I can kind of see how it evolved into the red-orange notchback styling study that is posted in various places (The one with the Trans-Am style snowflake wheels.) If the rear wheelwell was rounded out, it would really look good. I probably would have bought one. But then, I bought one anyway.
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Proposals, drawings,concept cars and prototypes sometimes end up in production but not always. Take the 1990 Fiero prototype. It didn't end up in production but most of the design became the 4th Generation Firebird in 1993.
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Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua: Proposals, drawings,concept cars and prototypes sometimes end up in production but not always. Take the 1990 Fiero prototype. It didn't end up in production but most of the design became the 4th Generation Firebird in 1993.
The GM80 program was canceled. It was a FWD based replacement for the F body. It was to be built with the Fiero.
This left the plant at too low production as it should be producing 250,000 cars per year the Fiero was at 30,000 plus.
So they needed a new design for the F body. John Schinella over saw not the Fiero and F body. So he saved the 1990 styling and applied it to the F body.
As John stated it was too good to throw away.
No politics just the same team who lost a car but found another to save the design. It also saved time.
They stole a little Italdesign Giugiaro styling here that was big on show cars for this era.
GM had a big history of borrowing and stealing ideas from Europe all the way back to Harley Earl.
The grill in the 55 Chevy was lifted from a Ferrari styling by Earl.
Just look at the rear window glass in a number of GM cars where it was also a styling element. That was a Euro trait and GM used it well in a number of cars with shaped glass.
Here is what I believe is the roots of the Fiero mid engine design.
Note the origins of mid engine were in the Tech center at GM that was involved with the Mid Engine Corvette program.
The proposed a mid engine V6 Corvette that Chevy rejected. But Hulki looking for a lower cowl was offered the program the tech center had come up with.
What is shown here was their idea of a rotory and transverse 454 set up. The lay out is pretty much what we got. The frame is the start of a space frame.
The drawings were done by former GM designer and now Zhot Wheels designer Harry Bradley in 1970 and 71.
Dave Mclellan former Corvette program head outlined the Fiero mid engine origins in his book Inside the Corvette.
I learned long ago that GM never throws away names and designs. The drawings here I believe are the early ideas Chevy tossed out that were resurrected for the Fiero later. We saw this with the 1990 gt becoming the 4th Gen F body design. Also the Fiero name originally was used by Pontiac in 1969 on a Firebird show car.
[This message has been edited by hyperv6 (edited 03-23-2021).]
