autoevolution
 

Pontiac Fiero Modernized Rendering Combines Lotus and Firebird Vibes

Imagine you've got a 2,200-lb (998-kg) sports car, but it's American, with the engine at the back and as cheap as a Miata. I'd call up the boys and put a flaming chicken logo all over that, wouldn't you?
Pontiac Fiero Modernized Rendering Combines Lotus and Firebird Vibes 3 photos
Photo: chopping_pixels/Instagram
Pontiac Fiero Modernized Rendering Combines Lotus and Firebird VibesPontiac Fiero Modernized Rendering Combines Lotus and Firebird Vibes
We're obviously talking about the Pontiac Fiero, a sports car that's been the butt of reliability jokes for way too long. It's not totally unfounded, of course, since a fair chunk of them caught on fire. But it's an ambitious project built on a tight budget, so that's to be expected.

With the arrival of the C8, people have remembered the Fiero, and talk of other Pontiac products is also on the increase. Renderings are not uncommon, but we've never seen anything like this. Previous "modernized" Fiero images add touches like big wheels and LED lights to the classic shape, and that's good. But artist chopping_pixels has just made a new sports car, with the pop-up headlights being the only vintage element.

The general vibe is similar to the Lotus Evora, an under-appreciated mid-engined machine that's all about lightness and simplicity. Like the British car, this fantasy Fiero has two-tone paint, simple lines, and quite a few vents. However, the front end is pure Pontiac, with a beak in the middle, like on the late 1970s Firebirds.

The funny thing is that a Fiero-Lotus mashup makes perfect sense. If you look at a Lotus Esprit from about 1980 to 1986, it looks just about the same, a block of freshly cut cheese. This was all the rage in Europe—Fiat, Citroën, and even BMW adopted this Bertone-like shape.

One of the reasons the Fiero wasn't so popular back in the day is the engine. Because GM wanted this to be an economical commuter, it got the "Iron Duke" 2.5-liter, which, as the name suggests, has a simple iron block. It had a low compression ratio and made about 92 horsepower.

Later on, the Fiero did receive the 2.8-liter V6 producing 140 hp. But if you want to combine reliability and efficiency, you've got to borrow a Toyota engine, which is exactly what Lotus does all the time.


If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories