(first posted 10/2/2014) I’ve been wondering when one of these would show up at the Cohort, and thanks to LeSabretoothTiger, it finally has. And now that it’s here, I’m a bit unsure as to what to say about it. All I can come up with is: Why?
I wouldn’t find myself at a loss for words if the more common Zimmer Golden Spirit was on our verbal spit; it would get a well-done roasting, you can be assured. The Golden Spirit was the ultimate evolution of the “neo-classic/period” mobile that started with Brooks Stevens Excalibur way back in 1963 or so. That car started out a reasonably-appropriate “take” on the 1920s Mercedes SSKL. And eventually devolved into a hideous contraption built in long-wheelbase stretch-limo versions.
The Golden Spirit took the same approach as some others: take a common car (Mercury Cougar; Mustang after the Cougar went away), splice in a huge front wheelbase extension, and slather on every possible Liberace-approved bauble that was to somehow evoke the classic era. Retch…
But the Quicksilver was something quite different: a mid-engine Fiero-based Broughamized luxury coupe. Why?
Beats me. As much (or more) than the day I first saw pictures of it in 1984. Obviously, it’s not as tacky and gauche as the Golden Spirit, but then almost nothing was. It looks like an E-Body Riviera that got left out in the sun too long, with a Continental-esque grille, natch.
The rear end is a mish-mash of other previous cars, including a rounded version of the “boat-tail” Grand Prix, as well as a few others. Given that the first ones are credited with being 1984’s, that would mean Iron Duke power; nothing quicksilvery about that, except for the Zimmer marketing department.
Well, maybe some of you are fans of this sort of thing; I won’t hold it against you. But where were you in 1988, when Zimmer went bankrupt?
Over 1500 Golden Spirits were built, but I can’t find ready stats on Quicksilver production. I’m guessing it was uncharacteristically modest. The Fiero was the ultimate chameleon, being kitted into all sorts of pseud-exotica. But this is the only attempt I’m aware of turning it into a Brougham. Why?
Related:
My God! I’ve heard about those automotive atrocities, Zimmer Quicksilver, but have never seen one under its own power.
It looks as badddd as the Superfly pimp car from the 1970’s And badddd in its intended way.
Why for Dog’s sake make a supposed luxury car from a Pontiac Fiero? And why would someone waste good money on that crap?
The windshield/cowl/doors of the Golden Spirit look like they came from a Ford Fox Mustang (or Fox Mercury Capri)
Definitely Mustang, I’ve seen quite a few zimmers and it seems like a third of them were Mustang based while the rest were Cougar based. Why? I have no idea.
I remember when I first saw the Zimmer Quicksilver. Although I’ve never seen one *in person,* I’ve read about it in Car and Driver, when it first came out. At first, I didn’t see the Pontiac Fiero behind the Quicksilver. At the time, I thought it was something different, something exotic. When you look at the interior, however, no doubt about it, you see the Pontiac Fiero.
I remember reading in C&D sometime later that that specific issue set a record low for off-the-stand sales up to that time-People were so repulsed by the cover car that stayed away in droves.
Sort of a mid-engined Corvorado. Considering the price of a Quicksilver, I’m not sure the Fiero platform was likely to deliver the expected level of driver and passenger coddling. Did the extended front end at least include an accommodating trunk?
Something truly amazing to think about – somebody actually pitched this as a concept with a completely straight face. Wow.
That resale red paint job doesn’t do it any favors, either.
All right, enough is enough already! Is Curbside Classic turning into “Custom Classic” now?
These abominations are the sole reason I don’t go to custom car shows anymore.
Now, if someone wants to do something REALLY custom, take any two-door post car from 1973 on and make it a pillarless hardtop! I WOULD pay to see that!
Meanwhile, I’m waiting for Curbside Classic to show up…
You see a lot of these are car shows?
Where do you live? Pimpville ?
I knew about the Zimmer Quicksilver but have never seen one in person. I will admit that, from pictures at least, I like them. Sure, all the design elements are stolen from other cars, but almost every car on the road suffers from that problem.
Back in the day, there were lots of body kits to turn the Fiero into a look-alike Ferrari, Lambo, etc, but they all involved stretching the rear. I think this is the only modified Fiero that involved stretching the nose instead of the tail.
I never heard of this one. It’s probably the most tasteful bad-taste car I’ve come across. The integration of the rocker panel with the bumpers is pretty cool. The front is not very imaginative, but the back is a very well done over-the-top design exercise. I can’t see a lick of Fiero in this car, however. Proportionally it looks like an entirely different class of car, more in the size range of an early Toronado.
Oh barf!
Any car guy could see the Fiero in the Zimmer, kind if like a Don Q in reverse who saw the windmill in every giant and the whore in every woman, buy, hey, it does look good. It has Presence-tons of it.
Nice reference.
“Any car guy could see the Fiero in the Zimmer…”
Not from the pictures in this article. From other direct-profile shots I found on the web, yes.
It looks good from the front and especially the side, but the trunk lid 1/2 moon lump and the rear bumper dip in the middle ruins the look of the rear end. Another case of just because you can, should you? I would think in strong crosswinds that long light front end would be blown around a lot. Should have a good size trunk, however.
Fierodorado.
When I see one of these, I’m reminded that during the Reatta’s development, Buick was offered the use of the Fiero’s P-car chassis, I can almost imagine that this is what a Buick Fiero would have turned out like.
Yikes! Thought the Stutz and the Excalibur were bad… now I’ve seen it all. Can’t unsee it, unfortunately.
STUTZ is o.k. And check about BUGAZZI…
…and the LE SEYDE…
That Bugazzi is scary. As far as the Mitsuokas are concerned, I see a few, even here in Burma. They’re more comical than the American versions of the blingmobile. Snapped this one in Japan a couple years ago. Cute, isn’t it?
The company went bankrupt in 1988. Then in 1997 a new owner took over what was left of the company and it is still building a few custom cars. This link will take you there: http://www.zimmermotorcars.com/
It appears the discontinuance of the Ford Panther platform has put a crimp into their plans. Their larger models were based on Lincoln Town Cars and the four-door sedans used an almost-intact Town Car roof.
“Then in 1997 a new owner took over what was left of the company and…”
Why?
Its proportions look fine…a bit impressive, even…until you realize how LITTLE it is!
Yes, it has “I wanna be an Eldo/Mark/Grand Prix/Riv all over it.
I’m going out on a limb, but there’s actually a lot I like in the Quicksilver, the bumper/fender combo for one. If this had been built on the shrunken Riviera’s chassis its proportions would have been better.
Same here. Of all the horrible neoclassic cars, I’ve always thought the Quicksilver was easily the best looking.
I’d go so far as to say it’s an improvement over the Fiero.
It’s so close to being nice…but SO far away. Wait a minute, are those the Fiero headlight covers on the hood?
Excuse me, I’m losing my lunch before I even eat it.
Still trying to wrap my head around who’d want something like a Golden Spirit. OK, I get the “neoclassical styling with modern conveniences at a cut-rate price” thing, but WHY? It was the ultimate answer to a question that was better left unasked.
The Quicksilver, on the other hand, speaks to the fading traditional personal coupe market – rear-wheel drive, mile-long hood, swoopy chrome-lathered styling reminiscent of Grands Prix and Rivieras, an interior that was as plush as a Fiero-based cockpit could be, etc.
If only it had a sedate Olds 307 under the front hood to complete the package. Spiritual successor of the Riviera, indeed.
Before World War Two top luxury cars were available with custom built bodies from a number of body makers like Fleetwood, before they were taken over by Fisher Body (who also may have been a custom body source). Fisher was taken over by GM in the mid 1920’s. Anyway people with the resources to get custom built cars may like something like this. The current Zimmer line is based on Town Cars which are not available. They may also do something with Mustang’s (or did in 1999).
Northstar V8’s can be fitted into the Fiero, although one would want a good one.
+1 well said.
The Quicksilver was trying to be a “retro” personal luxury coupe before retro was cool.
As with most things, it makes sense up to a point. There are all kinds of people who like the idea of driving a classic car, but either don’t have the scratch to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy the car or the patience to turn every minor repair or maintenance interval into a scavenger hunt. Also, older cars might look glorious, but aren’t always easy or even particularly safe to drive in modern traffic. So, the basic précis — classic looks, modern mechanicals — is reasonable enough.
The weirdness is a combination of three factors. First, prewar cars were not designed and don’t necessarily adapt well to stuff like postwar wheels and tires (even the 70-series 14- and 15-inch wheels most common in the ’70s). The wheels alone are one of the reasons some neo-classics start to go astray stylistically and it snowballs from there.
Second, manufacturers often aggressively discourage unauthorized replicas of their cars, even ones that have been out of production for decades. Some kit car builders have learned this the hard way, to their cost. This pushes many neo-classics into the realm of homage, which may save on legal bills, but tends to lose the original’s elegance in the process.
Third, you have the matter of individual taste. Unless you’re doing an exact reproduction (in which case see points 1 and 2), retro styling tends to be exaggerated because it’s so removed from the original context and because the whole selling point is that the retro object looks different from contemporary designs. That’s not a formula that lends itself to conservative understatement, whatever the era. Add to that the ego and preferences of the designer and the results can get very strange.
Beyond that, of course, you have the old imbalance of idea, talent, and money. Even if you have a professional automotive designer on hand, various things may end up badly compromised because you can’t make them work with the parts and facilities you’ve got.
One of the best examples I’ve seen is the Isdera Autobahnkurier:
http://www.madle.org/eak116i.htm
But then, also, we’re talking about a quarter to a half a million dollars or thereabouts. And they didn’t start with a complete Beetle-shell because it was cheap, but because it suited the streamline-theme they have going on. But there you have it, one of the best neo-classicals I’ve ever seen.
I also think something like the Excalibur works better in that they committed to a full-convertible body, whereas the Zimmer Golden Spirit (and cars like it) obviously contain the entire center section from a 1980’s American car, with only alterations to the vinyl roof. So you have the stylistic mismatch going on there to make a bad situation worse.
And, yes, the Isdera Autobahnkurier is beautiful, probably the best neoclassical I’ve ever seen that wasn’t a 100% reproduction. High dollar one-off customs can do that, though.
Here is a from-scratch 1930’s style car, although they are very low (49.5″) and really look like a caricature rather than something ‘real’. They were originally built with the DOHC Falcon engine but now run an LS (inevitably?).
http://www.devauxcars.com/index.html
Sadly…I kind of like it. The half-moon-boat-tail on the deck needs to go, and it could use more roof behind the driver (though I’m not sure how you’d do that other than flying buttresses like the Fiero had) but it’s not all bad. Not to say i’d buy one, but…
There’s probably a special place in automotive hell for people like me.
I love me some Brougham, but these sorts of things are proof you can push that concept into the realm of simple ridiculous. I’m almost tempted to say that a donked out Brougham is better but if either were given to me, I think I’d probably rather be behind the wheel of Liberace gaudy than ghetto tacky. I think I could better pull off driving the faux-neo-classical ironically.
I find it better looking and more original than the Golden Spirit (and other like neo-classics). The most mind boggling think is that massive hood with no engine. Sort of like the Bugatti or MG TD replicas built from VW Beetles.
It was easy to modify the body, that’s why its the basis for many customizations. Fiero’s plastic body panels were easily removed and replaced. If only GM hadn’t gone the cheep development using the front half of Chevette for the front suspension & Citation (turned backward) for the drivetrain and rear suspension including the tie rods screwed to the engine cradle, not the best engineering GM could do, but that is what they did!) so T + J = P!
It could have been a good car, the Fiero, if the Second Generation had been the first but by then it was too late -reputation killed this car just as they gave it a proper chassis/suspension, IMHO the saddest GM Deadly Sin… GM used some of the Fiero’s tech in Saturn -notably unique plastic body-on-spaceframe design
In 1987 model Pontiac dealerships offered an upgrade in the form of an “option” that changed the original body to a Ferrari 308 look, called the Fiero Mera. Only 247 Mera’s were produced by Corporate Concepts before production was halted when sued by Ferrari…
It’s my understanding that Pontiac’s management thought the best way of getting the Fiero into production was to propose the basic car and then upgrade it rather than propose the economy/sports car first. So we really don’t know what GM management might have said to a better suspension to begin with.
They probably would have said no. The fact that the Fiero made it to production at all was that Pontiac had managed to keep production costs down, and not having to tool for a new suspension was an important part of that.
Furthermore, the $30 million Pontiac spent on the new suspension for the 1988 model was a significant factor in Pontiac’s conclusion that continuing the car was just going to be a money pit.
Fiat, Toyota, and Audi also did the flip-the-front-suspension-around trick (on the X1/9, MR2, and Quattro, respectively) and it turned out quite well, so I think the problem was the execution rather than the idea.
While you may be right, I think had the fiero started off with a decent suspension, it might have been successful instead of a money pit.
At a mechanic’s garage one time about 10 years ago, I stuck my head through the window of a red Dino Ferrari (the 308’s direct predecessor) to get a look at the interior and the dash… which was oddly full of square, angular shapes that did not seem very Ferrari-like. In fact, it didn’t seem Italian at all; more like the kind of crap that Flint, MI, was putting out in the ’80s. The head mechanic saw my confusion and explained it was a Dino kit laid over a Fiero.
Like so.
I agree it’s possibly the best of that ilk (Brougham-type cars). Actually, it would have been interesting as a front engined, rear wheel driven car – in fact, this is the kind of 90s Brougham GM should have produced instead of its own, horridly ugly monstrosities.
A Lincoln themed front with a ’70’s Grand Prix themed rear. It makes you think if there had never been a bunch of bumper regulations, would we have seen something like this in the late ’80s or early ’90s? The solid one piece front bumper integrated like this hasn’t been seen since about 1972 on anything. Sort of an alternate universe of what might have come.
It sort of shocks me the way the modern Rolls Royce did when it appeared. I thought it was downright ugly at first. I’m not sure I like it better, but I’m used to it.
I dunno. As these kinds of things go, this one’s pretty well executed.
The Zimmer-Free movement is gaining momentum in most German speaking countries. Especially during the summer season.
Hard to believe actual people can bear to be seen in those, it has to be the fugliest car in creation until I clicked the link to see the newer Zimmers and realised there is worse to come.
+1 I never thought I would say it but the 58 Lincoln is a thing of beauty next to the Zimmer abomination!
is anyone else reminded of the 6000 SUX from Robocop?
8.2 mpg! I’d buy that for a dollar!
http://youtu.be/fl8mQhxhE_Q
What was the 6000 SUX based on? I know the cop cars were all Taurus sedans.
It was based on a ’77 4-door colonnade Cutlass.
love it…in pictures. I imagine the real life size would work against it. something like this on the Challenger platform would be spectacular.
This man agrees.
Did it at least have increased luggage space? That would be the only advantage I could conceive over the standard Fiero.
Sadly I’d guess more 4 cyl automatic Fiero’s got this treatment than V6, manual trans, GTs.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/118029649@N03/13821513715/in/photolist-n4mSuB-n4oCR9-n4oCNy-n4mSKg-7GSN8b-7GNRCa-8qfjuq-eR7TeZ-8qcaNn-8qc5rH-8qfdX5-8qfjgE-8qc5mH-8qfdNG-8qfdUb-8qcaVi-dG3L7V-dD9fbX-dD9f8e-dDev8J-dD9ffK-dD9ftn-dD9f54-eR7TD2-n4mSEX-n4mSn2-n4mSDe-n4oCz7-8qcaSr-8qc5gz-8qcaXT-8qcb22-8qc5jn-agq5Mm-9dcePU-5Vgym2-DaCAz-ftQXuF-6GaF5d-bqVroY-6GaFkh-oA5T24-hv13uy-6qAXuf-fmocUb-kaZqWY-kDogU-9cNzix-9dnxWy-cE22vQ-aCLo3W
I think the Quicksilver looks quite good. I like it. Where was I in 1988? Being born.
There’s TWO for sale on Hemming’s…nice!
Wow! I’ve never been a fan of the Fiero, so I really think that this is a big improvement.
Actually amazing how they transformed it into more of a rolling piece of art!
just hope it doesn’t catch fire (like I heard some fieros did!)!
Are those bumpers from the pointy-tail Buick Rivieria?
I think this could have worked best on an ’86 shorty Eldorado. In fact this should have been said Eldo’s look. Duke 4, extra weight: oy vey, and fey. Happy 5775!
And the same to you.
I think this looks bloody great
At the time they came out, Quicksilvers were not universally maligned. Compared to other re-bodied cars of the era, the design was seen by some as professionally realized, whether or not you considered it attractive. This was during the Detroit design phase that pushed boxiness as a way to symbolize economy in every sense, and it produced some very clunky, square vehicles that looked like they were designed by engineers. Have you noticed Zimmers are suddenly a glut on eBay?
I remember when they had a bunch of ads for this thing in Dupont Gallery back in the day. Never seen one in person but thought they looked better in the front than a Fiero. Never noticed the back til now.
Nice looking car. Needs more rear end.
Some of you have mentioned how small this is.
What I like is the fact that the Fiero height, before lowering, is about 47″. The last Eldorado’s are about 7″ higher than that. Compare to a GT40 which supposedly has a 40″ height.
There are 3 things that scream, “Fiero!!” That would be the rear window; the pop-up headlights; and the engine hood.
Personally I like it. I used to have a Fiero and I miss that car terribly. The funny thing is, whereas North American magazines all panned it in reviews for poor handling and whatever, foreign publications tended to praise its handling and poise.
Currently I have a ’90 Miata (Eunos) and I have to say, the convertible chassis is dreadfully flexible in comparison to the Fiero. I had also tried a friend’s MR2 and found it kind of wallowy. What I will say was the Fiero parking brake was abysmal. The 2M4 was slow, certainly, but I’ve never owned anything that got as good mileage (I was able to achieve 6 L/100 km regularly, highway driving).
Personally I’d prefer a Mera, but if a Quicksilver comes my way, I’ll certainly give it a look!
Let’s put it this way, I’d prefer the Pontiac to an actual Ferrari any day. And a sporty Fiero-based brougham is more my style than an actual Eldorado, which I also own (2002 ETC). I wouldn’t need a V8 either.
Glad to see this article running again after posting that picture of the one my brother found in West LA (that Jim Klein had also come across last year).
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/qotd/qotd-what-is-this/
It’s a unique looking car, and I really like it from the front. The rear end is less integrated and more zany looking, too Batmobilish for me. The shot my brother snapped of the one in LA looked positively sinister, especially at night, and with its rougher looks than the garage queen ones.
Uh – NO!
One of these turned during recent Googling—-what I was **looking** for was Ford’s late-1950s “Quicksilver” as raw material for the 1960 Galaxie.
Here’s a dealer looking for $20K for one (lots of exterior/interior pictures): https://www.ebay.com/itm/1986-Zimmer-Quicksilver/333728543691?hash=item4db3c573cb:g:iGUAAOSwfi5fGOhy
I see Car and Driver looked at one in 1987—anyone have a copy?
A Northstar will fit. Hooked to a five speed, that would make this an interesting car indeed.
The automotive equivalent of cubic zirconium.
I’ve got to admit that these things have long, strongly appealed to me. Yes, ever since back in the day when they first came out. And I also know that there’s nothing very exciting about driving a normal 4 cylinder powered Fiero with the automatic transmission. As such, they were essentially a secretary’s car.
But I am a sucker for something that’s just a bit different than normal.