Get Hotcars Premium. Start your free trial today
One of the first commuter sports cars made in Detroit still retains the secrets that made it unique.
Auto enthusiast and junkyard treasure hunter Steve Magnante has made a name for himself as a YouTuber unearthing relics yielding several footnotes to what made them stand out from the rest of the pack. This video, shot earlier in June at a Massachusetts junkyard, is no exception as it focuses on the discovery of a 1984 Pontiac Fiero 2M4. Controversy dogged this model from the very start in that the Fiero made the brass at rival automaker General Motors nervous, only to metaphorically, and in some cases, literally flame out, bringing to an end a rather short and colorful legacy.
RELATED: These Badass Photos Of Modified Pontiac Fieros Make Us Want To Buy One
Magnante is particularly gobsmacked that this Fiero is emblazoned with the 2M4 designation, something you won't find on any of the other models that rolled out during its five-year production run. The character combo cites this car as a two-seater, mid-engine, four-cylinder model, the only time Fieros hit showrooms with a power source that size; every model after that sported six-cylinder units. Often dubbed the Iron Duke push-rod engine, it churned out 92 horsepower and was touted as a replacement for the aluminum engines that graced cars like the Chevy Vega and Monza. Pontiac and GM heavily promoted the iron element, since public perception skewed towards aluminum as having a reputation for being unreliable.
But these four-cylinder engines were notorious for catching fire, which destroyed one out of every 508 Fieros produced. Magnante attributed the source of these incidents to a number of factors, including the sideways placement of the engine, an oil pan that held three quarts of fluid instead of four, and relatively weak connecting rods. If folks were driving a Fiero critically low on oil, the rods had a tendency to spill that hot oil onto an exhaust manifold, after which engine heat would ignite that fluid. Other pundits claimed that Fiero fires were also caused by melted wires, although Magnante demonstrated that electrical components like the fuel injection systems were composed of flame-retardant sheet molded plastic compounds.
Gesturing towards a gash on the trunk lid, Magnante pointed out the fiberglass hairs melded with molded plastic, prevented the body from burning. Moreover, like the Corvettes at the time, the car skin was not part of the car's structure, but simply attached to the Fiero's metal cage. "These could actually be driven without the skin on them," added Magnante. "They're really not plastic, nor was the Corvette, for that matter, but they didn't burn."
Before Fiero entered the market, Pontiac's competitors GM weren't thrilled about a sporty-looking car that could compete against its Corvette line, but they didn't need to worry. After all, it was highly unlikely that a smaller engine with less than 100 hp would blow the doors off a classic muscle car. But Fiero owners were able to boost the power as high as 145 hp, via a turbocharger kit made available by Pfaff. Magnante hinted that installation of these turbochargers was somewhat on the awkward side, requiring a bit of "band-aid engineering."
RELATED: Bring A Trailer: This 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT With 108 Miles Is Practically New
In short, Magnante suggested that the engineering of these Fieros compromised its performance, and fires notwithstanding, likely resulted in them being yanked out of production in 1988. The engine cradle, for example, came from a Chevy Citation, with a front suspension originally seen on Chevettes during that time, although 1988 Fieros eventually were fitted with their own wishbone systems on the undercarriage. But at least, the engineering allowed for front and rear disc brakes. That said, Magnante remarked, "These could have been excellent cars."
Another good thing about Fieros was the exterior's plastic compounds, which fortunately didn't rust. Unfortunately, everything else that was metal, particularly the iron four-cylinder engines, were prone to that oxidization when they were exposed to moisture. Exceptions were the 14-inch aluminum wheels, which could withstand those elements, but were hardly appealing to the eye, especially on a vehicle that sold for roughly $7,000 roughly four times lower than a Corvette sticker price during the '80s. "They almost punished you for being frugal," quipped Magnante.
Fiero purchasers benefited from fuel mileage that was rated as high as 50 miles to the gallon, but they also had to sacrifice a bit of comfort. These Fieros were built for singles and couples, since it had no back seats. Additionally, passengers didn't have much wiggle room, thanks to a great deal of space taken up by a saddle covering the transmission, available either as an automatic or four-speed standard. Amenities were limited to AM/FM radio and a cassette player, but the real draw was the placement of speakers right into the headrests of the bucket seats. Because of the speakers, according to Magnante, hot rod enthusiasts would search for old Fieros to rip out the seats for their own vehicles.
That was likely one of the most pleasing features of the Fiero during its brief existence, although the price wasn't too shabby, either. Magnante believed economy had something to do with the popularity of Fieros, which, despite their brief existence on the market, still managed to outsell Corvettes.
Source: Steve Magnante, LA Times
Gene Kosowan has been with Hotcars.com on and off since April of 2018 and prefers to focus on the weirder aspects of automotive culture. He's written about everything from celebrities to cars, but especially likes the latter as they're far less pretentious to interview.