I watched an episode of restoring classics on you tube yesterday where they restored a Delorean. The appraiser drove it when it was finished and commented how peppy and fun to drive it was. I looked up the 0 to 60 time on the Delorean and see that it is 8.3 seconds which is about the same or a little slower as my 85 Fiero GT 4 speed.
The similarities of the Delorean Vs the Fiero seem to be rather similar.
Both got away from Steel bodies and went with something different. Both were two seaters. Both had a economical approach. Both had manual steering. Hell, both had an engine that wasn't in the front.
BUT, one big difference?
The Fiero is awesome and Delorean's suck.. The interior is better but the drive of the car doesn't come close. Sorry, I get told that my Fiero looks like a Delorean and it's made me hate them haha.
The Delorean had a Renault V6 and not a very powerful one at that.
The car was not well sorted out as like the Fiero it did not have all the money to sort it out as well as it could have been. It had a good start but things just never got to where they were intended.
The deal with the Delorean is the car has history as not just the movie car from back to the future but also the John Delroean story itself. The car is not very rare but it is one that there are less of them than the Fiero left and with more demand than supply it can really help their values into t he future.
The car was slow and handling was so/so. But because of the movie it will always have a special place as an American Icon built in Ireland.
Still, the one Delorean I drove was a lot of fun to drive. Just for fun we went through a McDonalds to buy a Coke and had to open the door to get it. Both cars have their good points and bad and both would have been much better with another generation or two. They are what they are, love them or hate them.
I own both and I can tell you one thing for sure...Deloreans do not suck. Although everyone is entitled to their viewpoint it is very closed minded. My D has never left me stranded. My Fieros have. The D is an incredibly unique car and folks have an uncanny tie to them. The folks that own them don't own them because "they suck", they own them because they love them.
The eninge is a Peugot Renault Volvo 6 cyl. It drives very similar to our little cars and the interiors share more than a few similarities.
[This message has been edited by johnyrottin (edited 04-05-2015).]
The similarities of the Delorean Vs the Fiero seem to be rather similar.
Both got away from Steel bodies and went with something different. Both were two seaters. Both had a economical approach. Both had manual steering. Hell, both had an engine that wasn't in the front.
BUT, one big difference?
The Fiero is awesome and Delorean's suck.. The interior is better but the drive of the car doesn't come close. Sorry, I get told that my Fiero looks like a Delorean and it's made me hate them haha.
The Delorean is also a steel body- I think you may be thinking of the Bricklin which is fiberglass. Fieros are not awesome by any stretch... come on. Crappy steering, harsh, primitive suspension that was somewhat better for 88, underpowered brakes, economy car engines, bump steer, etc. They are fun and unique, but if you want to try to awesome, drive a Porsche or Lotus
The Delorean does not suck. The stainless steel body is an interesting idea, the design is timeless (in a cheesy 80's sort of way), and there is no denying that it is a unique piece of automotive history.
I think both cars are unique and fun but the gull wing doors would get old pretty fast if I tried to use the Delorean regularly. I was doing my deliveries yesterday and the local Porsche dealer had a 911 GTS on display, sticker price was only $135,400.
The Delorean is a car that like the Fiero just was never fully able to reach it's potential. It never got the funding and full support that other cars have gotten or the years to develop them.
The 911 for example is a car that is 50 years old and really has been the same care refined for 50 years. The Delorean was a car build on a modest scale and it has some warts that show for it.
The Chassis was created by Colin Chapman but it never got fully sorted with the lack of money and Colin passing away. The Engine was not their first choice but more of what they could afford.
The interior like most sports car even the Past Corvettes is where a large amount of the money was saves and it shows.
I am a John D fan and have been for years. His book is an interesting read on the struggles he faces on this car as well his personal life at the time.
Like the Fiero this is a very interesting car and a fun car but it is far from what it could and should have been. Most sports cars are like this as so often they are under funded buy the MFG unless they are a high end car like a Ferrari. But even back in the day even Ferrari has had their cars in need of more attention. The 308 GT4 anyone?
But as I have said low numbers and the special things on this car will set it apart. The movie did more for it than anything as it is now an Icon much like the American Graffiti coupe, Bandit or General Lee. Some collectors may hate that but it has helped keep the car in the public eye and may have helped keep values better than they would have been,.
Of late a lot of owners are putting N stars in the back with good results. This was more of the kind of power John wanted. Some folks are really fixing a lot of things like they have on the Fiero to make the car as it was originally intended to be.
Also keep in mind cars of this era were not exactly fast no matter what you had. even a 308 Ferrari by todays standards is slow. Many performance cars back then had less power than many entry level econo cars of today.
[This message has been edited by hyperv6 (edited 04-03-2015).]
That's funny. I've been watching that show on YouTube all this week. The fake drama is very fake, but I do enjoy the amount of screen time they give to the cars preparation& repair.
That's funny. I've been watching that show on YouTube all this week. The fake drama is very fake, but I do enjoy the amount of screen time they give to the cars preparation& repair.
Yes I agree with you on the drama, its obviously forced, but like you I enjoy the details shown on the show. Imagine what we could do to a Fiero if we had a team of mechanics and body men at our disposal.
The eninge is a Peugot Renault Volvo 6 cyl. It drives very similar to our little cars and the interiors share more than a few similarities.
That block had more lives than a black cat.....I had one in an Eagle Premier for a while and it was not bad. It's called the PRV engine...well documented in Wiki.
I've driven a DeLorean once. Just one time. Back in around 1999. I came across it for sale outside my city at a place that was a lot like a pawn/antique/sell-everything shop type of sorts and it was sitting on the side of the building. $14,000 with around 25,000 miles on it.
It's for sure not a bad car, but it's not an overly fantastic car either. Once you get over the novelty of the stainless steel body (which seems to attract any sort of fingerprints or dirt) and the gull wings which carried what I assumed were worn shocks on the example I drove as the driver's side sagged like absolute crazy, then you realize that there is a lot of things that the Fiero does that is actually a better drive. The "shock" factor though is there for sure. Everyone either knows what this car is or is genuinely interested in it's uniqueness. If you like that sort of head turning thing and having people talk to you constantly then it'll bring that to you. When I got back to the guy's store/shop no less than two others that were there walked over and someone stopped on the side of the road to come over and check it out.
A few years later a local Honda dealer was selling one that was traded in (yeah, you read that right) for $15,000 with 21,000 miles on it.
$14,000 and $15,000 sale prices?! No way you can buy one that drives fine nowadays for those prices. That's starting to become what you pay for a project and drivers are double that. I can't tell you how I regret both of those potential purchases. Only other that comes close was the 1972 guards red 911 with 23,000 miles that sold at a place by me for $6,000 before everyone jumped on the air-cooled 911 craze.
Never have driven a Mondial but I have driven a 308 which uses the same running gear. I remember reading some time back that one of the heads of the Ferrari Owners' Club of America actually owns a late 80s Mondial as his club car. He doesn't have it just because it's a cheap Ferrari, but because it's one of the only Ferraris he can own where he can take his kids with him.
I would have to say my biggest regret on a car not purchased was a 1963 Spit window Corvette that I almost bought in 1974 when I got out of college. I could have had the car for $3500 but I was concerned about the cost of insurance, it was a beautiful car though.
Once you get over the novelty of the stainless steel body (which seems to attract any sort of fingerprints or dirt) ...
I used to see an occasional Delorean painted red. Never knew why; perhaps the owner tired of the stainless and decided to go red instead. Or maybe it had bodywork and the shop was unable to get it to look "quite right" so it got painted instead. But at any rate, they looked cool! Been years since I've seen a painted one though.
I've driven a DeLorean once. Just one time. Back in around 1999. I came across it for sale outside my city at a place that was a lot like a pawn/antique/sell-everything shop type of sorts and it was sitting on the side of the building. $14,000 with around 25,000 miles on it.
It's for sure not a bad car, but it's not an overly fantastic car either. Once you get over the novelty of the stainless steel body (which seems to attract any sort of fingerprints or dirt) and the gull wings which carried what I assumed were worn shocks on the example I drove as the driver's side sagged like absolute crazy, then you realize that there is a lot of things that the Fiero does that is actually a better drive. The "shock" factor though is there for sure. Everyone either knows what this car is or is genuinely interested in it's uniqueness. If you like that sort of head turning thing and having people talk to you constantly then it'll bring that to you. When I got back to the guy's store/shop no less than two others that were there walked over and someone stopped on the side of the road to come over and check it out.
A few years later a local Honda dealer was selling one that was traded in (yeah, you read that right) for $15,000 with 21,000 miles on it.
$14,000 and $15,000 sale prices?! No way you can buy one that drives fine nowadays for those prices. That's starting to become what you pay for a project and drivers are double that. I can't tell you how I regret both of those potential purchases. Only other that comes close was the 1972 guards red 911 with 23,000 miles that sold at a place by me for $6,000 before everyone jumped on the air-cooled 911 craze.
Never have driven a Mondial but I have driven a 308 which uses the same running gear. I remember reading some time back that one of the heads of the Ferrari Owners' Club of America actually owns a late 80s Mondial as his club car. He doesn't have it just because it's a cheap Ferrari, but because it's one of the only Ferraris he can own where he can take his kids with him.
Are you sure it was 1999 or did it take you there? LOL!
I would have to say my biggest regret on a car not purchased was a 1963 Spit window Corvette that I almost bought in 1974 when I got out of college. I could have had the car for $3500 but I was concerned about the cost of insurance, it was a beautiful car though.
My biggest mistake was several months after I bought the Fiero I was offered a fully restored Dino $15,000. At that time no one wanted them.
Then Old Man Ferrari granted them official Ferrari status as up till then it was a Fiat built car with a Ferrari design. Then the Ferrari prices went up. Some like the 308 and Mondial went back down but the Dino has stayed up. Many clean ones can trade in the $300,000-$450,000 range today.
The reason I did not buy it. Hard to get parts for it. Lots of service work and I had to use it as a daily driver and salt loves 70's Italian cars.
As for the Mondial they are one of the most hated Ferraris around. There are many other 2+2 Ferrari models they made out there but most are not cheap anymore. This one is cheaper than many used Corvettes and the 30,000 miles service is more than the car is worth.
I used to see an occasional Delorean painted red. Never knew why; perhaps the owner tired of the stainless and decided to go red instead. Or maybe it had bodywork and the shop was unable to get it to look "quite right" so it got painted instead. But at any rate, they looked cool! Been years since I've seen a painted one though.
The good news is you can get the painted ones cheaper because they are considered "damaged" by the Delorean enthusiasts.
Two big differences: The Delorean has a longitudinal engine, and a body-on-frame design. Very traditional, actually. Delorean frame
The Fiero space frame is the car's body, surrounding the driver with a safe steel shell. The Delorean design doesn't look as safe.
A closer look at the Delorean shows the engine is behind the rear axle so its a rear engine car versus the mid engine Fiero. I seem to remember David E Davis proclaiming "Its a Corvair!"
The Fiero is awesome and Delorean's suck.. The interior is better but the drive of the car doesn't come close. Sorry, I get told that my Fiero looks like a Delorean and it's made me hate them haha.
This just happened to me last week as I was going into the gym. The girl working the front desk asked me if my silver car was a Delorean. I told her it was a Fiero which was very similar in design but didn't have a "Flux Capacitor" like the Delorean
The "shock" factor though is there for sure. Everyone either knows what this car is or is genuinely interested in it's uniqueness. If you like that sort of head turning thing and having people talk to you constantly then it'll bring that to you. When I got back to the guy's store/shop no less than two others that were there walked over and someone stopped on the side of the road to come over and check it out.
I get this with my Fiero already. I can't go anywhere without someone coming up and asking me about it. I drove through the "lemon lot" as we call it on post last week and stopped to get out of my Fiero to look at a particular car for sale and two dudes come swarming over to my car and the flood of question and complements ensue. Of course, I have to admit that having the exhaust note of a N* does probably play a large role in all the attention I'm getting
I found another show with the British guy from Classic Car Rescue called "Chop Shop". He is in it with a guy from Bangladesh who cuts up cars to make them look different. Very liberal use of the F*** word turned me off , I am not a prude but it just gets stupid when every other word is the F word. They also leave out a lot of what is done to the car like how did they get window glass that fit the chopped rear window and side glass. I watched the show where they chopped and lowered a Jaguar XJ6. I won't be watching anymore
This is misleading. The frame on the Corvette is clearly cut away, except for a few short pieces front & rear. This is a comparison of the Delorean drivetrain with frame to the drivetrain of the Corvette without frame. The comment was comparing the frames of the Fiero & Delorean. I'd be interested in seeing an actual comparison.
The Delorean is an interesting vehicle. Very similar history/results to the Fiero, but without the bad reputation. Both have possibilities. Both have problems.
TVR Griffith frame. Some concepts die hard, but not as hard as you'd die if you crashed the TVR or the DMC vs the Fiero's spaceframe design.
The truth is the bodies of these cars had inner structures that protected the passengers. These were also safe cars at the time as they did not just crumple up. Ace Freely of Kiss ran a Delorean into a stone wall and live to do it again later.
The Fiero by 1980's standards was a solid car but the unibody concept and the higher standards today have provided some of the strongest cars we have ever seen. That to is why they are nearly 1000 pounds or more heavier too.
The Fiero is great head on as I did one of those once but in a side impact hrrr. I have seen too many broken in half and know two people that were killed that way. They all have their good points and issues.
The Fiero is great head on as I did one of those once but in a side impact hrrr. I have seen too many broken in half and know two people that were killed that way. They all have their good points and issues.
Breaking in half isn't necessarily a sign of a problem. The ones I've seen do that broke at the rear firewall and left the passenger compartment mostly in tact. I've seen them take hits to the doors that bent the car around a tree without breaking in half.
When you have an impact severe enough to split the car in two, regardless of the safety rating your chances of surviving are slim. I don't know that the car staying together would have changed much with an impact that severe.
Breaking in half isn't necessarily a sign of a problem. The ones I've seen do that broke at the rear firewall and left the passenger compartment mostly in tact. I've seen them take hits to the doors that bent the car around a tree without breaking in half.
When you have an impact severe enough to split the car in two, regardless of the safety rating your chances of surviving are slim. I don't know that the car staying together would have changed much with an impact that severe.
"Breaking in half isn't necessarily a sign of a problem" Now there is one quote I will never forget here. LOL!
I am a Fiero fan and owner for nearly 30 years but I am not delusional enough to understand that they are not pervious to some things. The Fiero was good for its time as most cars back then sucked but they do have some issues. Side impacts are not a strong suit of the car and never were.
Having crashed one in the front it did well and I will stand buy that but I the it in the side a car should not be torn in half. I have seen F bodies do it too from that era. Side impact standards are not great in most 80s cars since the standards were so low.
Either way if given a choice of what to be in I would take a car from the last 5 years over anything in the era. Most of todays cars use a unit construction not much different than the Fiero space frame but they also use the body panels as part of the structure too now. It makes for a even more rigid package.
Not trying to start an argument but reality is what it is.
My Fiero may have saved my life in my crash as I hit over 40 mph. But even today I still would not want to take much of a hit in the side. The firewall area to the engine is a weak spot and is where most of them break. Front hits no issue there they are strong. But space frame or not it still has its limits and some weak areas. But it also does not weigh in at two tons like most cars today either. .
By the way some of the crashes in the side were not all that hard where the car broke and took the rear firewall with it. Just with the advances today and computer design todays cars are doing pretty well accept for the weight but they are now working on that too.
[This message has been edited by hyperv6 (edited 04-18-2015).]
