Like the title says..I was watching the Fine Living channel yesterday and I forget the name of the show but it was about Mustangs and they were talking about the T-Birds and the market for them and they "Ford" wanted to make a small sports car for your everyday "Joe". So they showed the Proto-type made in 1962 called the Mustang 1, and it sports a 1.9L four banger Oh did I mention that it was a "Mid-engine design" Just kinda makes ya wonder..

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Lets not forget the Chevrolet Corvair.
It was a mid-engined 4 cylinder also, and was already in production by 1962.

Heres a pic from some web site I found:

If your using that kinda logic, dont forget the Beetle. I guess Hitler had a part in designing the first Fiero?

Didn't Ford produce a prototype to compete with the fiero? I thought I saw a pic of one somewhere.

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Actually, the Corvair was a "rear" engined car, the engine actually hangs out behind the back wheels, just like the Porsche 911.

Unfortunately, GM did a poor job of controlling the Corvair's tendancy to swap ends, and ended its life after Ralph Nader drew attention to it with his book, "Unsafe at any Speed".

That could be one of the reasons why GM ended the Fiero's life so abruptly, they may have expected another "book" about the Fiero's fire problems. However, Ford's Pinto managed to divert attention away from GM's cars for a while.

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Gerald Storvik

http://www.8shark.com

I found this... I dunno if this is true but okay. I dont got PIP or whatever. So if someone can link thanks What about the VW beetle? http://www.angelfire.com/il2/soap/fords_ripoff_fiero.jpg

The corvair was a 6 cyl...not a 4cyl.

Phil

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GTDude
OVER 25 years GM experience

There have always been mid-engine cars around. The Fiero didn't really plow new ground here.

It was common in the early 1900's to mount the engine under the seat and chain drive the rear wheels.

quote Originally posted by shark93726: Actually, the Corvair was a "rear" engined car, the engine actually hangs out behind the back wheels, just like the Porsche 911. Unfortunately, GM did a poor job of controlling the Corvair's tendancy to swap ends, and ended its life after Ralph Nader drew attention to it with his book, "Unsafe at any Speed".

Yup, the Corvair, released in the Fall of '59 as a 1960 model, was a rear engined, air cooled flat six (like the 911 engine). The early models didn't handle well, with the rear engine and swing axle, but later models, and especially the 65-69 models handled much better. Yenko Chevrolet (you remember the Yenko Camaros?) made a special version of the 65+ model called the "Yenko Stinger" for competition in SCCA road racing, and with a 190HP six cylinder and improved handling, they were know to do unspeakable things to Bos 302 Mustangs in the races. The cars may not have been great handlers in 60-61, but that was later corrected.

As for Ralph Nader... well, he's a goober. I don't know if his book killed the 'Vair, but it surely didn't help. And by the time his book hit the stands, any problems he cited had already been corrected.

Well, lets talk
ford did have there hand in it. It is a mid engine
meaning the engine sits before the trans
that would be world renowned
Detomasa Pantera
this is and shall always be the most
violent car ever built
in fact it hold so many records I feel
no car shall ever compare

Yes the panteras. A big block mid in something that handles that well is pretty impressive.

But lets not forget my fav. The GT40's. Also V8 mids. Won 1st 2nd and 3rd in LeMans when they raced.

Neither the Beetle or the Corvair were mid-engined, they were rear engined.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by BlkBird: If your using that kinda logic, dont forget the Beetle. I guess Hitler had a part in designing the first Fiero?

you guys missed the point... I know the fiero isn't the first and won't be the last MID-ENGINE. none of the cars you mentioned LOOK like a Fiero or have a MID-engine design, rear engine doesn't pass for a MID-engine...and a pantara engine sits different the mustang 1 could past for a Fiero with it's styling q's,

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Who really made the First Fiero???

Pontiac...in 1969, the Firebird-Fiero ("Pontiac Enthusiast", March/April 1995, Volume 1, number 6.)

As for Ford, the Mustang Prototype WAS a 2-seater mid-engined sports car to compete in the Triumph/MG market. http://www.allfordmustangs.com/Detailed/120.shtml

That's not to say that Ford did not try to produce a competitor to the Fiero. http://www3.sympatico.ca/lheureux.savard/lheureux.savard/fordone.htm

...enjoy the links fellas

The M30 was just a concept car right? Just want to be clear on it. In my opinion it kinda looks like the car in the movie "The Wraith". I know that car was a Dodge, but similiar in appearance.

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Check out my website...
www.localline.com/~dlcrim
1985 Sport Coupe
1988 Formula

The car Kameo Kid posted the pic of is available to see at the henry ford meseum. It is MUCH smaller than a Fiero or even a miata. It's about 3/4's the size of an Mg Midget...

Neat little car....

As for the corvair... I have autocrossed a 61 4 door on bias ply's before at a few national conventions. Scary handling? not really. Funny how the corvair was unsafe at any speed and the VW bug with the identical designed suspension as the pre 64 cars was never tackled by nader.

JM

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Jonathan McCreery

If you're goin to hell, dont halfazz it, go all out, and shoot for Satan's right hand man.

It's a shame that all they could produce was the probe.

and of course the Italian cousin - the Fiat X1/9
at 100 yards almost impossible to tell it from a Fiero (notchback that is)