To understand where it came from we must understand how it all started.
Despite what many think, the Knight 4000 WAS a worthy successor to the black Trans-Am we all new and loved as kids and made sense as the as a logical aesthetic step bridging the series and the 1991 NBC TV Movie.
Many of the photos that I am going to post have NEVER been seen before. So feel free to download these images and save them to your PC so they are not lost in time.
I feel it is important to pass these stories around before misinformation from Internet rumors takes hold and these rare photos are lost forever.
Let us begin in 1985 with Pontiac's FRONT WHEEL DRIVE replacement for the Firebird and Trans-Am...
The GM 80.
This car was planned for the Pontiac plant. Once it was killed it left the Fiero without another model to share the plant and production capacity.
Pontiac sold it's soul to build the Fiero and built as many as they could till they could get the GM 80 into the plant. It was a risk that came back to bite them. Add in the many other issues the low volume in such a high capacity plant was the final nail in the coffin.
![Image](http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg707/scaled.php?server=707&filename=1low.jpg&res=medium)
The GM 80 has almost become myth as few people ever saw it or even heard of it and it's story.
That is sad as it affected the future for the Fiero and the F body to a LARGE degree. Some say the GM 80 is at the tech center yet today while others say it was crushed.
![Image](http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/3116/gm80.jpg)
Thank God that decision was made. It kept The F-Bodies from having an equivalent of the Mustang II.
Speaking of the Fiero the prototype Fiero 90 GT had a dash gauge cluster that was for the most nearly identical to the 4th gen Firebird/TA. When the Fiero was canceled they spared the cluster and much of the styling to be used in the 4th gen F body that replaced the GM 80 FWD that they were doing. The interesting part is with the death of the GM 80 Fbody replacement it was what pretty much sealed the Fiero's fate. The GM 80 was a FWD space frame F body replacement that would have shared the line with the Fiero. Once this car was canceled it left the Fiero in a plant that was way under capacity at a time GM was tight on money. They had little options to move another line there soon. So the death and design of the 90 Fiero contributed much to the 4th Gen F body.
![Image](http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg441/scaled.php?server=441&filename=sickde.jpg&res=medium)
Here is a profile of the 1990 GT and the 4th gen Camaro. John Schinella the Fiero designer said the design was too good to throw away and adapted a lot of it to the 4th Gen F body.
Pontiac had a 1990 Fiero ready but lost the car in Feb of 88 when pressure from many with in GM some from the Vette program worked to kill the car. They were afraid of lost sales to a 220 HP Fiero GTP that would have been around $20 K when the Vette was just over $30K.
The reason the GM 80 died is Ford saved the Mustang plain and simple and those working at GM on the car did not want it in the first place. They had FWD forced on them.
The whole GM 80/ Fiero deal is a great example of what all was wrong at GM back in the early 80's.
![Image](http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/5392/4lowyj4.jpg)
![Image](http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/8131/411lowgh1.jpg)
I won't cover the Banshee prototype here because it's pretty common knowledge around these parts already...
![Image](http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg806/scaled.php?server=806&filename=11low.jpg&res=medium)
This is VERY rare and interesting scan from a private collector showing the 4th gens clay model mock up...
![Image](http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg3/scaled.php?server=3&filename=6low.jpg&res=medium)
Another 4th gen full size mock up at GM's headquarters...
![Image](http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg846/scaled.php?server=846&filename=7low.jpg&res=medium)
You can definitely see the design cues from the Banshee prototype here.
Getting closer...
![Image](http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/6307/8low.jpg)
![Image](http://www.pontiacpower.net/pictures/4th-gen.jpg)
![Image](http://img857.imageshack.us/img857/7528/13low.jpg)
![Image](http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg197/scaled.php?server=197&filename=14low.jpg&res=medium)
![Image](http://image.highperformancepontiac.com/f/Bansheebob/32800177+w450+h338+cr0+re1+ar1/1995-pontiac-firebird-this-is-4-of-21-banshee.jpg)
1995 Pontiac Firebird "Banshee Formula" (Notice the front end retained some preproduction concept Firebird styling cues.)
The original concept drawing for the 4th gen Firebird/Trans-Am:
![Image](http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg38/scaled.php?server=38&filename=12low.jpg&res=medium)
And of course the Banshee
![Image](http://www.pontiacpower.net/pictures/banshee.jpg)
Jay's website has been down but here's some pics.
Enjoy! (And SAVE!)
![Image](http://img814.imageshack.us/img814/6853/wsb503x353kr2000red9.jpg)
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![Image](http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg853/scaled.php?server=853&filename=wsb504x385kr2000red5.jpg&res=medium)
![Image](http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/6538/wsb504x367kr2000red6.jpg)
![Image](http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/5605/wsb506x352knightrider40.jpg)
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