I have gotten word from a friend of mine that a local yard has a 308 replica Fiero.

I have 2 photo's and so far its built on a 1986. I have looked at photo's to see that is is possibly a MERA..but its an 86. I verified the year because of the interior color being light grey and the 2 toned seats.

It has a base 3 spoke..or a stripped GT wheel...no horn seen on it. The mirrors are POWER Fiero.

The car IS complete and appears to have replica Ferrari penta star wheels.

badges were removed from the car. My friend does not know about MERA's he only know's of FIero's...so he didn't bother to look for idetifiers...or VIN.

The car may be availble whole with title....if so i am going to try to buy it.

Are there outside identifiers to tell me its a 308 Kit car or a real MERA build. The photo's i see look exactly like a MERA.

I would think it was just a good 308 kit because the mera was only made in 87 and 88

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[This message has been edited by CaliforniaSpeeder9 (edited 04-25-2007).]

If it's an 86 then it's not a MERA, period.

However, almost every 308 replica out there was splashed from a MERA, or splashed from a replica that was splashed from a MERA. So a really well done 308 replica is difficult to tell from a MERA, certainly not without close examination.

The car i am looking at on the image on my phone(camera phone photo sent to me) resembles the MERA..

As a copy..of a 308..and as a MERA who made them? Was there a company that actually copied the MERA panels?

I wouldn't put a lot of importance on the type of interior. Could have worn out the original one & easily replaced it with an 86 interior from a junker.

quote Originally posted by Dirty Harry: I wouldn't put a lot of importance on the type of interior. Could have worn out the original one & easily replaced it with an 86 interior from a junker.

True. i said IF it is an 86 THEN it's not a MERA. But it's not established for sure that it's a 86.

I doubt that you can tell a MERA from a 308 kit from a camera phone pic.

[This message has been edited by jscott1 (edited 04-25-2007).]

Does it have fake louvers in the middle of the front hood ?

Here are a few more things to distinguish a real Mera from a kit car.

Look at the backup lights. The Mera uses a Ford lens.
The power mirror control in a Mera is joystick type.
There is generally a Mera serial number on the left side of the rear decklid.
Look at the space between the rear quarter panel windows/louvers and the car. All of the Meras that I have ever seen have a wider space on the driver's side than on the passenger side. The Mera also has slots cut into the louvers for better visibility where most kit cars are solid. The Mera louvers are bolted on from the inside of the vehicle while most replicas use external screws.
The Mera rear quarter panels and the top of the car are constructed of two different pieces while most splashed kit cars use a single solid piece.

I have a Mera and I noticed that 308 copies of the Mera's will usually move the back up lights to either the bumper or below the bumper. Mera's are always to the left and right of the license plate. The tail lights (if they are still original) will say MERA on the bottom of each lens.

Hey, Barkaroo, and welcome. Won't hijack the thread other than to say Welcome, and email sent.

Most all 308 kit cars used the tail lights made by Corporate Concepts so most all 308 kit cars will have Mera Tail lights. Corporate Concepts sold these tail lights to most all the kit car people for many years after the Mera production was stopped.

There is one 1986 Mera. It was the original Mera prototype they assembled to test the fit of the body and to test fit any brackets etc. They took this 1986 Mera to the car shows and they also used it for the photo shoots. Once they were happy with the fit and such they began production using 87's.

Rodney Dickman

Mera Registry

quote Originally posted by Rodney: There is one 1986 Mera. It was the original Mera prototype they assembled to test the fit of the body and to test fit any brackets etc.

Thanks for that clarification... Does that 86 still exist?

quote Originally posted by jscott1: Thanks for that clarification... Does that 86 still exist?

As far as I know it does although I have never been able to contact the owner. May have been sold a few times also. Originally titled in Michigan.

Rodney Dickman

Mera Registry

quote Originally posted by Rodney: Most all 308 kit cars used the tail lights made by Corporate Concepts so most all 308 kit cars will have Mera Tail lights. Corporate Concepts sold these tail lights to most all the kit car people for many years after the Mera production was stopped. Rodney Dickman Mera Registry

How many Mera where made? Did the company make-up for R&D prior to GM discontinuing the Fiero? Or was the company sued by Ferrari?

Glad it ain't here. I'd have to go strip the body off (and I'm seriously broke!)

Seriously, you should jump on it if the price is reasonable (does the yard know what they have? I'd bet not.) There are lots of folks here that would pay serious money for a "mera style" rebody or for parts.

Rodney is the Mera king with all the answers.

I think they made like 287 if I remember. They were only sold as finished cars thru Pontiac dealers. I may have this backwards, but the kits usually have louvers across the hood between the headlites and Meras dont.