Not sure this has made in the thread she started in Tech as I am not always on there but a couple of years ago this young lady came here to chronicle her rebuild of her Fiero here. Well I just found this on CNN, a couple of years old and not sure if it has been posted already but figured if it hasn't maybe it should be.

if it has been posted already oops.

Dearborn, Michigan (CNN) -- A couple years ago, Jerry DiMaria signed up for an online forum and started a new thread: "A few months ago," he wrote, "our 12 year old DAUGHTER came in and said, 'Dad, Mom, can we talk for a minute?'"

Kathryn had a proposition for them: She wanted to build a car, a Pontiac Fiero.

They live in Michigan. Her dad is a Corvette guy, and the Fiero wasn't produced in her lifetime, but she'd seen the little sports car at an auto show, and knew it was the one for her. She could buy it with her babysitting money, she said. She'd have four years to restore it, to learn how to budget and build -- and drive -- before she was 16. It'd get good gas mileage. They'd never fear a breakdown or a crooked mechanic. She'd do it all herself.

Caught off-guard, they agreed, DiMaria wrote. Maybe she'd forget about it with the start of soccer or a new "Hunger Games" book, but she'd never come to them with an idea like this before. Why not try?

They found a 1986 Fiero for sale about 40 miles away, a four-speed with a rattle-can paint job. But it came cheap -- $450 -- and they could drive it home. Sold.

"Lots of miles, but solid chassis and a few spare parts," DiMaria posted to the Fiero forum. "I just thought a few of you might be interested..."

"Is it just me, or do I have a really cool daughter?"

Welcome to the madness

So that's how it started -- a proud dad sharing a story with other Fiero-heads online. Two years later and 22-pages deep, Kathryn's online thread is a build book and love letter, a safe place to share youthful enthusiasm and grown-up wisdom. Her project has gotten international attention -- Jalopnik dubbed her "The Girl Who Plays with Fieros" -- and put her on display at events like Maker Faire, a festival of DIY ideas.

Now 14, she's done most of the work, but it turns out she hasn't done it alone. Every member of her family has been there to teach her how to handle tools or sew the interior fabric. Math and science learned at school are really clicking in the garage. And then there are the hundreds of Fiero lovers helping her to finish the project by 2014, when she'll turn 16.

After her dad's first message in the forum, they wanted photos of the car and updates on the project. They've all got a car in the garage, or a car in their head, but nobody could remember a build sparked by a 12-year-old girl with wily curls and a wardrobe of oversized Central Michigan University shirts.

Yes, they told DiMaria, his daughter was something special.

"Great story," one wrote. "Welcome to the madness."

When the first Pontiac Fieros hit the road in late 1983, they drew a lot of stares. They were small -- just two seats -- with a sloped hood and pop-up headlights. The engine was tucked in the middle of the car. They were marketed as sporty commuter vehicles that were good on gas. Critics' reviews were mixed, but they outsold expectations right away.

But by 1988, sales were dwindling. Good mileage wasn't a consumer priority after years without fuel shortages, and the car was plagued by engine fires and mass recalls. Just under 400,000 had been built when production ended in 1989.

Still, the Fiero was the beloved first car of a new generation. Pennock's Fiero Forum, where Kathryn's dad started the online thread, claims to be the first and largest online Fiero community; people have been posting projects and swapping parts there since 1999. These are people who couldn't give up on a project just because General Motors had.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/...?iid=article_sidebar

Much more at the link as well as a video.

Steve

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Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't



Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

Congratulations to her!

The writer could have have worded his "facts" better. 246 engines fires out of 370,500 cars doesn't sound like a "plague" to me.
"Mass recalls"? - if anything, it sounds like GM of that time, went out of their way to correct a problem.
Very different from their present fiasco where they ignored/buried the problem with the ignition switches.

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3.4L Supercharged 87 GT Click me
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[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 06-08-2014).]

Ya the story has been around awhile Steve. //www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/085309.html

http://myfiero.webs.com/

http://jalopnik.com/the-tee...o-meet-the-330562527

And many more like this..

Why is it that people who obviously know next to nothing about Fiero's have to make comments? Such as:

"I know a lot about that car, and the tuned-port fuel injection is a recipe for chronic disappointment. Floods way too easy and can catch on fire. Definitely a GM lemon. Hope she does well with it though....."

Thanks for sharing Steve. I didn't realize she had this much attention. I've been viewing over the last few years and I just thought is was a great story and thread. I'm always looking for the latest on what they have accomplished.

quote Originally posted by Sourmug: Why is it that people who obviously know next to nothing about Fiero's have to make comments? Such as: "I know a lot about that car, and the tuned-port fuel injection is a recipe for chronic disappointment. Floods way too easy and can catch on fire. Definitely a GM lemon. Hope she does well with it though....."

Because simply, you can't fix stupid!!! So many people want to tell you what they don't know.

quote Originally posted by Jason88Notchie: Thanks for sharing Steve. I didn't realize she had this much attention. I've been viewing over the last few years and I just thought is was a great story and thread. I'm always looking for the latest on what they have accomplished.

There's a lot of the build thread to go through, but most of the other appearances were linked in the thread when they happened. Check it out. It's some good stuff.

quote Originally posted by DL10: Ya the story has been around awhile Steve. //www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/085309.html http://myfiero.webs.com/ http://jalopnik.com/the-tee...o-meet-the-330562527 And many more like this..

Ayup I have seen all those but never the CNN one that's why I posted it specifically. I haven't followed her thread here as much as I should and didn't know if the CNN article had been posted there or anywhere else. But you got to admit more people will see it at CNN then any of those other places and I got to give her credit for sticking with it. hell many here have given up on them after 4 years but she is still going strong and not giving up.

Glad to see a young person of any sex with stick to it to get something done and lets face it the more recognition we get here the better for more interest in the Fiero.

You go Kat, I wish my girls had half the knowledge about cars, any car that you are gaining right now. Keep up the great work.

Steve