Pontiac Fiero

The Pontiac Fiero is a mid-engined sports car built by Pontiac from 1983 to 1988. The Fiero was designed by George Milidrag and Hulki Aldikacti as a sports car. The Fiero was the first two-seater Pontiac since the 1926 to 1938 coupes, and also the first and only mass-produced mid-engine sports car by a U.S. manufacturer. Many technologies incorporated in the Fiero design such as plastic body panels were radical for their time.

A total of 370,168 Fieros were produced over the relatively short production run of five years. At the time, its reputation suffered from criticisms over performance, reliability and safety issues. The word fiero means "very proud" in Italian, and "wild", "fierce", or "ferocious" in Spanish.

The public had high expectations for the Fiero with its mid-engine layout and aggressive styling. While initially garnering good reviews for its handling, the Fiero soon received negative reviews from critics who expected higher performance. Despite the critical press, the Fiero sold well. By 1985, the oil crisis was over and demand developed for a Fiero having more engine power and better sports car performance. Pontiac responded by introducing the GT model which included upgraded suspension tuning, wider tires, and a V6 engine having 43 hp more than the base four-cylinder. GM ended production after the 1988 model year due to declining sales. Consumer sentiment was swayed by heavy media coverage of Fiero engine fires, as well as the poor reliability and performance of the 1984-1987 models.