Pontiac Fiero Collection Swept Away in Michigan Flood

Multiple dam failures brought on by prolonged and intense rain in central Michigan saw a record surge of water sent down the Tittabawassee River last night. Following the breach of the Edenville and Sanford dams, water levels peaked at 35 feet in downstream Midland, MI, breaking the previous record by more than a foot.

In the affected area, the dam failures left uprooted trees and lives, unmoored buildings, a lake drained nearly dry, and a catastrophe of the automotive kind.

One of the businesses hit by the wall of water was Fieros Forever, a retailer, repair shop, and museum near the banks of the Titabawassee in the village of Sanford, just downstream from the Sanford dam.

The aftermath can be seen in these photos published by The Detroit News. Journalist Jim Roberts brought the Fiero carnage to our attention last night.

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

It looks like more than a handful. The destruction of Fieros Forever left numerous mid-engined 1980s GM products littered through the small village. Past media reports about the business, created by Fiero enthusiast Tim Evans in 2006, claim it housed up to three dozen of the vehicles, with the most recent Google Streetview image showing a yard of Fieros of varying condition residing next to the shop/showroom.

Also going by that Streetview image, it seems the building seen attempting to swallow Fieros Forever in the post-disaster photos was not adjacent to the shop before the flood hit. That’s a collision you’re seeing.

The business was hit with a smaller flood in 2017, as a crop of flood-damaged Fieros reportedly appeared at auction in the area around that time. Sadly, it seems that, just before the cataclysmic flood hit, Fieros Forever was in transition. A one-day online auction announced on April 20th and set for July 22 was to see upwards of a dozen Fieros hit the block. The listing claims “Fieros Forever has decided to discontinue their dealership,” with the business tapping the online auction house to unload rolling stock, spare parts, engines, and shop tools.

[Image: Murilee Martin/TTAC]