1985 Pontiac Fiero is Like, a Totally Bitchin’ Project Car
As a sports car, the Fiero may be totally awesome to some, and no-no-notorious to others. But it makes for one phat project car.
Among car enthusiasts and gear heads, the Pontiac Fiero GT is a car with a reputation. Looking back through the fog of nostalgia, the Fiero might be remembered as the bomb; a mid-engined sports ahead of its time. But there is a pretty vocal group that considers the Pontiac Fiero, well, a punchline.
If you were an ’80s kid, you likely think of the Pontiac Fiero GT as a choice ride. It was made all the more appealing by appearing in John Hughes’ classic teen flick Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Sure, we know many are inclined to remember the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California from the film; but the 1985 two-seater Fiero SE driven by Jeanie Bueller was definitely memorable.
Firmly in the pro-Fiero corner is car coating specialists Avalon King. They just released a hilarious video featuring their newly-acquired 1985 Fiero GT project car. Our guide on this journey back is Andrew Howell. But one touch of the Fiero and we are transported back to the 1980s via neon-colored, old-school Betamax-style intro, complete with a voiceover.
“Born with gasoline for blood and a turbo for a heart, the lone driver sets out to create the ultimate driving machine. Melding flesh with steel, he harnesses the dark arts of automotive mechanics to bend speed and power to his will!”
This is followed by Howell sliding behind the wheel, in a less-than-graceful way. He pops on a pair of Terminator 2: Judgement Day-inspired specs and is given his mission. They must modify and update the 1985 Fiero to outperform an unnamed “evil genius.” The main focus is to best his opponent in speed, handling, and style. And style-wise, the interior is already pretty clean.
“The interior is in fantastic shape,” he says. “The seats are basically brand new, they were recently recovered.” Additionally, the carpet is good, and the dash has already been updated with a rearview mirror, short shifter for the Cobalt SS/F23 5-speed manual transmission. Plus a super-futuristic CD player. It gets much rougher on the outside. A paint job is definitely needed.
“Wheels. These gotta’ go,” says Howell. It is currently riding on some from an old Volkswagen; a far cry from the 14″ cast-aluminum wheels that came stock. But with a 5 x 100 bolt pattern, Howell has many options.
Under the hood, Howell shows that the Pontiac has already had a swap, which explains the F23 tranny. Gone is the 2.8L V6, and in its place is a 160-180 hp 3.4L V6, from a 1990s-era Camaro or Firebird.
“It’s a bigger motor, but it’s not really super fast,” Howell explains. “But its got it where it counts: low-end torque.”
Another issue Howell needs to address is this motor can leak oil from the cap. He’s going to fix that, as well as a list of maintenance work: new spark plugs, oil change, replace the air filter, and more.
Howell also has a problem with the clutch, while driving the pedal tends to go to the floor. He might be looking at opening up Pandora’s Box with the clutch slave cylinder. Additionally, he wants to upgrade the suspension (maybe coilover or lowering springs), the brakes, and poly bushings all around.
Sure, it’s a lot of work. But it is a Fiero. As Howell says, “it’s freaking cool, man!” He wants to keep it a car firmly rooted in the 1980s. To that end, he is going to keep the 3.4L powerplant as it is a definite upgrade from the original, but not too over the top or anachronistic. Ultimately, the goal of this project is to build a driver-focused, fun, agile sports car.
Howell hits the road in the car and talks a bit about the Fiero’s history. When it came out in 1984 the Fiero was a huge hit right off the bat, and affordable for GM to produce. GM went into overtime to keep up with demand. However, early models did have a major issue of the catching on fire variety.
‘It’s a big motor, but not super fast. But its got it where it counts: low-end torque.’
While the automaker ultimately fixed the issue, it left the car with a marred rep. And–just like Kajagooogoo–it disappeared by the ’90s. Ultimately, Howell has quite an interesting project on his hands, and we look forward to seeing the progress.
“I want this to be an attainable, fun, well-performing daily,” Howell says. He recalls the impression the Fiero made on him as a kid; it was just so cool. And it really is. We love the more arcane, weirder builds, and this one promises to be rad.
The next video will show the car’s progress, and maybe we’ll find out more about this “evil genius.” Check out AvalonKing and stay tuned!
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