The 1984 Indy Fiero

The Indy Fiero

The 1984 Pontiac Fiero is among the most unique cars ever to pace the Indy 500. It is the only mid-engine car ever to pace the 500, as well as the shortest car to ever hold the honor. It is also one of very few 4-cylinder cars to pace at Indy. However, the engine in the Fiero pace car was far different from the 92-horsepower version found in the production model Fiero. This bored out 2.7L engine produced 232 horses and turned a lap at better than 136 MPH. The Pace car also featured an air intake located above the roof to help cool the mid-engine car.

The Indy Fiero - the 1984 Indianapolis 500 pace car. These photos are of the actual pace car. The chrome wheels are different. The replica ordered from the factory came with the optional aluminum wheels painted white. Of course, the 232hp 4 cylinder engine was also much different. The Pontiac Fiero was driven by John Callies, the manager of the Performance Motorsports division of Pontiac, at Indianapolis Speedway. The 1984 Fiero Indy pace car replica - Amazingly, this car beat the brand new for '84 Corvette for this honor. No wonder Pontiac had such high expectations that this car would be a success.

The 1984 Indy Fiero - a replica of the Indianapolis 500 pace car sold by Pontiac. To commemorate this event, Pontiac produced 2000 Indy Fiero replicas. Of those, approximately 250 had the 4-speed manual transmission.

Notice how the decals on these cars are different. Some match the Pace car exactly. They're probably an after-market addition that cost $45 each; along with the 'Pontiac' windshield decal which was available for $30 on the internet. The Pace car had these decals, but I believe they were either dealer-installed options or after-market customizations on the Pontiac replicas. Some have them, but others do not. A few replicas also have the huge decklid-mounted air intake that the Pace car had. This was definitely an after-market option since I do not think Pontiac even offered it.

This model was only available in 1984 and was produced in a very limited edition. It was only available in white and and had red & light grey leather seats. The interior is difficult to restore because none of the parts are commercially available. Everything must be custom made, which is why a nice one is very rare. It came with the anemic 92hp 'Tech 4" engine (the only Fiero engine available at the time) rather than the engine created for the actual pace car. One with very low mileage that is in showroom condition is very collectible today. But be careful, a lot of owners of generic 1984 Fieros bought aftermarket decals and options and tried to make their car look like a replica. Most people who bought a new one or a low-mileage car kept it. Check the VIN carefully!