightly modified, adding roller lifters and resulting in a power increase of 2 hp (1.5 kW). It could now also be paired with

8118-633: The six to 365 for the 454—all in gross figures. For 1972, horsepower measurements were switched to the "net" figures as installed in a vehicle with all accessories and emission controllers hooked up—this change brought the horsepower ratings for 1972 down to a range from 110 horsepower (82 kW) for the six to 270 for the 454 V8. The Sprint shared exterior and interior trims with the Chevelle Malibu and El Camino including cloth and vinyl or all-vinyl bench seats and deep twist carpeting. All-vinyl Strato bucket seats and center console were optional. Both

8217-421: The three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic 125 with torque converter lockup (RPO MD9). Automatic transmission final drive ratios : All four-speed manual transmissions were built at the Muncie, Indiana , Allison plant. The 1984 production line saw two transmissions, a performance four-speed with a final drive ratio of 4.10, and an economy four-speed with a final drive ratio of 3.32. The V6 on the 1985 model and part of

8316-420: The weight fairly evenly under braking, thereby making optimal use of all four wheels to decelerate the car rapidly as well. The RMR layout generally has a lower tendency to understeer . However, since there is less weight over the front wheels, under acceleration the front of the car can be prone to lift and still have understeer . Most rear-engine layouts have historically been used in smaller vehicles, because

8415-412: The weight of the engine at the rear has an adverse effect on a larger car's handling, making it 'tail-heavy', although this effect is more pronounced with engines mounted behind the rear axle. It is felt that the low polar inertia is crucial in selection of this layout. The mid-engined layout also uses up central space, making it generally only practical for single seating-row sports-cars, with exception to

8514-444: Was a new Corvette at first. The Muncie/Getrag 5-speed transaxle , which did not arrive until June 1986, became the standard transaxle in V6 models. Models equipped with the four-cylinder engine received minor changes. Standard wheels were now 14-inch and the SE receives the GT's aerodynamic front end and rear spoiler. Stereo speakers were now mounted in the sail panels instead of the headrests. The new Performance Sound System includes

8613-423: Was chosen to reduce both aerodynamic drag and vehicle weight; to improve fuel efficiency, and to offer handling, traction, and braking benefits. The performance potential of the mid-engine layout was not realized when the Fiero debuted. As cost-saving measures, the tires, brakes, and suspension components were carried over from other GM platforms such as the X and T platforms . As a result, the handling abilities of

8712-420: Was done. Many modifications in the Fiero's designs were needed to be made for production; for instance, despite his long-standing interest in manufacturing body panels from plastic, Aldikacti consented to metal body pieces, the dies for which were much less costly. As the prototypes took shape, the tight budget took its toll on the design, particularly on Aldikacti's dream of a high-performance, aluminum-block V6;

8811-401: Was halted when Corporate Concepts was sued by Ferrari. The 1988 Fiero brought a new suspension design, thought by many to have a striking resemblance to those designed by Lotus (in whom GM had held a 91-percent stake since October 1986). The suspension was never a Lotus design, though – it was the suspension the Pontiac engineers had designed in the beginning, along with what they learned from

8910-611: Was offered as "Standard" or "Custom". The inline six was only available on the "Standard". Like the Chevelle and El Camino, the GMC Sprint could be ordered with a standard 3-speed Synchro-Mesh manual transmission , an optional four-speed Synchro-Mesh manual, or the Turbo Hydra-Matic three-speed automatic transmission . Luxury options, such as air conditioning, cruise control, power windows, and power locks, were also available at extra cost. The SP package, only offered on

9009-582: Was presented to a GM assembler, and was kept pristine with just over 500 miles on the odometer . It was sold in December 2020 for $ 90,000.00. A prototype of the never-produced 1989/1990 Fiero was displayed at the 20th Anniversary show in July 2003, at Fierorama 2005, at the Michigan show in 2006 and most recently at the 25th Anniversary Show in Pontiac, Michigan, in 2008. GM Heritage Center continues storing

9108-593: Was still only available on the Sprint Custom. It no longer included the two fat hood stripes, and the 454 Turbo-Jet big block V8 was discontinued after 1975. The word " Caballero " is from the Spanish language . Its most common definition today in the Americas is "gentleman", though its technical definition is "horseman" (caballo meaning horse) or " knight ". These are, in turn, related to the English " cowboy " (though

9207-533: Was the 1962 (Rene) Bonnet / Matra Djet , which used the 1108cc Renault Sierra engine, mated to the transaxle from the FWD Renault Estafette van. Nearly 1700 were built until 1967. This was followed by the first De Tomaso, the Vallelunga , which mated a tuned Ford Cortina 1500 Kent engine to a VW transaxle with Hewland gearsets. Introduced at Turin in 1963, 58 were built 1964–68. A similar car was

9306-544: Was the Fiero Coupe, the Sport Coupe and the SE. The Fiero Coupe, also called "Fuel Economy Leader", came with the MY-8 4-speed manual transaxle that had a 0.73 overdrive top gear along with a high mpg 3.32:1 axle ratio. This gave it an EPA highway/city rating of 50/31 mpg. Air conditioning and automatic transaxle could not be ordered. The starting price for the Fiero Coupe was $ 7,999. The Fiero Sport Coupe, also referred to as

9405-589: Was the Fiero SE, starting at $ 9,599 ($ 28,151 in 2023 dollars ), it included the WS6 handling package along with other trim upgrades. The marketing included title sponsorship of Daryl Hall & John Oates tour supporting the release of their Big Bam Boom album. From November 1984 through 1985, each tour venue had Fiero banners and signage above the main stage, new Fieros on display, and Pontiac dealer ticket giveaways. Sales managers at Pontiac dealerships also received

9504-592: Was the Official Pace Car of the Indianapolis 500 for 1984. A total of 370,168 Fieros were manufactured over five years' production. After suffering criticisms related to its mild performance as well as reliability and safety issues, the Fiero was discontinued after annual sales fell steadily. The Fiero was conceived as a small, two-seat sports car with all new suspension and a V6 engine. While General Motors 's management were opposed to investing in

9603-443: Was the first two-seater Pontiac since the 1926 to 1938 coupes, and also the first mass-produced mid-engine sports car by a U.S. manufacturer. GMC Sprint The GMC Sprint is a coupe utility / pickup that was produced by GMC for the 1971–1977 model years . The Sprint was renamed Caballero for the 1978 model year, and produced through 1987. The rear-wheel-drive car-based pickups were sold by GMC Truck dealers primarily in

9702-439: Was the last year for the spin-on oil filter on the four-cylinder. Bright Blue (M21) and Medium Red Metallic (M77) were added and replacing the ribbed black molding was the round style found on the GT models. As a side note, the SE models retained the ribbed molding, and added the aero nose found on the GT. Redesigned headlight motors appeared in 1987. Additionally, starting with the 1987 model Pontiac dealerships offered an upgrade in

9801-402: Was the last year for the third generation El Camino, resulting in a two-year generation for Sprint. For 1972, little changed but for lower power outputs. Engine offerings for 1971–72 included the 250 cubic-inch OHV inline Six , small block V8s of 307 and 350 cubic inches; and big block V8s of 402 and 454 cubic-inch displacements. Horsepower ratings of those engines for 1971 ranged from 145 for

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