Story of the Week

Remembering the Pontiac Fiero

by Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian & Researcher

General Motor’s Pontiac brand produced many great-looking and successful automotive designs over the years. One of the most iconic automobiles introduced during the 1980s was the Pontiac Fiero.

In 1984, Pontiac advertising exclaimed “We Build Excitement!” That same year, the great-looking Fiero was introduced. The Fiero was manufactured with an innovative space frame to which the body panels were simply bolted on. The body panels were made from Enduraflex, which was a form of a rustproof plastic material. I remember driving a Fiero at the time and noticing how easy it was to drive and turn corners.

The Fiero was a mid-engine sports car made by Pontiac from 1984 to 1988. The word Fiero means “very proud.” From 1984 to 1988, Pontiac sold a total of 370,168 Fiero models.

To learn more about the Fiero and see more images, click below.

This Week's Story

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This Week in Auto Heritage

On March 6, 1896, Charles Brady King drove his four-wheeled vehicle for the first time in Detroit (pictured above). Featuring a four-cylinder, four-cycle, gasoline engine of his own design, Brady's creation is said to have been the first automobile ever driven on the streets of Detroit.

A replica of this car is on display in the America's Motor City exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum (pictured below).

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Events Coming to the MotorCities

Tomorrow: Lecture Series Continues at the Pontiac Transportation Museum

Tomorrow evening at 7 p.m., the second installment of the Pontiac Transportation Museum’s evening lecture series takes place. Entitled “1928: The Last Best Year in a Generation!,” the lecture will be presented by Bruce Arnett in the Museum's McMullen Theater.

Pontiac and Oakland County was booming through the 1920s, but that would come to an end with the stock market crash and the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929. Explore the history of the roaring 20s and the huge growth of people, housing, retail, and transportation in the area during this period. Our lives are still influenced by the grand visions and dreams of our 1920s predecessors.

The lecture is FREE. For more information, click here.

Sunday: Tank Arsenal Lecture at the Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society in Eastpointe

This Sunday at 2 p.m., the Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society in Eastpointe continues their Winter Lecture Series with a presentation titled, “When Packard Proving Grounds was Tank Arsenal Proving Grounds, Utica” by Joe Simmer. The talk focuses on the history of the Packard Proving Grounds in Shelby Twp. during World War II when it was used a testing ground for allied tanks.

For more information, click here.

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