Fieros have two advantages compared to most production cars on the road, rwd and mid-engine design. Look at the pinnacle of the racing world, where is the engine in a majority of the cars? It aint in the front.

As far as safety, you hear a lot of people say they aren't safe but don't have any data to back them up. If you do some research on studies done by NHTSA, consumer reports, insurance companies, etc, etc... you'll find that at the time they were being produced they were considered one of the safest cars on the road for their size. In most collision tests they usually finished first or second in their size class.

Major disadvantage with them is their weight. I think most weigh between 2600-2800 lbs. Most of the weight comes from the engine (cast iron), stock wheels, and the 1.5"x8" corrugated steel beam running down the side. Those doors probably weigh around 140 lbs. It isn't too hard to shave about 400-500 lbs off those cars. Definately go with a lighter engine and wheels.

With some suspension mods, Fieros can pull over 1-1.1g on a skid pad and still hook up at the strip. There are very few "street" cars that can run 12s and pull 1g+ on the skidpad without costing a small fortune (either up front cost to purchase or in mods to make them that way). IMO they are one of the best domestic tuner cars from a performance/cost standpoint.