Apparently luck was on my side, because I got to see another one, this time a gold version, just one week later while visiting family in Canada. Sitting on a used car dealers lot in town, it caught my eye despite being surrounded by many great modern and classic Corvettes. If I had to choose I'd probably prefer the rare burgundy colour of my friend Ken's car, but the Fiero always looked sharp in that gold hue, and this one appeared to be in very nice shape.
Most can gather from an article a few weeks back that I was very excited to have the chance to not only see but also drive a Pontiac Fiero GT. A dream car from as far back as I can remember, the Fiero GT is a rare enough bird in North America, but having lived overseas (France and now China) for almost 15 years means I haven't seen one for a very long time. I would have counted myself lucky to just see that one burgundy model. Apparently luck was on my side, because I got to see another one, this time a gold version, just one week later while visiting family in Canada. Sitting on a used car dealers lot in town, it caught my eye despite being surrounded by many great modern and classic Corvettes. If I had to choose I'd probably prefer the rare burgundy colour of my friend Ken's car, but the Fiero always looked sharp in that gold hue, and this one appeared to be in very nice shape. This model had grey lower trim, though I think I prefer the single tone on Ken's burgundy Fiero. The rims are the same, but grey in this case, and both cars sport the large, flat spoiler. One custom touch was the air intake on both sides, just behind the doors. Designed to allow more air into the engine compartment for added cooling, they protrude out a fair bit to scoop more air, whereas the stock inlets are flush with the body. The interiors were identical except for one major item: this Fiero was equipped with a 3-speed automatic transmission, and not the 5-speed manual of the one I drove. As much as I liked the gold Fiero, my choice would easily fall to the manual version, as it's a much more entertaining and engaging experience to drive a car like this with a stick. Two up-close-and-personal Fiero GT sightings in two weeks! I count myself very lucky! And as the saying goes, good things come in threes. There's also the French equivalent "Jamais 2 sans 3", which translates to "Never 2 without 3", so I'm hopeful a third Fiero GT will cross my path soon. While that's highly unlikely in China, one never knows... who am I to doubt fate?!
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A roadtrip with me is a slow-going affair. On a recent trip to Canada I had many miles to cover in an attempt to see family and friends in a very short time. I was happy to be driving again after more than a year away from the wheel, and was very happy to be cruising around rural Ontario. The sky was clear, the sun was warm, and I didn't encounter much traffic. But I still didn't make very good time, it would seem. Blame the old cars. As much as I like to get where I'm going, I can't help but be distracted by old cars sitting on the side of the road. And during this past trip there was no shortage of distractions! Many old cars sat calling me from parking lots, lawns, fields. One of the most appealing was a rusty old Ford Consul sedan. I couldn't even guess at the year, but after a search online it would appear that this was a Ford Consul MKII, built from 1956 until 1962. It clearly hadn't moved in a long time, and while it was hard to see underneath, the body itself didn't appear to be rotted through, just covered in a heavy layer of surface rust. Like with most abandoned old cars, it's the small details that catch my eye the most. The large grille, chrome bumpers, and finishing around the headlights and taillights looked great on this Consul. The wrap-around front and rear glass was a common design theme from back in the day, and looked especially good on this classic. The raised lettering on the hood proudly displayed the 'Consul' name, and complimented the prominent hood ornament, a sort of arrow or spear rising off the long hood. Often these old cars are stripped of their trim pieces, so it was refreshing to see a complete relic. It's impossible to guess how long the car has been sitting there, or if the owner plans to restore it someday, but I was very happy to stumble across this great Consul. Stopping to take a peek and grab some pictures may have added about 15 minutes to my journey, but I think it was worth it. These days living in China it's impossible for me to own any car, much less an old classic, so I'll take these sightings as a great consul-ation prize!
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AuthorWelcome! My name is Paul, and I am an old-fashioned, low-pressure, low-buck car fan with lots of automotive stories to tell! Archives
February 2020
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