When we hear the words "race" car we think of 900 hp. NASCAR beasts. Certainly an IMSA GTU Fiero (pictured on the left) may not appear to be serious competition, it is very deceptive in it's stock appearance, and with small displacement it couldn't possible be competitive, right? Wrong! This 2,050 pound race car is amazing! Loaded with the Super Duty 4 cyl. Engine, it pumps out almost 275 hp and blasts off to 60 mph in 4 seconds flat, to 100mph in 10 seconds flat, and standing 1/4 mile a 12.3 seconds at 112 mph. The four, large ventilated disc brakes bring the GTU Fiero from 70-0 in 158 feet, with no brake fade detected by Road Tests. You may think such a difference from stock is very amazing, but remember, IMSA rules require that only a racer's external shape, basic layout, and engine family be shared with its road sidekick. Under the skin the GTU Fiero is very different from the road Fiero's steel space frame. The GTU Fiero has a classic space frame with numerous triangulated tubes, ensuring maximum rigidity with minimum weight. The mastermind behind the design comes from Pontiac chassis designer Terry Satchell.

Now let's talk about the rear-mounted Super Duty 4 Engine. The block is a special casting with semisiamesed bores and extra iron in the deck surface, the main bearing webs, and the pan rail. The head has larger, freer-flowing ports, better cooling, and provision for stouter valve train components. A forged-steel crankshaft with full counterweighting spins inside the crankshaft, and it can be machined to provide a variety of strokes from 2.60 to 4.125 inches. This crank design profited from the lubrication-and-stress analysis expertise of General Motors R&D. According to John Callies, Pontiac Motorsports Manager, it is bulletproof to 10,000 rpm with a 3.25-inch stroke, even with only two-bolt main-bearing caps. The crank is spun by JE Forged pistons via connecting rods from a Chevy small block.

The GTU faired outstandingly well in competition. Driven by Clay Young in its first year of racing, the GTU Fiero as right out of the box, never qualified lower then sixth, and ran as high as 2^nd or 3^rd in nearly every race. The first four races, however, Young was forced to DNF due to teething problems usually associated with the valve train. The first checkered flag came in Charlotte where it finished third. They had been leading the whole race up until late in the race when, even with a two lap cushion, driver error knocked it out of contention. The big win came at Michigan International Speedway in front of Pontiac brass. That win was the first ever for ANY American car in GTU. At the next race, Clay Young drove into victory lane at Watkins Glen. The Fiero's early DNF's limited it to 7^th place in the final standings, but it had proven itself in many races to be far better then 7^th. The cost of this Fiero was a mere $45,000, which back in 1985 made it the cheapest competitive racer around.