The Backstory

Matt McGowan first entered the lives of the Gilbert family in the summer of 1999. He was a new high school graduate and had also just purchased his second Fiero, a medium red metallic 1987 GT. At the time, Matt worked at Advance Auto Parts and Monroe Muffler, while also attending Universal Technical Institute’s automotive tech program. Matt had previously owned a silver coupe that met an untimely end as he attempted to test its limits around a sharp turn; however, slightly wiser and a little more mature, he purchased his 1987 GT.

Soon, Matt became a frequent face at the Gilbert garage - pitching in to help Jim on whatever projects were occurring from Fiero builds to tractor repairs. Matt also became a semi-permanent member of the Gilbert household, often leaving only to grab a shower and change of clothes or to go to work. The upstairs rec room became his room and he was there more nights than not for a period of time.

Lacking a son of his own, Jim soon began to consider Matt a member of the family. The two developed a father-son dimension that included all components, including the occasional exchange of words but also many good times. Throughout it all, Matt continued to aid not only Jim but other members of the Fiero community with repairs, inspections and general enjoyment of the hobby. Not often in the foreground, he was still an ever present face at events traveling up and down the East Coast to many Fiero events as a member of the Gilbert caravan.

Although for a period of time, as the “kids” aged, Matt drifted apart, the separation didn’t last long and as a newly married father, Matt’s presence at the Gilbert household once again became constant and remained so through and beyond Jim’s death in 2020. Matt was there for the good, the bad and the ugly of Jim’s battle with cancer and continues to support Cyndi and the girls to this day despite suffering from his very own battle with significant back injuries.

In 2017, while a manager of a local tire retailer, Matt was injured in a freak accident assisting with a customer’s vehicle. Since then, he has undergone numerous surgeries in an attempt to remedy back pain that not only causes significant pain but also prevents him from obtaining much needed sleep. Desperate to avoid significant pain killers, Matt has bravely fought through this and continues to seek physical therapy and will soon be undergoing a new type of surgery to hopefully get him headed in the right direction once and for all.

Throughout his pain, Matt has still helped others - assisting in answering questions in the online Fiero world, helping local Fiero owners and providing a key diagnostic role in the First Annual Jim Gilbert Memorial Build. Despite his limitations, the completion of Colin’s car would not have occurred without Matt’s help as he was our eyes on the ground before, during and after the build weekend.

Matt has always dreamed of having a 3800SC Fiero yet life, family and his injuries have prevented him from putting his extensive knowledge to use to make that happen. The Jim Gilbert Memorial Build team can think of no better recipient of our Second Annual Build than Matt - and a 3800SC engine has already been donated by a generous donor to make Matt’s dream come true. His Fiero has not run in several years and also needs significant work to make it driveable with Matt’s back.