was a fiero, pontiac's version of a ferrari?

Question

was a fiero, pontiac's version of a ferrari?

Answer 1

NO



The Fiero was a compact car making less than 130HP for V6 and less than 100HP for 4 cylinder.



It was not meant to be fast or compete with Ferrari.

Answer 2

No,it was more like an american version of a Fiat x19.



The Fiero got a bad rap as the original model used the dash and engine from the chevette.Yet the 1.9 litre engine was pretty damned reliable as may are still on the road as are many chevettes.

It was also a hard car to drive at first as the front end weighed so little that oversteer was a problem but usually at low speeds.

It was also very unsafe in heavy rain as hydroplaning in a Fiero is unlike anything I have ever experianced in a car before.



At the dealer the labour charges are higher for 3 cars,the Caddillac,Corvette,and Fiero.To replace a fan belt in a Fiero meant putting it on a hoist,taking off the right rear tire and then putting it on virtually blindfolded.

I drove a 2m4 and a 2m6 and they were both good cars.The last year the Fiero was made they had perfected it and was a delight to drive seeing as they had a better front to rear weight ratio.

If I ever find one in ok condition when I have a few bucks to toss away I will certainly buy one.Speakers in the headrests? Nice touch.

Answer 3

The Fiero was not any version of a Ferrari - it was a commuter car. The first year Fiero only got the 2.5 4 cylinder motor getting into the high 30 MPG range. This is the only way GM brass would allow the car to be built. It used many existing parts from the Citation and Chevette (it did not use the Chevette dash).



In 1985 the Fiero GT was introduced with the 2.8 V6. While it was not intended to perform better than the Ferrari 308, it did (look it up on the internet).



Every year Fiero had a 5-star frontal and side impact rating. The only safer car in its class was a Volvo.



By 1988 the Fiero got the suspension and brakes designed for it. It outperformed the supercharged MR2 and was faster around the track.

Answer 4

Yes. They even purchased a 308 for the design team to study.

Answer 5

For those who had a 2 digit IQ, possibly. More like a rich man's Yugo.

Answer 6

A very poor imitation!

Answer 7

yes, albeit a ghetto version.

Answer 8

I don't believe some of the nonsense people are spouting here.



It was not intended as a Ferrari. It was originally envisioned as an inexpensive, quick, sports car but the only way the GM brass would OK the project was as a commuter car.



The original name was to be the Pegasus (the logo is a winged horse) but someone in marketing decided that the appearance of the car was Italian and that it should have an Italian name. Fiero mean wild.



In order to keep the costs down, it was decided to make the car from the "parts bin".

The engines were used in many GM cars from the era. The commuter philosophy was the reason for only the small engine being offered at first. The V6 was offered as a higher performance version later but was in the original philosophy.



Extitude:

The dash is not from the chevette. a quick glance will prove that wrong.

Dealers don't have different rates for different models. Some dealers don't like or encourage work on the Fiero because a few parts are different and the car looks really different than anything they are used to working on.



The other major parts pulled from the parts bin were the suspension.

The engine cradle and rear suspension includes parts from the X cars (Pontiac Phoenix, Chevy Citation) front suspension. That finally disappeared in the suspension redesign in 1988. You can find the steering knuckles from the X car front suspension in the 84-87 Fieros.

The front suspension used parts from the Chevette front suspension.



bracken46:

GM has bought Ferraris but for comparison with the Corvette, not the Fiero. I have known a person with a yellow (yes, not red) Ferrari 308 where the paperwork indicated the original purchaser as General Motors and an Bowling Green Kentucky (home of the Corvette plant) address.