Despite any personal opinions on the industry-wide all-electric transition, there’s no denying that modern EV powertrains have the potential to provide some very impressive performance. As such, EV conversions are becoming more and more popular, with enthusiasts and shops now ripping out old fossil-fueled components in favor of modern electron power. This Pontiac Fiero GT is one of the latest examples of that, easily cooking its rear tires with approximately 350 to 400 battery-driven horsepower, as seen in the following feature video.
The video is just under 20 minutes in length and features a Fiero built by Classic EV Conversions, located in Colorado. Based on a very clean 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT, the project incorporates components from a 2014 Tesla Model S P85, splitting a pair of battery packs for optimal placement. The main battery pack contains 11 Tesla modules and is located in the rear of the vehicle, while a secondary pack up front holds five modules. The batteries juice a small, rear-mounted Tesla drive unit that spins the rear wheels. Other key components include a high-voltage junction box and a Gen 2 Tesla charger repurposed from the donor vehicle.
The project began in March 2020, but faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project took approximately 180 days of actual work to complete, spread over two years. Along the way, the team repurposed as many Tesla components as possible, learning and adapting as they went.
Still, some may be asking – why the Pontiac Fiero? As it turns out, one of the team members owned a similar Fiero in his youth, and after searching high and low for a clean example, they found this particular Fiero in Iowa with 14,000 original miles.
The car retains its original brakes, but now runs an upgraded hydraulic brake booster to handle the increased speed and weight. Regenerative braking complements the hydraulic system for improved performance. The charging system uses a J1772 charge port connected to the Tesla charger, allowing for reasonable charging times. Despite all the modernized EV touches, the Fiero maintains its original appearance, including the distinctive quad exhaust tips, which were reattached for aesthetic purposes, plus a few subtle badging changes.
The converted Fiero is faster than the original, with a 0-to-60 mph time of about five seconds on less-than-ideal tires. The car is described as a blast to drive, with a quiet and smooth ride, despite the stiffer suspension. The team plans to continue to refine the build, upgrading to EV controls for additional features like traction control and cruise control.
Check out the full video here:
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Comments
Growing up I had a neighbor who had one of these. I remember they were susceptible to overheating because of the poor cooling system design that allowed bubbles to form causing hot pockets. They were also known to catch fire. Regardless these were still cool cars at the time and if I see one now I smile.
The truth is on the Fiero fires were this. The cooling system was fine the engines did not over heat.
The trouble was the Iron Duke 4 leaked oil from the valve cover. It leaked in everything it was in.
The oil would get on the exhaust manifold if the leak was bad enough and with the lack of a grill like a front engine car the compartment temps were high.
This could cause the oil to ignite. Then what is over an engine? SMC body panels that burn.
The truth is less than 300 burned but when they did it was dramatic and always made the news vs Camrys that burn weekly that go ignored.
I have been involved with the Fiero for 40 years and much on the web is wrong.
Like the Lotus designed Suspension. It was GM designed. But the truth is more interesting the 88 suspension was tuned for turn in and on center feel by Porsche Engineering
I’ve heard that number before; 300 actual fires. I’m not disputing it but I loved the Fiero and Pontiac back then and am not looking to “pile-on” now but I witnessed a Fiero fire personally so I’ve always thought the number would be higher.
I was traveling down the road in my then-new Grand Am SE coupe and saw thick, dark smoke up ahead. As I got closer, two helpless guys were standing in the road thoroughly shaken. To my horror, their burning car was a Fiero; a 2M4 I believe. I’ll never forget that. At the time I thought the fire issue was being overblown but it certainly seemed like a big problem when you watch it personally and witness a grass fire erupting too as a result.
The two guys told me all the sudden the car started smoking like crazy and they pulled over to see what was wrong, lifted the engine cover/trunk lid and it was on fire. They said the fire very quickly went out-of-control. By the time I arrived the Enduraflex body panels were melting away.
I helped the guys get to a phone and call for help but I’ll never forget that afternoon. I still have a soft spot for the Fiero and for what could have been with it.
Fires are never good. But in a fiberglass or composite car the car often totally burns. The body is not flame proof like steel.
But even then if a Camry burns the fire normally gets to the dash and the car is a total loss even if it does not totally go up.
Also the mid engine factor is the under hood temps get high. No air really flows through as a front engine car does. The Fiero 85 and later had better air flow with grills on the sides. This is why most fires were in leaky oil 4 cylinders with the poor vents.
I have neve seen a FIero burn. I have seen a Ferrari and Lamborghini burn. The Ferrari was fueling and the heat from the engine ignited something. It was a loss. The lambo burned up the rear as his exhaust flamed out and set fire to the bumper.
I recall the one guitar player from Aerosmith he lost his Ferrari to an engine fire.
If you have a mid engine car you should have an fire extinguisher. If you have a Fiere fix the oil leaks.
Note the V6 really never had issues with fires. The 4 cylinder also had rod issues. but the engine would let go and no fire. They also had oil level issues that was corrected from 4 quarts to 5. They would leak oil with 4 quarts and then let go at 2-3 quarts left.
What a tragedy to make this an EV, like so many others these days.
I like this! I wonder if GM can come up with a stylish 2-seater like the Fiero using the Bolt Powertrain (meaning a rear drive small sports car that is affordable in price, and not a CUV). The Bolt Powertrain driving the rear wheels would be real fun in a small sports car!
The greatest advantage of the Pontiac Fiero are the body panels which are made of plasitic and can be removed. Only the frame is steel. If kept well, this EV Fiero can last over 100 years!
Hate yo tell you the Space frames rust out too. Many Fiero’s are on the road with very damaged and dangerous space frame rust.
Some cars the plastic panels on the rear quarters are the only thing holding up the back end of the car.
In some of these cars you are dead due to the lack of steel structure.
Pull down the carpet on the left side of the trunk. In areas of snow you will find a hole or even no trunk just carpet.
The father of the Fiero, Hulki Aldikacti was a really a great guy and fun to be around. His was really excellent at high level, conceptual engineering. Given that, I’d bet money Hulki would LOVE what they’ve done here and would be thrilled to get a ride…with a big smile on his face to prove it.
Sadly Hulki passed away nearly ten ago but it’s nice to see his legacy live on in various forms.
I like it.
I can totally see the old car market going EV to become bigger and bigger. I personally have two older Cadillac’s and I love them. Yet I barely drive them and they still require constant maintenance and upkeep. I’d love to convert them both to EV. So as older vehicles that may need major repairs or costly items to be done, and as EV conversions continue to drop in price, I think you may see more and more convert like this Fiero. After all, these older cars that are driven very little would be great for that.
Barely faster, by about 2 seconds. As a former Fiero GT owner and avid fan, I can’t believe they ruined an ’88 with this.
If they were going to do it, I’d rather see a Lucid powertrain be used due to the weight and space savings, not to mention the higher power ratings over a Tesla.
Look this was a waste of a car. Note it is way over weight and they will not even tell you.
The lack of space means a very small battery. Note they will not tell you the range that may be 100 to 150 miles. That makes the 10 gallon Fiero gas take feel large.
Let’s be honest here EV cars are not perfected. Converting a ICE car is just a worse EV that is not perfected. Aero is worse the cost to convert is as much as many cars are worth.
This is just pure stupidity on display.
Remember when it was a good idea to cut the bar out of a split window Vette. Now that was not so smart.
I owned a 1986 Fiero. I liked it, it was fun to drive. The only issue that I had was the transaxle. I lost one about 60 days after buying it, new. It was fixed on warranty, for the next year, the transaxle leaked constantly. It was rebuilt at least 3 times under warranty. I finally just traded in for a Chevy Blazer, not as much fun, but it worked and drove just fine.
why waste a low mile example of this car instead of some yard ornament?