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Autoblog Classifieds finds: 1987 Pontiac Fiero GT

Autoblog's free Readers' Used Car Classifieds section is a great place to list your car for sale, and because these are readers, they often list really interesting cars. Occasionally we find interesting listings, and tell you what's special about them. This 1987 Pontiac Fiero was listed for sale at the time of this writing, but if the listing expires by the time you read this, feel free to browse for other great finds. Thirty years after General Motors stopped building it, the Pontiac Fiero might have finally emerged from the darkness. First, it was a humble commuter car that just happened to be a mid-engined coupe, then it was a re-skinnable basis for Fierorraris or other slightly strange kit cars, and then it made some Worst Cars of All Time lists due to its econobox ingredients, including its Chevy Citation suspension parts. But after a few decades, even the most mediocre car will become interesting as most of the examples built have been run into the ground; why not then the Fiero? The story of the Fiero is paralleled by a number of GM products, as it improved constantly the longer it was built, and by the time of the last model years it was quite decent indeed. And then the plug was pulled. The Fiero might not be a Toyota MR2 or even a Fiat X1/9, but it was made in two body styles, the notchback and the fastback, the latter of which looks especially good now. The Fiero also remains quite affordable, and the plastic body panels do not rust, unlike with the two aforementioned cars. This 1987 car advertised for sale at Autoblog Classifieds does not yet benefit from the 1988 cars' improved suspension, but thanks to its low, low 47,000-mile odometer reading, it looks to be in tip-top shape. The automatic transmission is just the three-speed affair, though, rendering the V6 car here more of a cruiser than a fiery hot canyon carver. Perhaps that has contributed to its good condition, along with the lack of possibly leaky T-tops. Could the Fiero have aged better than your Hall & Oates tapes? Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Even Ferrari swept up in latest Takata recall expansion

The scope of Takata's deadly airbag problems continues to widen. Eight manufacturers announced recalls Friday that affect more than 12 million vehicles, according to documents filed with federal regulators. The automakers include Honda, which is recalling 4.5 million units, Fiat Chrysler with 4.3 million, Toyota with 1.65 million, and Subaru, which is recalling almost 400,000. Some of these cars include the Saab 9-2x and Pontiac Vibe that Toyota and Subaru made for General Motors. Mazda will recall 730,000 vehicles and Nissan has 400,000 affected units. The smallest numbers were posted by Mitsubishi, with 38,000 Lancers manufactured from 2006 to 2007, and as a noteworthy high-end manufacturer, Ferrari is calling back 2,800 vehicles. These are all US-market cars. Beyond America, the Japanese Transport Ministry has announced seven million additional vehicles will be recalled, which means 19.6 million vehicles across the globe are affected by recalls announced. The defects have been traced to an insufficiently manufactured airbag inflator, which lacks a drying agent that would prevent the inflators from deteriorating over time. Thirteen deaths have been linked to the faulty airbags, which have become unstable and are prone to exploding and showering vehicle occupants with lethal amounts of metal shrapnel. A private equity firm, KKR & Co., has been named in a possible buyout of the struggling Takata. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Shutterstock Government/Legal Recalls Ferrari Honda Mazda Automakers Mitsubishi Nissan Pontiac Subaru Toyota Saab Safety

The last Pontiac Fiero sold for $90,000 at auction

On August 16, 1988 the last Pontiac Fiero, a red GT model, rolled off the assembly line at GM's Pontiac Assembly plant located in Pontiac, Michigan. It wasn't just the final Fiero, but the final car to be built at that site. The car was raffled off to one of 1,400 plant employees that would soon have to find jobs elsewhere. Whoever that employee was, they remained faithful to the Fiero and kept it in mint condition for 32 years. Last month, it was finally time to move on. It crossed the block at GAA Auctions in Greensboro, North Carolina where it sold for an astounding $90,000. According to the auction house, that's a new world record. The price no doubt reflected the car's place in history as the last example of GM's 1980s mid-engined sports car. However, it was also showroom-new, with just 582 miles clocked on its 2.8-liter V6. 1988 models were also fitted with an upgraded, Lotus-esque suspension produced for just that one year. In addition, this car, serial number 226402, came with its original build sheet, photos from the assembly line, and a collection of news articles and books. It still wore its pre-delivery plastic on the interior and was fully loaded with automatic transmission. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The car's custodian for the past 32 years must be pleased. Bidding started at $25,000 but soon rocketed past the $65,000 reserve. You can see the action starting at the 2:50:13 mark in the video above. The Fiero was symbolic of the 1980s and stood out from the standard GM passenger car fare for its mid-engine layout and plastic body panels. In an era when GM often rebadged cars with minimal differences, the Fiero rode on its own unique chassis. It was positioned as one of the defining products for Pontiac, GM's "excitement" brand, but actual performance never quite lived up to its striking looks.  Nevertheless, it garnered a cult following. It's often the basis for (questionable) custom builds mimicking more exotic models like Ferraris and Lamborghinis, thanks to a steel space-frame design that allows body panels to be easily removed. Thankfully, this significant example escaped such a fate and will live on as a reminder of an interesting chapter of automotive history.