Tom and Ann Schmidt, Fiero owners for 35 years, are very well known in the Fiero community. They have been very active in many aspects of this group. Now in their mid-eighties, they
continue to participate in events around the mid-West. Here is their story.

Tom purchased his Fiero on May 15 th 1986 for use as a company car! He is the original owner and used it as such up to 1992 when he started to modify/personalize it for Fiero car shows.
There are aver twenty mods to this car (20!) starting with the Ferrari type exhaust megaphones and raising the rear spoiler nine inches. The signature velocity stacks came next followed
by a NASCAR spoiler, roll bar, front splitter, graphics plus headers, tuned intake port, and other mods. He then decided to name the car, The Rattler after a race car from Texas. It has
over 170,000 miles on the odometer and is driven not trailered all over the Midwest to great success. He is a charter member of the Midwest Fiero Clubs (MWFC), (Treasurer for 23 years),
Wisconsin Fiero Fanatics (WFF), Northern Illinois Fiero Enthusiasts (NIFE), Mid Atlantic Fiero Owners Association (MAFOA), Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA), and many other clubs such as SCCA, VSCDA, SVRA, Hagerty Drivers Club, and former FOCOA.

His awards include: Runner-up National Class Champion in 8 states, (Modified), Best of Show (Modified) in 3 states, plus over 100 trophies and other awards.

He always volunteers to help in such areas as parking, registration, ballot counting, classifying, judging and other venues that need help. He organizes events for his WFF car club
and has done so for over 27 years, such as Fall and Spring cruises. He sponsors class awards for Fiero events in the Midwest such as MAFOA, WFF, and MWFC. He has written articles for Fiero Club magazines for over 20 years and other Sports Car magazines. He was featured in a two part article in Fiero Focus Magazine ( NIFE) featured on a U- Tube interview ( The Winged Horse Garage), a pod cast segment on NIFE, Member of the Year in two clubs ( WFF and NIFE ). The Rattler was inducted into the Hall of Champions, a very special honor. In 2022, he was a runner-up finalist in the prestigious “Best in the Midwest’ competition sponsored by the MWFC. And in 2023, he was a winner of a class award at the 40 th Anniversary show in Pontiac Michigan where over 350 Fieros were competing. His advice to Fiero owners is to support your Fiero club in any way you can with your talents by volunteering your time and promote your Fiero at local car shows. This is their legacy.