Someone Turned a Perfectly Okay Pontiac Fiero Into a Gross Gemballa Ripoff
Look how they massacred my boy.
Pontiac Fiero owners seem to fall into one of two camps. One looks past the General Motors brand politics to love the Fiero despite its flaws. The other sees GM's original mid-engined sports car as a shortcut to the social status that comes with supercar ownership. Unfortunately, one of the latter group has gotten their digits on an otherwise fine example of a late-production Fiero, turning the under-appreciated Pontiac into a rather difficult-to-appreciate knockoff "Gemballa."
Described by its Long Island, New York Craigslist seller as a "custom one off replica car. A must see [sic]," this Pontiac must indeed be seen to be believed. Grafted to its front end is the face of a late-production Porsche 996—a sight jarring enough on its own—but made more so by the addition of Porsche's GT2RS script down its doors.
While there certainly are Fieros both furiously quick and hairy enough to warrant a GT2RS decal, this mechanically stock 1988 model ain't one of them. It may be a late-production example, with the longer wheelbase and improved suspension geometry, but its powertrain is no Porsche GT-spec turbo flat-six. It's a 2.8-liter L44 V6, whose modest 140 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque flow through a Getrag 282 five-speed to the rear wheels, and return a zero-to-60 time somewhere in the eights.
Underneath this all-show-no-go exterior, though, is a seemingly well-preserved Fiero. Its odometer is said to indicate just 56,000 miles, and its interior of leather and suede is unusually tasteful for a "custom" job. Getting one's paws on this Pontiac, however, could prove a hassle. Its seller says the car has no title, and that responsibility for the remaining title paperwork lies with the buyer. Speculating as to why they'd spend all the money or time realizing this odd vision only to give up on the title doesn't lead anywhere comfortable, so we'll avoid making assumptions about this car's history.
All that's clear is that with mechanically mint Fieros (especially 1988 models) dwindling in number by the year, this pristine Pontiac may be worth the effort to save. Just not at that $6,900 asking price—it'd be worth requesting the seller chop off either a couple grand or, fail that, its ghastly Porsche 996 front clip. Fried eggs belong on platters or '00s Porsches, not Pontiacs.
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