mobile-menu-icon
GM Authority

Last Production Pontiac Fiero Headed To Auction In November

The last production Pontiac Fiero will soon be put up for auction at a small classic car sale in Greensboro, North Carolina.

With just 582 actual miles on the clock and the original delivery plastic wrap still covering the seats, steering wheel and doors, this gleaming red Pontiac Fiero sits exactly as it did when it rolled off the production line at General Motors‘ Pontiac Assembly plant in Michigan in 1988. One might think the car was purchased by an overly optimistic collector who put it under a cover and forgot about it, thinking it’d be worth something one day, but there’s actually a somewhat more interesting back story to this car.

As a token of gratitude to Pontiac Assembly employees for all their hard work over the years, GM held a raffle for the last production Pontiac Fiero. The employee that won the raffle decided to hold onto the car, but instead of enjoying it for themselves, they put it in their garage to preserve it as a piece of American automotive history.

Due to its loving first (and only) owner, this Fiero only has delivery miles on the odometer and still sits in like-new condition. The car, which features the optional 2.8L V6 engine and four-speed automatic transaxle, also comes fully documented with the original build sheet, pictures of it on the assembly like, the original owner’s manual and paperwork and an original newspaper article on the end of Fiero production at Pontiac Assembly.

This 1988 Pontiac Fiero is a significant piece of GM history, in our opinion. Not only is it the last-ever production Pontiac Fiero, it’s also the last car to be built at the historic Pontiac Assembly Plant, which closed on August 16th, 1988 after opening its doors back in 1927. A number of notable Pontiac vehicles were built at the facility, including the Pontiac GTO (1964-1974), Pontiac Le Mans (1962-1981) and Pontiac Grand Prix (1962-2008).

This car will cross the auction block at GAA Classic Car Auctions, which will be held in Greensboro from November 5th through to the 7th. Check out the listing here for more information on this mint Pontiac Fiero, along with some more photography.

{{ title }}

This poll will begin soon.

This poll has concluded.

Subscribe to GM Authority for more Pontiac Fiero news, Pontiac news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.

Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

Subscribe to GM Authority

For around-the-clock GM news coverage

We'll send you one email per day with the latest GM news. It's totally free.

Comments

  1. Pontiac had the right idea; but never had sufficient support from the powers that be to do what was necessary to make the Fiero a true sports car because General Motors felt the Chevrolet Corvette should be the only true sports car because the Fiero with a small block V8 would have been lethal.

    Reply
    1. There were plans to put the 3800 in the Fiero. That would have been pretty nice. Even better with a turbo.

      Reply
  2. Nate there was never plans to use the 3800 in the car.

    The 1990 models has a Quad 4 for the base engine and a 3.4 DOHC 220 HP GT was going to be the V6 option. The car still exist in the GM heritage collection yet today.

    The Chevy V8 was fitted to one car that was seen running at Mesa. Pontiac was ordered to destroy the car. This was confirmed by a Fiero team member.

    Pontiac began to look in other ways for speed. Two space frames were made by Alcoa for Pontiac. These cars were extremely light and fast. They both are lost so we are not sure 5hey survived or were crushed. They could be out there under some plastic panels some where.

    The only info was in a Road and Track story most overlooked.

    Note the V8 would have even a mess till the LS engine in all aluminum arrived. The cast iron engine is too tail heavy in the car. It really is fast in a straight line but cornering is sketchy.

    Reply
  3. I always thought the GT had great potential. They put that car together from a recycled parts bin and it wasn’t bad as it was, but it could have really given the MR2 a run with more dedication from GM.

    Reply
  4. Want to find out if my truck is Roy getting built it’s on the list as in transit

    Reply
  5. The North Star v8 would have made this car a corvette killer.

    Reply
  6. Just looking at the interior? I can see why this was the last one.

    Reply
    1. 1988 interior was a long time ago.

      Reply
    2. It was made in the 80s. The interior was very similar to a Firebird.

      Reply
  7. I believe this was also a Mid Engine Model you have not said much about that .

    The only GM Mid Engine car now is the C8 Corvette.

    I would like to read comments from owners and GM Service Delartment on how well it did in service and all about it as a Historical Mid Engine Vehicle.

    Reply
    1. I am a 35 year owner of a Fiero. For the most they were good cars beyond the oil level and leaks of the 4 cylinder engines. If you keep oil in them they lived.

      The V6 cars lasted well and were not much more difficult to work on than any FWD model.

      The key is change the plugs on the seat side of the engine about once a year as water would rust them in.

      Over the years on the forums a great number of these cars are running well over 100,000 miles. A few past 500,000.

      The only major issue is they did rust under the plastic bodies. Often the trunk sides and the space frame rails are rusted out and gone. People buy a car and find that the body while looking great is gone under the composite panels.

      Mine has been great only a lock up converter solenoid that was easily replaced.

      I was in a major accident with a van. While I had body damage the car still ran and I drove it home. The van could hardly move to get back in a drive way.

      Today I show the car and have taken top awards at Pontiac show.

      It is not a perfect car but it has been a blast to own and gotten me into events and opportunities I never thought I would get to do.

      Reply
  8. The Fiero was a triumph for Pontiac and a bunch of rogue engineers who miraculously got approval from GM’s bean counters to build a two-seat, fuel efficient “commuter car”. Of course the ‘We Build Excitement’ folks at Pontiac never truly wanted a commuter car and always intended to turn the humble little two-seater into a proper sports car.

    Due to the nature of its Board approval with a limited budget and original mission for fuel efficiency, it was compromised as a sports car at the outset but its deficiencies were quickly addressed. After five short years, its engine and transmission had been upgraded, it got a new suspension system, new bodywork, upgraded braking system, a novel electric power steering system (original Fieros didn’t have power steering) was developed, and numerous other smaller upgrades. Pontiac’s band of rule-breakers had turned their little commuter car into a respectable sports car and turned around their tired image and reignited the mojo they’d had in the 1960s.

    Largely on the strength of the Fiero, Pontiac’s image skyrocketed and they climbed to third place in the sales race and, importantly were attracting young, well-educated buyers, the so-called ‘Yuppie’ crowd (Young, Upwardly-Mobile, Professionals). For Pontiac, the period that the Fiero lived was a shining moment in their history. Sadly, GM’s Board shut down the little sports car and with it, Pontiac’s second period as an enthusiast car brand began to fade away. And, of course, the brand most favored by the young in the 1960s and 1980s eventually lost its life too.

    The Fiero story is one GM has repeated over and over: The space-framed car was ground-breaking in so many ways in the fall of 1983 but not fully developed at launch. By the time the car got all that it needed, the ax fell on it. The Cadillac CT6 lived and died much like the Fiero; both had short, promising, but ultimately tragic lives.

    Reply
  9. Yes great cars. I put over a 100,000 miles on my first Fiero. I bought it used with 87,000 miles on it, then drove it another 100,000 miles. It was a 88 with the 2.5 4 cyl. Fuel economy on trips was just under 40. My 2nd Fiero was a blast. 87 GT with Mod suspension, 18″ wheels front, 19″ rear. Continental Extreme Contact DW Summer tires, 88 rear suspension, 3500SC with the HD automatic. Loved that sweet wine of the supercharger just behind your head.

    Reply
  10. Let cover one point though that many overlook here in many other stories on the car.

    The Fiero’s life was cut short by the Chevy and Corvette people. The plant with the loss of the G80 program was well under capacity. This opened the door to the closing of the plant and Fiero program. It was a risk Pontiac took and if came back to bite them.

    Second even if the car lived on the Fiero program people I spoke to said they did not expect the car to live past a second gen. Most 2 seat car live 10 years or less with only the Corvette and Miata being an exception. The Boxster now looking to be the third.

    The two seat car at a low price is difficult to produce and update while keeping sales up. We may be in the last years of the Miata now due to low sales if Fiat leaves the sharing deal.

    So GM hurt this program much but Pontiac over so,d the car and burned many bridges too.

    But what many forget is Pontiac was set to be shut down. It was not Olds but Pontiac on the bubble. The Cutlass was rocking sales. Over at Pontiac they already started to scale back with a rebranding of the LeMans sedan as a Bonneville.

    The plan as told to be by Pontiac people of the time was to promote the Fiero and Firebird to draw attention but get people to buy the Grand Am. It worked.

    The Fiero drew people’s attention and the Grand Am sales took off.

    The collateral damage after the was great. Many careers were damage. Unions were mad and there were many who held a grudge for years.

    The entire deal was a snap shot of what was wrong at GM. GM was not many divisions work as one as it was many divisions working against one another on many levels. This was do to leadership and internal political influence that did more damage than good.

    Plain and simple GM leadership failed to control the company decades ago and for a long time they were large enough to Absorb it. The time came they no longer could afford the mistakes.

    The long and short of it though on the Fiero. We may have gotten a few more years but that would have been it. Many don’t know or forget the C5 was canceled a few years later. If not for a program leader who ignored the cancelation and finished the car we may not have the Vette today. The economy was down, sales were down and two seat cars no longer are a priority.

    Even recently with the C8. It was delayed 8-10 years due to the economy. They were cut funds and at least left to do the C7. They really dodged a bullet.

    Even the Corvette has to make a business case.

    Reply
  11. I believe MR. Bob Lutz still owns one of the few coups that where built!

    Reply
  12. My dad bought a 1988 Fiero GT in black and I remember him driving up to the house with it. I had low expectations because my sister had an 84 notch back which I hated. But the 88 was completely different. Different engine different body style. It was beautiful. The sunroof was the best sunroof I’ve ever seen then and since. You could remove it and store it in the front. It had a headliner insert also so you could completely block it out. It was large enough to take up almost the entire roof and was amazing in the summer. It had a little lip spoiler you could insert that you could also store in the front when not in use. The trunk was surprisingly large and you could keep a lot of things in it though they would start to heat up from the engine heat. It had a good amount of power with the v6, and opening up the engine bay at a gas station was like a celebrity pulling up. People would just come up to you and start talking to you about the car and that beautiful red engine. It also had these cool vents with quarter turn connectors next to the engine lid that you could open up easily to look at the battery on the right side or whatever was on the left side which I think didn’t really have anything underneath it.

    We owned the car from 0 mi to 67,000 mi. We stopped driving it and kept it stored for a while and eventually sold it 3 years ago. one of the other commenters was right about the rest. At the front of the car it wasn’t as big of a problem as it was in the rear. There was a subframe that held the engine which rusted out completely including the engine mounts. I remember bringing the car in for transmission work, and the mechanic said that three out of the four engine mounts were completely detached due to rust. So he welded them together since at that point parts were very difficult to find. This was probably around 50,000 mi.

    one of the other commenters said that the car was good in a straight line but bad in the corners. This is completely false for the 88. The 88 had the firebird suspension and it made all the difference. There was a perfectly balanced 50/50 weight distribution which gave the car incredible handling. The 88 had basically manual steering. I read in the article that it said it had power steering, but if it did you could not feel it. Turning into a parking space at low speed really worked your arms. But it also made the car handling incredibly well. You could turn on a dime. I remember driving it at 40 miles an hour and missing my turn and just yanking the wheel and the car just squatted and turned. It’s still the best handling car I’ve ever driven, though I’ve never driven a boxster or other mid-engine cars since. It also felt like one of the fastest cars I’ve ever driven, though once I got my WRX that blew that idea out of the water. But the sense of speed you would get from being so low to the ground made it feel fast. The interior was also, though dated at this point, very nicely set up. Once I replaced the ridiculously tall gear shift knob with something smaller, the car had perfect ergonomics. It was just a comfortable car. Your arms were well supported, the radio was right there, the AC stuff was right there, the electric hood popper was right there, the headlight switch was cool and had this split functionality to turn on the parking lights and headlights separately. It was just cool and fun. No cup holders or any other modern nonsense which bit me in the ass when my girlfriend dumped a huge fruit punch all over the interior once. We later broke up.

    overall I missed the car. In black it was beautiful. The stubby exhaust sounded amazing with the v6. I did always dream of a better designed front end which would look prettier. They designed it to clear curbs which it did very well. But with Ferrari 355 looking so similar, you couldn’t help but imagine the exterior being just slightly better looking. I ended up adding on these cool side vents which theoretically could feed air into an intake on the left side and probably nothing on the right. They looked awesome. Just slightly expanding out to catch the air, they transform the car and made everything short of the front end look much much better and aggressive. The wheel wells were small, so anything beyond a 17-in wheel was not really necessary. The front end was so narrow actually that anything wider than 6.5 in was really not practical and would cause the wheels to stick out beyond the edges of the fenders, which looked terrible on a lot of other owner’s cars. unfortunately, trying to find a 17×6.5-in wheel is probably impossible as the aftermarket just doesn’t have anything that looks good. You can go wider in the rear with a 17x 8, probably. You don’t really need 18s or 19s. If you went with a 19, I think you would have to have a 20-series tire. If you got something with the right offset, maybe you could find a 17 by 8.5 that would fit or maybe an 18 by 8.5. but you would have to get the right offset otherwise it would easily stick out.

    If you’re looking to buy one, definitely check out the subframe holding the engine, and check to see if the emergency brake worked. The emergency brake was broken most of the time we owned the car, from new. We got it fixed most of the time, but eventually decided it was just a bad design and tried not to ever use it instead opting to leave it in first gear. Also if you’re looking to buy one of these, definitely get the stick shift not the automatic. This is not the sort of car that deserves to have an automatic. If you really want one, and you don’t know how to drive stick, learn how to drive stick. It’s that simple.

    This is the sort of car that you can baby. But you still have the extremely low quality standards that GM liked to put in all of their s***** cars. My dad gave me the car and I took extremely good care of it. But it still rusted out after 50,000 mi. We still had tons of transmission problems. We still had rusty spark plugs in the seat side. I believe we had to replace the steering rack though I don’t remember. The paint started to flake off underneath the gas filler port because of spilled gas causing the paint to lift up on the composite panels.The headlights would constantly get frozen either in the down or up position, usually in the opposition just on one side, the driver side. If you picked up the headlights cover and dropped it, the spring would slap against the headlight and sometimes cause the headlight to go down properly. But the edge around the headlight was very sharp and was an easy way to cut your fingers when you were trying to lower the headlights. luckily you can still open up the front compartment when the headlight is stuck in the up position and get the motor replaced. But nowadays you won’t be able to find parts. So you’ll have to find another way. For a while, there were some really great options to replace parts on the cars. Willwood brakes, koni adjustable shocks, coilover suspension kits and new a arms for the front and rear. But I don’t know if any of those parts are still available anywhere. There was also a guy redoing the interiors with new leather seats and steering wheels. I ended up getting a new steering wheel at about 60,000 mi that was incredibly high quality leather. The original steering wheel was just garbage at that point. After owning Japanese cars for the last few decades, looking back, I’m amazed at how low the quality of the fiero was and all GM cars. So keep that in mind if you’re looking to purchase one. It’s going to be a money pit. But you’ll love it because it’s unlike any other car on the road right now. Being a Fiero owner, you always have a few knocks against you because everyone thinks that they set on fire and slid backwards into armco barriers. But in person, everyone loves the car and if you own one, you’ll feel very special.

    Reply
    1. Note my statement in a straight line fast but not in the corners was a cast iron V8 conversion. The car with a V6 is just crazy fine in the corners.

      Note parts are not hard to find as more are being reproduced.

      The key to buying one is to get a low mile garaged model as they will be of the best value. A barn find needing a ton of work will cost more than the low mileage one over time.

      I just put a 32 k mile model back on the road for a buddy. It is in great shape and drives like new. No rust. Similar ones can be found for $5k

      Reply
  13. I had the ‘87 in Medium Red with the charcoal interior. I truly loved that car. Not only was it gorgeous, it was fast off the mark and cornered like a dream. I finally sold it because my commute got a lot longer, and the long drive in the snow was killing me. I’ve always wished I could have afforded to have two cars back then.

    Reply
  14. Interesting date, Aug 16th 1988 is when I started my career with GM in parts.

    Reply
  15. This post says so much more info than other people, and it’s incredibly helpful to me. Will follow you to read future writing from you! is it okay to share this?

    Reply
  16. This is timely for myclique on Google+-*applause*!

    Reply

Leave a comment

Cancel