The October 1985 issue of Car Craft magazine has a brief article about how the CarCraft Fiero project was added to Pontiac's "Historic Car Collection".
I know Car Craft magazine had an article called "P-Dazzled" in December 1983, showing designs ideas around the Fiero and was wondering if someone knew which issue (had to be sometimes in 84) had the article with the actual Car Craft Fiero project car?
I have a bunch of old Car Craft magazines from this time but can't seem to find an article of when the car was actually built.
Thanks!
------------------ Ben 87 GT / 88 GT 84 Indy #1863
The October 1985 issue of Car Craft magazine has a brief article about how the CarCraft Fiero project was added to Pontiac's "Historic Car Collection".
I know Car Craft magazine had an article called "P-Dazzled" in December 1983, showing designs ideas around the Fiero and was wondering if someone knew which issue (had to be sometimes in 84) had the article with the actual Car Craft Fiero project car?
I have a bunch of old Car Craft magazines from this time but can't seem to find an article of when the car was actually built.
Thanks!
I would have to find them but they were done right after the cars into in Oct 84 for I think 3 issues. I think it was one of the pilot cars they took and used a DGP body kit on it. This was one of the early body kits. They did a little work to the engine and Herb Adams did the suspension. Noting real radical but it was the first custom Fiero that was not built by GM.
It was destroyed a while ago as GM was out of room and had to weed out some of the cars. In this case it was not a GM build and so they did not want it in the collection also since it was a pilot car the liability was such they could not sell it.
Originally posted by hyperv6: It was destroyed a while ago as GM was out of room and had to weed out some of the cars. In this case it was not a GM build and so they did not want it in the collection also since it was a pilot car the liability was such they could not sell it.
This might be one of the reasons for crushing GM gave when asked, but considering they lent/gave/sold other "pilot" cars (the pace cars for example) I don't think liability was their main concern. They could have sold it with a mention "for educational purposes only, cannot be titled" just like they did with some of the other cars instead of killing a piece of Fiero history.
[This message has been edited by benoitmalenfant (edited 09-16-2014).]
This might be one of the reasons for crushing GM gave when asked, but considering they lent/gave/sold other "pilot" cars (the pace cars for example) I don't think liability was their main concern. They could have sold it with a mention "for educational purposes only, cannot be titled" just like they did with some of the other cars instead of killing a piece of Fiero history.
No the issue comes down to liabilities and luck. With a pilot car the construction is not all to spec and if they give it away the risk of them getting out is much greater and the risk of liability is even greater.
The pace cars were lucky they got away and were out of GM hands or they too could have been scrapped.
It all comes down to luck when cars survive. Just look at the case of the school that was given one of the first Vipers built. Chrysler wants it back to scrap and they are fighting to keep it. Generally once out the door they are gone but in this case Chrysler is after them.
The fact is the Car Craft car was a pilot car and was not a GM build so they sent it off. If someone at GM had maneuvered to get it out they may have saved it but the luck ran out on this one vs. the PPG cars. The fact is car companies can't keep everything and they can not run the risk on many of these cars anymore. If it were not for some of the hiding of cars and moving of cars even the Harley Earl X job and Y Job two of the most valuable cars GM owns would have been scrapped in 1972 as they were set to be.
If you hate this then kick a lawyer when he is not looking as our legal system is fully at fault here.
You may want to note most of the cars GM has sold of late were all based on production models for the most part and even being production with the modifications they are not to be licensed. We are just lucky they have saved these.
The bottom line is it is just not all that cut and dry as you would like to think it is. The GM insider I spoke to and Fred knows is the one who told me why the Car Craft car was offed. He told me this not in an official capacity as he told me showed me things I should not have been shown. It is good to know an insider.
[This message has been edited by hyperv6 (edited 09-16-2014).]
I have all 4 issues on the build of the CarCraft Fiero. Dec. 1983, Feb, 1984, Apr. 1984, and Oct. 1984. It was crushed Mar. 20, 2003. I was one week from knowing it was going to be crushed.
Ron T Historian.
------------------ signature by F-I-E-R-O (My Indy on right / #1 IMS)
Originally posted by hyperv6: The bottom line is it is just not all that cut and dry as you would like to think it is.
I'm not thinking anything really. Just thought it was odd how some other cars that were 'fiddled' with got away with a "cannot be titled" bill while others got crushed.
As you said, it all comes down to luck and the fact that some of these cars were more important than others in the minds of some of the GM folks that maneuvered for their sale.
quote
Originally posted by hyperv6: Nov is the second part too.
November of 1984 ?
I thought the 4 parts were
Part 1 (Design) = Dec 83 Part 2 (Suspension) = February 1984 Part 3 (SD4) = April 1984 Part 4 (Finale) = October 1984
Originally posted by paced84: I have all 4 issues on the build of the CarCraft Fiero. Dec. 1983, Feb, 1984, Apr. 1984, and Oct. 1984. It was crushed Mar. 20, 2003. I was one week from knowing it was going to be crushed.
Ron, you have a PM.
------------------ Ben 87 GT / 88 GT 84 Indy #1863
Part 1 (Design) = Dec 83 Part 2 (Suspension) = February 1984 Part 3 (SD4) = April 1984 Part 4 (Finale) = October 1984
Now that Ron mentioned that there was a 4th I forgot about. I has been years since I pulled these out. We moved and I still have it packed away from several years ago.
As for why some cars are saved and some or not the devils in the details.
All I can say the latest purge for the most part was most of the cars were based on production cars and had to have been GM built or contracted cars to be in the Heritage collection. Now even production based if they had modifications they were still left as not being able to be driven. This was a change from the past policy as even these cars would have gone on to the crusher.
Now in the past we still have many Motorama cars and the like but many were hidden or take out of GM with no one knowing. Some were even hidden in crates like the two Pontiac Sports cars from the 60's an sold as overage when the guys like Russ Collins thought it was time to remove them. To be honest the story of how so many did escape is very interesting on some of these cars.
The cars that went to Warhoopes junk yard are amazing as if they had no been saved there they would still be lost. Bortz saved many of these from surely being lost.
I know this is an old topic, but I have scanned the applicable pages from all 4 issues and created a single pdf, if anyone is interested. It's about 12MB
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