The Pontiac Fiero answers the question of why a 1980s economy car would have a big-displacement, mid-mounted engine and four-wheel disc brakes? These were characteristics of a sports cars with Ferrari and Lamborghini badges. The Fiero shared another characteristic with exotics: its propensity to catch on fire. In this video, Jason Cammisa examines the history of the Pontiac Fiero, and the automotive con job behind its creation. Built under the guise of an ‘efficient commuter car,’ The Fiero aimed to usher in a new era of sporty, automotive design, and bring General Motors into the future (after a decade of malaise-era cars.) It was a mid-engine ray of hope for the domestic car market, until Pontiac’s plan went up in flames… Or, less cynically, maybe the Fiero was just a victim of Mission Creep? Once Pontiac's engineers got a taste of the mid-engine layout, which was necessary for aerodynamics required to hit the commuter car's 50-mpg EPA target, they got carried away and turned it i