Lucas Bell 
The C8 might represent the Corvette’s first foray into the mid-engined platform, but that is not the case for General Motors as a whole. Back in 1983 GM launched the Pontiac Fiero, the first mass-produced mid-engine sports car produced by a Detroit Automaker. While the Radwood Era coupe does have its share of detractors, the model has garnered a die-hard fanbase over the years. One of those fans is Tim Evans of Sanford, Michigan, who’s Pontiac Fiero collection was just destroyed as a result of two dam failures on the Tittabawassee River.
After the combined failure of the Sanford dam and the Edenville Dam sent water from Wixom Lake flowing downriver, Evans’ Fieros Forever Michigan shop and museum was in danger. The amount of water that filled the surrounding communities has been described as a 500 year flood, and the water levels are expected to continue rising.
Pontiac Fiero museum becomes a Fiero graveyard in Michigan flooding. https://t.co/7QPadUO57o pic.twitter.com/NzH5R5fqxY
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) May 22, 2020
Speaking with The Drive, Evans said that he moved 12 of his Fieros to a street that hadn’t flooded in the past after receiving an evacuation order. This act turned out to be in vain after the second dam failed and the water levels began to rise to levels near the top of some street signs.
While Evans hasn’t yet been back to assess the damage done to his shop, there is no doubt that the collection is at least partially underwater. The shop and museum housed some truly incredible examples of the Pontiac Fiero, including a 1984 pace car edition, one autographed by the father of the Fiero Halki Aldikacti, and a tried-and-true IMSA race car. As no collection of Fieros would be complete without a few, there were even some Lamborghini kit cars inside.
Among the victims of flooding in Michigan were a handful of Pontiac Fieros. https://t.co/eSuRdD4ebj pic.twitter.com/oH35J2VWRt
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) May 20, 2020
Furthermore, Evans had also amassed a huge stock of Fiero parts both extraordinary and mundane. This was the place to go if you were trying to keep your 80’s mid-engined sports car on the road. Any or all of the parts could have been destroyed, including his one-of-one Fiero Cosworth Pontiac Super Duty 16-valve DOHC engine.
It has been brutal to watch as the people affected by this tragedy lose everything amid the ongoing pandemic. Looking at this gearhead’s life work and passion be swallowed up because safety was ignored is frustrating. Long live the Pontiac Fiero.
