Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
LAYTON — In the mid-1980s, Pontiac made a sporty, mid-engine two-seater called the Fiero. It got mixed reviews before the model was killed in 1988. The tweaks a Layton man has made to his 1987 Pontiac show what might have been had Pontiac been given the freedom to make it as good as it could've been.
The Fiero was snuck through General Motors approvals because Pontiac brass said it would be an economy commuter car — definitely not a mid-engine sports car that might compete against the Chevrolet Corvette. As such, early models had a small "Iron Duke" 4-cylinder engine that made 92 horsepower — the Corvette that year made 205 horsepower.
But the disappointed Pontiac engineers left space in the engine bay ... just in case.
The next year they came out with a 140-horsepower V-6 engine, but still there was no tire-shredding performance allowed. Suspension parts came from older GM models not known for great handling. The Fiero was neither fast nor great-handling.
That's where John Frenette comes in, more than 30 years later.
In 2016, Frenette saw a 1987 Fiero GT on KSL Classifieds and went to take a look. It was sitting outside, parked next to a boat. The frame had no rust — Fiero body panels can't rust because they are made of plastic. A thousand dollars later, Frenette was the vehicle's third owner.
The car needed clutch work right away, and Frenette did it. He drove it as-is for a few months, but it was dying.
The little Fiero next underwent treatment in Frenette's carport. He swapped a buddy a Cadillac 4.5-liter HT V-8 engine for the 2.8-liter V-6 that was in the Fiero. He said the swap was easy, matching right up to the Fiero's five-speed manual transmission, requiring no modifications or adapter kits. (Makes you wonder if the Pontiac guys did that on purpose.)
The Cadillac engine was rated at 155 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque. Not bad for a car weighing about 2,600 pounds, but Frenette wasn't finished. He upgraded the engine and guesses he's created almost double the stock power.
Maaco gave the car a black cherry paint job, which Frenette said gets lots of compliments. And he used a vertical doors kit to let them raise out of the way: It's hard enough getting paint to stick to flexing plastic panels without adding door dings to the mix. He upgraded the nose this winter.
Frenette and his son-in-law have taken their swapped-up Fiero to two national Fiero meets, earning spots in the top 40 of 400 Fieros. He said the speed is great and, after his suspension upgrades, the handling is point-and-shoot — he points it where he wants it to go, and it does it.
A fast two-seater that handles well and looks well? Maybe if GM had allowed Pontiac the freedom to build the Fiero Frenette's way, it wouldn't have been discontinued in 1988.
