Boomtastic Racing

In the early '80s, the Big 3 were in a slump.

Chrysler was on the verge of the next big thing - the mini van. GM was churning out bloated beachwagons, gas guzzling Suburbans and ho-hum hatchbacks. Something had to change - fast, and Pontiac was the shot GM needed. In short, they needed EXCITEMENT.

Pre-Production

The Pontiac Fiero - brainchild of Hulki Aldikacti - was a 2 seat sports car billed to GM management as an economy commuter vehicle. It was the first mass-produced mid-engine sports car by an American manufacturer.

Originally planned as a front engine vehicle, the hood height was too tall for the designers liking. The engine was moved to the rear, in front of the axles.
GM started and stopped the Fiero in the early stages many times. Hulki and crew believed in the car so much that they took it upon themelves to build their own prototype.
The first Fiero ws built outside of GM at Entech. Hulki had enough good will that he was able to build the car there on the promise of payment later. It worked.
The Fiero prototype, badged as a Subaru to throw the press off, rolled up to GM headquarters and amazed the executive crew. The car was given the official green light.

1984 Fiero

The all new, Pontiac exclusive Fiero came as GM was trying to rebound from the gas guzzlers of the 1970's. Pontiac built 136,840 Fieros in 1984.

Starting with a steel unibody frame, the 2 seat Fiero became a rolling, driveable chassis long before the colored body panels went on.
The 2.5 L4 engine was not the first choice. Engineers wanted a V8, but a prototype with a V8 installed embarassed a Corvette on the proving grounds during a test session. The budget was cut to the point where they could build a car but couldn't afford the engine. Due to an overrun of Iron Duke engines, they got that for free in order to complete the Fiero.
When the Fiero finally went on sale, it was such a hit that Pontiac and the dealerships couln't keep up with demand.
Starting at $7990 MSRP (base model)

1985 Fiero

GM heard the cries for more power, and in 1985 added the optional 2.8 V6. Pontiac built 76,371 Fieros in 1985 - 45,884 V6 models (28,224 SE and 17,660 GT).

After the launch, the press and public loved the Fiero. What they didn't like? The 2.5 L4 that only made 92 HP. Pontiac knew they wanted a larger engine, but were still stuck by the GM bean counters.
The 2.8 V6 - another overrun engine - was called into duty with the release of the GT model. This engine brought 140 HP and with it the Fiero became a game changer, punching far above it's weight class in terms of performance and handling.
The GT body panels were a carryover from the Indy, with the aero nose, rounded rear fascia and wing - all of which had received extensive wind tunnel testing.
Starting at $8495 MSRP (base model)

1986 Fiero

Pontiac design engineers amazed the public with the 'fastback' style body for 1986. This new body had sweeping rear panels that rounded out the car. Pontiac built 83,974 Fieros in 1986.

The revised GT rear body clip had a longer deck lid, transparent sail panels, and 3 color rear tail lamps. Also new was a light gold metallic paint. All GT's were outfitted with 15" wheels and tires.
Early year manual V6 cars received the 4 spd transmission, with the 5 spd only being added at the end of the production run. While numbers are hard to finalize, it is said that only 2000 GTs received the 5spd.
Also new for 1986 was the 120MPH speedometer for V6 cars. 13" wheels and tires were upgraded to 14", and various other interior styling changes were made.
Starting at $8949 MSRP (base model)

1987 Fiero

Pontiac increased the fuel tank size and added Bright Blue Metallic as a paint option. 46,581 Fieros were built by Pontiac for 1987.

The upgraded fuel tank gave an additional 2 gallons to the Fiero. The 4spd transmission was officially dropped and all manual Fieros came with a 5spd.
While all 1987 Fieros had cloth seats, 482 Fieros were ordered with an AM only radio - making this the rarest option for that year. The next rarest option was power windows, with only 3,271 units produced.
Every Fiero received a digital clock thanks to the installed Delco radio. Bright Blue Metallic paint (code 21) was available as a 1987 only option. The 4,458 original blue cars didn't sell well them, but are in demand now.
Starting at $8299 MSRP (base model)

1988 Fiero

By 1988, sales had slipped and doomed the Fiero for cancelation. Pontiac built 26,402 Fieros in 1986.

In an effort to capture younger buyers, the Formula option was introduced. This combination of GT powertrain with coupe body only sold 5,643 units.
Bright Yellow paint (code 53) was available as a 1988 only option. All models - coupes, GTs and Formulas - could be ordered in this color. Lower body molding on the GTs were painted in the same color as the upper for 1988. Only 1,166 yellow Fieros were made, making it the rarest color (followed by 1,256 silver 1988 Fieros).
All models got improved suspension front and rear, but only GT and Formula models received the sport suspension. Unfortunately the slated hydro-electric power steering system was discontinued before it reached production. Braking was improved for the 1988 models.
Starting at $8999 MSRP (base model)

The Next Generation

Pontiac was already designing the next upgrade to the Fiero when the projact was cancelled. Unfortunately the best was yet to come, with revised body styling and optional power steering.

Both the coupe and the GT were slated to get new body panels, incorporating quad hidden headlamps and new bumper fascias. Coupes received rear tail lights that flowed better in the body lines.
A larger V6 engine was picked for the GT, while talks of the Quad 4 replacing the Iron Duke were discussed. Several test mules with each engine choice were mocked up for review.
Of the original prototype vehicles, only 1 GT model remains in GM's possession. All others were scrapped once production ended. GM stores the 1989/90 Fiero as part of their Heritage Collection and has shown it at several Fiero events.
Pricing was never announced.