Want to set some land speed records?
While we certainly see some crazy cars while perusing Facebook Marketplace, nothing could have prepared us for this 1984 Pontiac Fiero GT recently listed in Prairie City, Iowa. First off, the list price of $75,000 is enough to make you aware either the seller created the listing while drunk or there’s something very interesting going on under the skin. Fortunately, it’s the latter.
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Right up front, the seller discloses the factory powertrain has been replaced by a GE T-58 helicopter turbine converted from shaft drive to thrust. An afterburner is included for when you want to teach somebody using nitrous a lesson.
Before you go thinking this is just some straight-line drag car for those who have suicidal tendencies, the seller also makes it clear this thing can corner. After all, it makes use of thrust vectoring kind of like what fighter jets use to outmaneuver opponents in the air. And that’s an analogy we never thought we’d use when talking about a Fiero.
What we also learn from the listing is that the seller, who says he’s forced to sell this amazing build, was aiming to set a land speed record using it. More specifically, the record would be for a thrust vehicle on a one mile oval speedway, not on the Bonneville Salt Flats, which sure sounds like a lot of fun. The guy claims that record doesn’t even exist, so you’re pretty much guaranteed instant fame for being the first. Or you could take this thing to your local drag strip and really wow the crowd when you hit the afterburner.
As you can see from the photos, this Fiero has a bespoke tube frame and full roll cage. The chassis components all look beefy enough for something that’s going to go really fast. The guy is including special rigging and equipment, build history/photos, GE factory engine service/parts manuals plus logbooks, aircraft hardware, and CAD drawings for the build plus other patterns.
Just keep in mind, a build like this isn’t for an amateur. If you don’t know much about helicopter engines and such, you better have the resources to hire someone who does. And maybe a driver crazy enough to push the envelope.
Check out the Facebook Marketplace listing here.
