The Pontiac Fiero: Queen of the Kit Car Chassis
The lowly Pontiac Fiero holds a unique importance to the kit car hobby. Its flexible chassis is used in a wide variety of kit car models, from Ferraris to Lamborghinis. It's unique mid-engine layout and easily removed body components were immediately picked up upon by the entire industry. You'll find a stretched Fiero chassis underneath $80,000 kit cars even today.
The Pontiac Fiero (Fiero is Italian for "proud") was produced between 1984 and 1988. It comes standard with an inline 4-cylinder engine. An optional 6-cylinder engine was also available for certain models.
Kit car manufacturers discovered that the dimensions of the Fiero were very similar to those of certain expensive exotic cars. It's low slung design and mid-engine layout was very similar to many Ferrari and Lamborghini models. By simply cutting the chassis and extending it by 10 inches they were able to duplicate closely the dimensions of the Lamborghini Diablo, for example.
Another boon for replica car makers was the fact that Fiero used plastic body components that were bolted onto the frame. These body parts were easily removed, and the mounting points could be used to attach fiberglass bodies that copied exotic car designs. Since the car was mid-engined there was no transmission hump which freed up the interior space.
Kit Car Engine Options
The low-horsepower 4-cylinder engine was underpowered compared to the cars it was copying. The 6-cylinder engine provided more umph. Enterprising kit builders have found that the 300 hp 8-cylinder Cadillac Northstar engine can be shoe-horned into the Fiero's engine compartment, boosting speed considerably. There are also modifications to fit a 8-cylinder Chevy 350 cubic inch engine into the car, but this is not a transplant for the weak at heart.
Interior Options
Several companies offer fiberglass interior parts that when covered in leather emulate the look and feel of Lamborghinis and Ferraris. These kits are typically basic, and required some experience to install.
The Fiero dash is a unique design that unfortunately looks nothing like what Ferrari uses. Several companies offer new dashboard layouts for kit cars. Be aware that this will mean you need to purchase new gauges as well, as the Fiero gauges will not fit or will look out of place.
The Best Fiero to Use for a Kit Car
Of all the model years of Fieros, the 1988 model is recommended because of numerous improvements that were introduced that year. As Wikipedia states:
The 1988 Fiero brought a new suspension design, thought by many to have a striking resemblance to those designed by Lotus, which at the time, was about to be acquired by General Motors. 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 the racing program. Up front were revised control arms and knuckles that reduced steering effort and improved the scrub radius. In the back, the old Citation parts were replaced with a real tri-link suspension with all new knuckles. This new suspension came with staggered wheel sizes on WS6 suspension equipped models, with 15 inch by 6 inch wide wheels up front and 15 inch by 7 inch wide wheels in 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 another common complaint of road testers. The 4-cylinder engine received an in-pan oil filter element and balance shaft and a more powerful V6 was available. A "Formula" option was added, which offered many of the GT features with the standard coupe body. 1988 marked the end of production for the Fiero, and is also considered to be the best Fiero produced. 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.
When shopping for a Fiero to use in a kit car it's recommended that you get a complete inspection. Remember, the latest versions of this car are 20 years old, and are subject to wear and tear. Even though you'll be removing all the exterior components of the car you'll probably be relying the wiring harnesses, brake lines, and other interior mechanical parts. Rather than have to replace these, look for a Fiero that has these parts in servicable condition. Also look for frame damage, or damage to the front of the vehicle. The chassis is the most important part of this car; you'll want to make sure that it has sustained no damage in the past 20 years.
Alternatives to the Fiero
Several kit car companies, such as IFG, offer alternatives to using a Fiero. They provide a custom space frame chassis built from tubular steel. This is a marked improvement over the older Fiero design because it is purpose-built to be used in kit cars, and of course is brand-new instead of using a used Fiero chassis. These frames run around $10,000, but can be worth the expense if you're building a premium kit car. Using new parts is always recommended whenever possible.
