Although its output never crested the 110-hp mark in civilian trim, the four-cylinder Poncho didn’t escape the scrutiny of the aftermarket hot-rod community. Some builders hit the Pontiac parts counter and emerged with the hardware to piece together either a 232-hp 2.7-liter or a 330-hp 3.2-liter SD4 version to mimic the engine used in the Fiero that paced the 1984 Indy 500 (the actual pace car, not the tape-and-stripe-job retail models). Some of those builder specials are still in use today by ARCA teams. By the time the Duke was relieved of power in 1993, it had served in five of GM’s six primary lines—only Cadillac remained unstained. Outside of GM, it also served in the Jeep CJ, AMC’s Concord and Spirit, and Grumman’s once-ubiquitous LLV postal vehicle.
[“source -livemint”]