The Fiat X1/9 is a Stunning, Gandini-Styled, Mid-Engined Italian Sports Car
Вставка
- Опубліковано 16 тра 2024
- In the late 1960s, the mid-engine, rear-drive layout became the accepted recipe for racing cars and supercars. But thanks to Marcello Gandini, working at Bertone, 1972 saw the world's first genuine MR affordable sports car - the Fiat X1/9.
With suspension from the Fiat 128 and an overhead-cam engine designed by Aurelio Lampredi, the X1/9 is one of the all-time greats, and fifty years on, it has become one of the coolest Italian cars ever made.
Patreon: / twincam
Would you like your car to be in a video?
If so, contact me via the links below!
Email: twincamcars@gmail.com
Instagram: / twincam_vids
Twitter: / ed_westby
TikTok: / twincam_vids
Facebook: / twincamvids
00:00 Introduction
00:25 A History Lesson
02:37 Autobianchi Runabout
04:21 Styling
07:12 Engine
11:45 Interior
15:43 Platform and Suspension
20:49 Bertone
22:18 Conclusion - Авто та транспорт
I’ve had four of these, absolutely love them, such a shame the Italians couldn’t rust proof a car in the 70’s & 80’s. Quote from Motor Magazine in period “the car is so agile, like a new pair of Nikes. This isn’t driving, it’s liberation on wheels “ ❤️
honking rubbish
So was my Alfa Sud. Haha!
I also loved my 1981 X1/9. If you turned the radio off, you could hear it rusting.
They were designed with an annual built in power to weight ratio increase.
Car & Driver's review compared the X1/9 to an orgasmtron.
I purchased the first Fiat X1/9 sold in Canada. I saw it at the Montréal Auto-Show. I remember asking the salesman how much it cost and him saying “I don’t know, it’s not for sale. We are simply showing it at the various auto-shows across Canada to attract people to the Fiat area of the shows”. I, then, insisted by saying “I’m interested in buying the car, so give me a price”. The salesman then called his boss at the dealership he worked. His boss made up a price, thinking it would satisfy me and I would leave. However, I told him to write up the invoice, “I’m buying the car”. He replied with “I have good news and bad news”. The good news was he would write up the invoice. The bad news was that I couldn’t get the car until it had finished showing at all the auto-shows across Canada. About a month afterwards I got the call that the car had arrived at my local Fia dealership. When I arrived at the dealership he, again, said “I have good news and bad news”. The good news was that I could pickup the car the following morning. The bad news was that they had made a mistake in guessing at the price and that the price was more then what was given me. I responded by saying that I had two things in my favor. One a signed contract in the amount originally quoted and two, I also have a good lawyer. I picked up the car the next morning at the original quoted price. Heads turned when I drove by with some actually stopping me to ask about this great, cool looking car they had never seen.
My father gifted me a 1975 x 1/9 I think in 1977. Black exterior dark red interior the best driving car ever includes long road trips. Thank you for the video brings back many memories and emotions.
Had two of these. Apart from being gutless, they are brilliant cars. In the end, rust sent them to the garage in the sky.
I had one that rusted away. They are gutless, and its a great shame that Fiat seemed to have lost interest in them. In the club a handful of people had replaced the engines with Fiat and Lancia twin cams. They were wonderful (although they needed much better brakes) and showed that there could have been a third generation X1/9 with one of those engines that could have gone head to head with the Toyota MR2.
Yeh but lets face it other makes of the time were just as bad
In the 1970s a friend of mine's father had a used car business and had an X19. I got a chance to drive it and it was an epiphany to me. Granted not very powerful but the light weight and crisp handling left me with memories I will never forget.
Everything is 'gutless' compared to something else. So we just enjoy them for what they are.
Friend had one. Gutless is an apt description. My Alfasud won the rust race. Barely ;-) Today a well developed x19 can be a very competitive hill climb car. So many great 70s project cars...we definitely need to revisit the Gandini style. The man designed some of the most beautiful and dramatic cars.
I watched this video in two sessions. In the first I watched the first 18 minutes. Now as I type this comment at I'm watching the remaining part. In the few days between the two I got a Bertone version and so wasn't even planning to get one. Young Sir this is how good you are at what you do on UA-cam. The simplicity in which your videos are made put you right at the very top of all in this genre of content all over the internet. ReminDr me of the first couple of seasons of Wheeler Dealers, when it was still so simple , no frills program and yet the best reasons ever of the entire series.
My first sports car, aged 18 in 1982. Wham!, bam, thank you ma’am … I loved it. Insurance cost me approx 40% cost of car 🙄. For sure, mine at MY1977 was getting rusty already, but I got it all fixed and resprayed. Usual Italian electrics 🥺 but wow was I a happy bunny. The original 3 spoke alloys worked very well.
Started my petrol head journey into Matra Bagheera and then Lancia Montecarlo ( which was initially supposed be a big brother to the X1/9) …. No wonder my fingernails were permanently dirty 🤔. Now have McLaren, Ferrari and Lotus but would willing get back into one of these and feel just as happy. 😝
Wow! A test drive. This channel has grown.
Great video! I've owned two X1/9s in the past, a 77 and a 79. IMO one of the best looking cars in history.
Me too. A black 1977 and a dark brown 1979 brand new.
it still looks gorgeous in 2022. These light cars with smaller engines are so much fun. You can really push them - unlike a modern Porsche where you hit 60 in 2nd or 3rd gear and never get to push them outside of a track or an autobahn. I also liked the MX5 and Fiat made a car like this more recently - the Fiat Coupe - which was also a looker. Great video.
Exactly. You don’t need eleventy-bajillion horsepower to have huge amounts of fun behind the wheel, you know!
As James May once said in his Fiat Panda review in Series 18 of Top Gear, “it’s not actually about how much power you have, it’s about how much power you can use.”
…and cue all the young, immature Ferrari/Lamborghini fanboys - who likely aren’t even of legal driving age - who will probably disagree.
At last, you're driving the car being reviewed Ed.... 😀
A friend had a Fiat X1-9 in 1972. It overheated one day, so we opened the engine lid behind the rear window, and we took snow from the ground and packed it on top of the radiator. It cooled enough eventually so we could get home. It was a nice early spring day but there was still some snow on the ground. Chester County, outside Philadelphia, beautiful country to sit by the side of the road.
I bought my used '78 X 1/9 for my 17th birthday, and still have it. It's been sitting for a bit so time for a full restoration next year! Can't wait to drive it again :)
I have always been a great fan of the X/1.9. One of our local Auckland radio stations was giving a brand new one away back in 1979 and I had a beautiful 1/18th die-cast model of the vehicle, so even though I didn't win the giveaway, I still owned an X/1.9 (hey, I was 10 - gimme a break!). I always wanted to own one, but Dad was ever the practical man and one never appeared on our driveway.
I bought myself a 1979 Alfa Sprint Veloce 1.5 back in 1989 and was well proud of that. She went like the clappers and handled lovely. In fact the only thing that was faster was the speed of the tin worms as they ate away at the Alfa....but that's a different story. Then a good mate of mine bought a 1978 X/1.9 - same colour and trim as the one you were driving, except the dash dials were not obscured and it had oil pressure and temp (with warning lights) gauges on the left, then speedo, then fuel then the tach on the right and a vertical line of warning lights to the right of the tach. Choke was beside the handbrake with the pop-up light switch (for use when wanting to wash them, I think) and the driving light switch right in front of the brake on the console.
This little blue car had the Chromodora 3-spoke alloy wheels and had been imported to NZ from the UK in 1980. Yes, she too had the worms, but again, that's not part of this story. Steve was 6'1" and was happiest when he could drive the beast without the roof, but was still comfortable inside it with the roof on. The little 1300 4-speed could happily keep up with the Alfa's 1500 5-speed and dammit, it seemed to be on rails when we went through corners! I asked him for a drive in it and I could not believe how well it stuck to the road.
He put a set of 185/60/13 Yokohama A008s on it and that thing only ever came unstuck once. He was heading into a roundabout in which the road dropped away as you entered the thing and so you were all cross-cambered halfway round. As he turned hard right to go around it, the dry road suddenly had water running across it from the centre island and with him being already under power to accelerate away, the X/1.9 just swapped ends. I have never figured out how it went round so fast and within such a little space, but it did! Otherwise, this thing was unstoppable. In NZ, we have kilometres per hour as our speed standard, but he reckoned if the sign for a corner said 60, you could take it in the X/1.9 with her speedo reading 60 and have no issues.....even though the speedo in the X/1.9 was in mph!
Whereas I had a car that could take 3 passengers, the X/1.9 only had one spare seat. Steve liked that as nothing got between him and the pure driving pleasure that the wee beasty gave him. The day I got stuck ferrying a car-full of people while he just stuck his guitar in the passenger's seat so nobody got in with him, I saw his point! The X/1.9 was always best when you were in it on your own anyway.
He was working on my Alfa one afternoon and I had to head into work and planned do my shopping on the way back. He told me to take the Fiat and assured me it would be fine. I adored that time alone in the car, but never thrashed it. The main power band appeared to be between 2750 and 5500rpm (quickest between 3000 and 5000) and the gearing as such that when you changed at 5000, you still dropped back within the engine's power band for the next gear. I know Steve had the wee Fiat doing over 110mph too and if anything pulled up beside him at 60, he could just feed her the pedal and she'd jump to 80 or 90 very quickly, I went to work, just letting the little car cruise along and then made a number of people at the supermarket stand looking incredulous as I loaded the bags of shopping into what they perceived as the engine bay up front! She could easy hold a week's groceries for two people and I reckon she would have done so for four had I needed to.....unlike my Stag a couple of decades later. He and I went away on fishing trips n the wee beast and there was plenty of room for our necessaries along with the fishing gear (with the rods themselves tied to the roof with bungee cords!)
The Fiat got a transplant when the 1300 dropped a couple of cylinders after ingesting a pile of dust on a loose metal road through a hitherto unknown broken air filter housing. - she got the engine and box out of a low milage wrecked 1500/5-speed. Apart from the effective overdrive gear and a wee bit more punch, the car didn't seem to change much. Certainly her stance nor her handling were affected by the additional weight and she was a little more economical.
Finally, after 8 years of not being garaged, we addressed the rot that had crept in everywhere on the car (my Alfa had been sold after only 12 months of ownership because it kept getting lighter every time I drove it and the wind inside the car with the windows up and the vents shut was still quite notable). Finding that most of what we thought was metal was actually a thick layer of filler with a lattice work of rusty metal strands, was a bit of a let-down, but we progressed, replacing panels with second hand ones and patching what we could not replace or which was small enough to not need major surgery. She got a respray of her original metallic blue colour and I hand-painted the decals on the front, rear and sides as they were not available locally (and this was before you could go online and order them from overseas - it required a phone call or a letter to do that back then). She looked a million dollars again and he drove it for another two years before selling the wee beast on to another enthusiast. I've just checked and it appears her registration is on hold (our equivalent of your SORN I believe), so maybe she's being refreshed again.
Lovely trip down memory lane, Ed. Thankyou for your time an effort bringing us this little car to see - that engine noise makes me miss that Fiat a whole lot more than I thought it would. I might have to track down another one - for ME this time!
This was the car I learned to drive in. Mom had a red 1979 X1/9 and, when it wasn’t in the shop (often) being serviced by Fiat, it was the car that I used to get about in starting in 1982. It got to the point that she ended up buying another car because I used it so much. I was always enamored with its gauges, especially its unique reverse tach that started at 0 on the right and curved left to redline. I’m surprised to see that the rear boot and engine compartment release wasn’t moved over for the RHD market, that must’ve been inconvenient-but I suppose that re-engineering would’ve been cost prohibitive. The X1/9 was my first love, and like all first loves I was heartbroken when the Midwestern US’s arch-nemesis, salt and rust, finally took its toll upon her. I swapped her out for a 1987 Pontiac Fiero GT-another mid-engined two-seater, and though I liked it very much and it had considerably more horsepower with a V6 and many more creature comforts, it just didn’t have the same road feel as my mid-engined Italian sports car. When I moved to Italy in ‘89 I tried to find another X1/9 but they were impossible to find locally. Thanks for the great video and for all the fun memories it brought back to me. Well done!
I had a 1977 Fiat x1/9 when I was in high school in Burbank, CA. I inherited it from my brother who was a Fiat mechanic. It was a great handling little car and the trunk room in front was particularly impressive. The front trunk could hold a nice chest and a beach chair.... A couple of gym bags could fit in the rear trunk, too.
My car was the same color as the one in the video. It was a four-speed manual transmission but I seem to remember it being a 1.5 L engine. My brother had installed twin Bayless carburetors to give the car a little extra kick.
The handling was remarkable and I would drive it just for pleasure, sometimes down Canaan road to the beach at Malibu and sometimes up at Mullholland Drive above the Hollywood Bowl.
Unfortunately, the car was prone to blowing head gaskets, and I went through three of them while I owned it. Of course that's a major problem but that's really the only problem that I ever had with it.... Surprisingly the electronics worked fine and I never had any suspension troubles or starting issues. In 2012 I bought a new FIAT 500c..... I guess once you catch the Italian car bug it never quite goes out of your system.
Due to my own advanced age and that of my laptop, this video just popped up and I have no idea how it fits into your reviewing chronology. Yet it as every mark of excellence about which I have for years bruited your brilliance, not just your automotive knowledge and erudition, but the true uniqueness of your superb presentational style - your out and out smiling enthusiasm and utter enjoyment of cars. This is not cringing sycophancy but utterly genuine admiration for your outstanding, youthful career which will surely be snapped up by national head hunters. Yet selfishly I would be sad as having been an architect of corporate culture in other areas, it can be the death of originality that you exude by the vast bucket full. But repeated thanks for your hugely entertaining reviews, and I look forward to my car adrenalin fix on Sunday as usual!
Rob
RIP Mr Gandini. Thank you for creating some amazing machines.
The first car magazine I ever bought, was Road&Track April 1973. The X1/9 was on the cover. I was in elementary school, and I still have that issue.
It's the year 1982. I had just turned 19 and sold my Honda 550 F2 motorbike because I thought I wouldn't need it anymore after the army was calling me. I spotted the X1/9 on a Saturday while strolling through a used car market at the local drive-in cinema and was immediately hooked. My dad said don't do it, which of course drove me even crazier. I bought the car, and I really enjoyed it. So cool, but then, bubbles under the paint came to light, a ratty putty body with a sales paint finish. Within two years I sunk all my money into welding, brakes, engine and what not repairs, went through a two weeks DIY tunnel, grinded and de-rusted, filled, sanded and repainted it myself in Cherry Red with a roller, which let me grow the biggest hammorhoids the doc had ever seen and finally got me a surgery vacation. In the rear I mounted a perfectly fitting Volvo chrome bumper with a rubber lip I found at a scrap yard. To me it was a beauty again. In the end I got 600 deutsch marks back when I sold it. Did I do something wrong?
Ed drives a car he's reviewing! More please.
One of the single greatest cars ever made. I've owned a 74, 77, 79, 80 FIAT and an 85 "Bertone". Not in that order, some bought new others used. I miss them all and one day I will get another. Top tip, always carry a phone and a good fire extinguisher, especially when driving across the deserts of California.
Drove a 128 for years and still regret not buying a mint one owner x1/9 in late 80s. Great review of a favourite car
My elder brother had a 1300c.f. Lidl special
Edition in black with cream vinyl seats and then swopped it for the 1500c.c. 5 speed, they were brilliant in their day , handled great and such fun .
I got my yellow one in 1976 and it was my favorite car ever. Here in the Cascade mountains in Southern Oregon in the US driving on a narrow 2 lane winding road with a 3000 foot drop off is what sport driving is meant to be.
I have an X19 that I fitted with a Honda b16a 1600 160 hp engine.
The performance is amazing. The fun incredible.
I also have a modern more powerful sports car, but the X19 is so much more fun.
The astonishment of people when I take them for a spin is great to watch.
More fun than you can imagine. I have been offered car swaps and name your price but I could not part with so much fun.
Just a gorgeous work of art and you've captured it really well. Great video.
What an awesome and iconic car. And another great video. Brilliant to finally see you have the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a car during these reviews. hope it continues.
The quality of your productions keeps getting better and better.
Thanks mate, means a lot :)
Hello Ed, You're driving!
We built one of these for Rallycross! On the basis that if you do the same as everybody else then you won't ever be better than them...
We started with a tatty car but the chassis was very good, it was a 1500 5-speed.
Our class permitted max 1600cc normally aspirated 2 valve engines. The original engine could have been modified for considerately more power but would still not have been competitive.
I was a fan of the Fiat/Lancia twin cam as it has hemispherical combustion chambers, big valves and can be tuned to 180/190 hp in 1600 form.
Our engine and gearbox from a Beta was built for us by Swiftune near Ashford, race cams, bigger valves, dry sump oiling etc, a full race engine. The gearbox was Punto turbo with a competition straight cut gear set from Italy along with LSD. The gearbox cost more than the rest of the car, this was usual in Rallycross at that time.
There were two problems though - the Beta engine is wider and canted over by about 45 degrees and the engine to gearbox bolt patterns are different. We overcame those two issues by developing an adaptor plate between the two. The Beta flywheel was too big for the Punto bellhousing so we removed the ring gear and turned it down to fit the X1/9 ring gear thus enabling the bigger Beta clutch and the original X1/9 starter motor bolted to the Punto gearbox. It was all topped off by a pair of 45DCOE Webers.
We took the engine to an engine dyno man and he set it up for us, jets, timing etc.
One interesting fact he demonstrated to us was that running temperature has a big influence on race engine power output - the cooler the engine the more power it produces. He was able to control water temperature on his dyno rig and showed us a hot running engine produces markedly less power than a cool running engine, the effect was significant and we paid a lot of attention to good oil and water cooling when building the car.
We had Koni adjustable dampers with adjustable spring pans and 2.25" springs of various gauges and lengths.
Bonnet and boot lids were glass fibre.
The car was really fast off the line but we were still working on the handling after two Rallycross events when a helpful person torched our garage one night and everything went up in flames, the car was destroyed. That was the end of that.
Another excellent video in both style and content. Hoping you do many more.
Love your videos, great to see you actually get to drive one of your review cars! :)
Great review, Ed! Loved seeing you driving it , with the commentary, and the engine note. Good audio, not so easy without roof. And now, I want an X1/9
Really enjoyed that, lovely seeing the channel grow
Thanks for that, really enjoyed your review of such a joyous little car. Nice to see you got to drive it too! I remember an earlier episode where you mentioned the difficulties of insurance.
The prettiest car ever, and your passion comes across loud and clear in another great vid! Thanks Ed.
In the early to mid '80s i had a '79 US-spec 1500 carburated 5-speed, 67hp. Best handling car I ever had. Fastest turn in. Very solid feel. Your speculations about long distance travel are correct. I took several trips of around 350mi one-way two up in comfort. Cruised easily, if buzzily, at 80+ mph, iirc it was already 4000rpm at 60mph. Surprisingly practical with the double trunks. I always appreciate X1/9 related content.
Maybe look at my build thread at RMS Motoring Forum / The Ultimate X, contains lots of info and links to videos.
I have a barn find 87 Bertone version, no rust, less than 60k miles. Can't tell you how much I love the driving experience of my little x 1/9. Thinking about k24 swap, but something about keeping it as is. If you ever get a chance, and you love the driving experience, the handling thru curves can't help but put a smile on your face! Thank you for the spirited video, can't wait til spring when I can awaken it from my garage for it's 36th year!
Always loved the Fiat X1/9, super tiny, cute and Bertone styled. And great video coverage. Keep up the good work!
In my early 20s I had a 1979 silver X 1/9. At the time you could find parts to modify the engine, exhaust and suspension. I was always tinkering with it. I loved and miss that car to this day. It drove beautifully. Not sure how I ever drove something that low and small. Bravo!
Great job. Nicely produced, conversational, informative. I will watch your other videos.
I have always loved this car ever since my yoof! Beautifully proportioned. Added at end of video - what an excellent video, great to see you driving as well as reviewing this awesome little rocket.
Nice to see a driving video. You are so passionate of old marques and being so interesting with old tech. You actually hold me more than Jayemm with your presentation and quality of filming. Plus you review cars from my era that I grew up with. Fantastic video.
I enjoyed your review! Lovely car that brought back sooo many great memories from back in the day...
Thank you for this chance to wander down memory lane. I had a 1978 metallic blue one as shown in the video, and then later I had a Gold 1982 1.5 5 speed. The earlier one was by far my favorite. Very fond memories of the car and the era. Well done and I’m so pleased you had the chance to actually drive this car too. Well done
hell yeah your having so much fun wicked ! perfect car perfect day when u filmed this !
A milestone report, this is a really professional video with you behind the wheel of a "test car" and a well researched and delivered story.
X1/9 was a super little sports car ahead of its time as you rightly say, but it was "something for the weekend, Sir" as the barber used to say. The tin worm is why not many survive.
Complimenti!! I really loved the passion you put in your excellent description of this awesome Italian sports car. Well done👏👏😎
Great Review 👍 As always Ed, so nice to see you driving it as well and having fun. There used to be one of these round the corner from my parents old house when I was growing up.
79 and up had a great undercoating. I had a79 and 81 and still have the 81 and run it every summer. It has Koni shocks, new great upholstery, fuel injected, 5 speed, electronic ignition. My 1999 MIata is much more refined but I always prefer to drive my X 1/9. As one car review wrote " driving it is orgasmic "
I have never driven an X1/9 (or even sat in one), but this car was so distinctive in my childhood. Great video, Ed! Your passion and production of the vid were terrific. I was grinning the whole way through it. Cheers.
The X1-9 looks like bags of fun to drive. You don't need loads of power to enjoy the experience. Excellent video production style, well done!
I remember first seeing the X19 in magazines when I was 13 in '73, yes i'm that old. I was instantly in love. By the time I could afford one, they were all very rusty and broken. I did get to play with a Fiat 128 though. That was a brilliant little car. The engine was amazing.
And you got to drive it. lucky you.
Is nobody gonna talk about how incredible the engine sounds? It's music to the ears, 9:37 - 9:55 is just perfect, this is my favourite engine sound ever. Sounds better than any Ferrari or Lamborghini or any other sports car if you ask me 🤷♂️ It's loud, but not too loud, it's so delicate and beautiful sounding, it really matches the car. What a brilliant engine, like the guy said.
Agreed!
I had a 1977 and a brand new 1979. We went to the drive in and I had a Keg and ice in the front trunk. The front of the car frosted up. This is just one of a million X1/9 stories I have
I had the exact same car, metallic light blue with funky stripped seats, back in the 70's in Switzerland where I lived at the time. It was the most fun car to drive I've ever owned and the best looking car as well. It could corner like on rails around the mountain roads and rev like my Z900RS. Wish I still owned it! Great video of a real gem of a little sports car from Fiat Bertoni. Thanks.
Thanks David!
I had two different 128 3P's with this engine. Absolute riot to drive!! The first one was 10 years old when i bought it and already needed its doors replace for the second time due to rot.
Great detailed video!
Great review. Takes me back to when I had a 1977 Blue 1300cc X19. Enjoyed it
I had one of these in the early 80s as a second car, loved it. I now have a Mazda MX5 NC which I bought last year to enjoy with the roof down. Great video as always, keep it up.
That blue is, hands down, the best color for the X1/9. That's the color I saw when I fell in love with them and it's never been surpassed. That thing is just absolutely gorgeous.
Isn’t it just!
Best X1/9 report ever.
Good work, your enjoyment shines through.
Sounds like you need to buy one.
Incredible! 😁
Just enjoyed watching this review and the seats were indeed comfortable enough for a long journey I drove one to Rome and back in the early '80s for a holiday, great fun.
I had 3 of these. The original 1300cc (my first) was my favourite. Loved it.
Why did you like the 1300 over the 1500?
@@BEasay Not sure. Lack of US bumpers. Seemed very simple/pure. `i was so young then...seemed very exotic. Revved lovely. Simple/minimalist sums it up.
Ah man, I loved these back in the 70's and 80's, wish I had bought one when they were in my budget.
On a side note, really enjoying the progress in your presenting skills, the structure of your videos, and the choice of presentation, is really getting to a level where I am surprised if you are not noticed by some big television bods.
Exactly what I was thinking. Great to see Ed driving the car too.
Could be better for him to stay well away from TV progs. All the Top Gear presenters ended up turning my guts over with their infantile remarks and ridiculous pranks.
@@hugebartlett1884 Aye, aye. Second that !!
Hmm...needs to rein in the machine-gun utterances of 'incredible' and 'incredibly'. At one point they came faster than the X1-9's crankshaft revolutions...
Great to see you driving a guest review car, though I was waiting for "and I've just bought this car myself" as the closing line. A friend had a 1500 example, SVN9X and we had a Strada S85 with the same engine and gearbox. Both kept jumping out of 3rd gear! Your review has earned you a new subscriber 😁
My Dad bought a blue X-19 in 1982 (1500 Bertone 5spd)
He let me drive it around.It felt solid and comfortable in the leather seats as a 23 y.old.
I loved the roofless driving especially at night. It handled tight roads probably better than any other car.
If you pushed it to its high limit it could suddenly oversteer.
There was still acceleration above 160kmh (100mph)
As he was a slightly porky 55yo he sold it after a year. He is still around at 96yo this year.
The dealer said only 2 were sold in NZ in 1982 due to the high price 28k nzd (=approx 70k usd2022dollars)
Back in 1986 I needed a replacement for my Lancia Beta Coupe which suffered an unfortunate demise. The local Fiat Dealer had a Gran Finale in the showroom in metallic red. I thought it was a little over my budget but they were willing to deal and it was mine.
36 years later it is still in my garage.
The issue with the gears is partly due to the linkage connecting the rod into the box. It incorporates two round plates separated by a rubber disc to cushion vibration but over time the rubber degrades leading to excessive slop in the movement leading to difficulty engaging gears.
It is quick and cheap to replace however.
Brilliant. I always loved these - especially the Mk1. Thanks so much.
You have now done something today, which I tried years ago to aquire. A Fiat X1/9, sat in one but never able to own one. A great car for its time. Just a shame its not around today with a modern engine and a rust free body. Well done Ed
love those seats! Also ed you really need to get into becoming a motoring journalist doing reviews as a living, your personality shines thru and how you put the story across is amazing, and it's great to see you driving a review car! it makes your videos even better as it gives it a more personal view of a particular car. How did you get to drive this one? thought the insurance was an issue for you?
Only the Italians could get away with a brown dash, with blue door cards/centre console with violet and rainbow seats...like a crash into a paint factory :)
Great car, top video, Ed! 😍🇮🇹👍🏻
I had a 'Kermit Green' '74 swapped to a 1500 with Weber DCNs and a header. Fun car. Gearbox was similarly unwilling, but chassis, brakes and suspension all did well enough. It wasn't fast, but it could be pretty much fully wrung out anywhere. Scooting it through a cloverleaf on the throttle was giggle worthy.
I always liked that there was a legitimate, accessible mid-engined Gandini wedge on the mainstream market, and that it was actually a pretty decently usable car on it's own account.
Ed, I am so proud of how your channel has grown. I'm happy I started following you when you were just a YT tadpole 😁
They are just cool I love them, never had the chance too drive one so jealous, but saying that glad you got behind the wheel of one and good to see you driving these cars again.👍
Well done my friend! My first car was a 1.5L version, and no car has compared since. When my children are done with college, I will have one again. Thank you for this video!
Unusually for a young man the early 80's, I wasn't much interested in cars. But I remember the moment I saw an X1-9 I was in love. Metallic dark green with mustard seats on prominent display at a car yard and I kept going to look at it every few days wishing I could afford it. Absolutely perfect shape! Modern small cars are too 'cube' shaped for body rigidity I assume.
A friend had one in the late 70s that he let me borrow.It was fun to drive,but if you wanted to drive it hard,you HAD to keep the RPMs up near the top of the band,or it couldn't get out of its own way.Maybe I was just used to the immediate response of American Iron,but if you kept it revved up,it was an extremely fun car to drive,and cornered like it was on rails.My friend worked at a Fiat dealer,and he and his coworkers had a lot of fun tweaking it.
Did I miss something? You seem to be actually razzing around in the car you've just reviewed. I like it! Excellent!
Someone in our street had one of these in the late 70’s early 80’s. A wee stunner.
I had a 1969 Fiat 124 Spider as my first car, and loved it. Always wanted an X1/9 because they looked so cool, and still would like to have one. Thanks for your great video!
Stunning little car... Such a pleasure to see you out driving and obviously enjoying the many talents of the X1/9, Sadly one of the cars that "so far" i have not owned...
They still look great. A friend of mine in high school had one & I rode in it once. 1975. The flattest cornering car I ever rode in. He threw it into corners & it stuck like glue. When it did break loose he controlled the drift & kept going. Most fun I ever had in a car. I wanted one but they quit making them. I wonder how hard it would be to make a car this light & agile today & pass safety & emissions regs.
Nice one Ed, very well done. As a kid I remember preferring the X19 over the TR7 when it was released and was a cause of a few sibling arguments with my slightly older brother. If I recall correctly from all those years ago the TR7 was almost a Dolomite in a different frock but the X19 really was perceived as something different. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing.
Super review, thank you. My drummer has an X1/9, owned from new and only just having its second clutch. He loves it. I can now see why...
I wish the TR7 has used such beautiful designs (considering the similar concerns about the possible soft top ban in the USA).
Bellissimo!!! Thank you so much for this one. I sat in an early one in a fiat showroom as a teen hoping to own one but never did. Blown away by its style. Shame there aren’t more survivors, especially the early ones which are cleaner and purer in there execution. Loved this one 👍🏻👍🏻
In the early'80's my 3rd car was an identical X1/9 (my first non-knackered wreck) - even the same colour - mine was a '78. That was a lovely blast down memory lane. Later I had a red and black Bertone 1500 5 speed. I don't know whether it was because the blue one was my first decent car or because I had mechanical troubles with the later 1500 but I miss my blue 1300 the most. The 1500 certainly revved too... but my cam belt let go near the red line in the alps on holiday.
One of my favorite designs! I had a '79, which shared almost no parts with the previous series. I re-jet the carburetor, lowered the front end, and it was a hoot to drive. My co-workers said it sounded like a motorcycle revving through the gears. I once bought a small outboard motor , and it fit in the rear trunk. The Targa top was brilliant. In college, several of us dreamed of getting and modifying one for performance and aesthetics. Mine got too rusty to continue with and I bought an Alfa. There is a brand new untitled one down the street from me at a former dealer.
I love the transparent cover on the air filter! 😍
I built that after buying a carb trumpet from eBay and realising it wouldn't fit under the normal cover. I think you're the only person who noticed it 👍
I'll never forget one Christmas Day in the mid-80s - just when I was nurturing my love of cars - when the lady neighbour across the road from me with the well used, rusty gold coloured X-19 received a brand new one as a prezzy from her husband. All black, red bow around the roof and a gift tag on the aerial. Fab looking (and sounding) little car!
absolutely a car to fall in love on 1st look, i like all the small italian cars and i like to own this X1/9 in future
Excellent video, with your usual flawless presentation. Nice to see you enjoying yourself at the wheel of a car you really like.
The intro linking the X1/9 to the Miura & the Stratos is quite interesting. However, I see the X1/9's place in FIAT history as the replacement of the 850 Spider, the very successful sporty version of the rear-engined 1960's 850 Sedan. Like the X1/9, the 850 Spider lives on as a fun-to-drive inexpensive collectible car. There was also an 850 Coupe which was replaced by the totally forgotten 128 3P Coupe, by the way.
Wonderful, researched segment. Such a minimalist car might never come around again.
Ed, thus was so addictive and for me marks you transformation to a real car tester/reviewer: it was brilliantly written, filmed, presented and edited - plus with such obvious enthusiasm for the fun Fiat. Years ago I looked at one but sadly many of then were subjected to the dreaded metal worm, so I declined and eventually got an MX5. I am not being patronising of revers ageist, but this rad test really does mean you have come of motoring age! I truly hope that you both continue to use your well-earned degree and motoring stellar career . Your potential is huge 'co you so personable! And that's from a former reviewer, competitor and petrolhead who at near 76 has reached the end of all such thrills! I fear for various reasons I am not on social media and only come across your reviews on You Tube - but the anxiety of waiting merely heightens the pleasure! Robert
What a marvellously well prepared and presented review. On behalf of X1/9 owners everywhere, thank you. I've owned my 1500 since 1989 and my 3rd and 4th gear synchro is also rubbish.
I owned a 1974 X1/9 in chocolate brown in the USA. The US models had different bumpers and wheels, and lacked those side stripes. It was a superb car when it ran well. It did not like rain (water got through the engine cover) or excessively hot or cold weather. The vinyl interiors were poor quality, very prone to the stitching coming apart. The Fiat dealers (who were never exclusively Fiat) were incompetent, not really familiar with the car. I got mine worked on at a Lancia/Maserati Italian specialist, which was quite expensive. The last straw was when the clutch went out and the repair required engine removal. I gave up after that and sold it. They are great cars if you can afford the repairs. The one you are showing us is in remarkably good condition. Finding one in that condition would be a hard task.
thank you, Ed for reviewing my favorite and in my humble opinion the best Fiat ever built. The X1-9 is a suburb design with just about everything taken into consideration. aerodynamics as well as curb appeal, while keeping weight and handling into consideration. the X1-9 looks good in just about any color, too.
Ed, brilliant, superb, fantastic and any other word I can think of! 50 years, damn I’m old, I still think of the 1970’s as “only a few years ago”. I had the 128 4 door saloon in the late 1970’s so can attest to the engine and handling. The X19, was beautiful, but a tad small for me and too expensive at the time. Great to see you out driving and enjoying the car you are testing. ❤
its a lovely car. There is so much of the Lancia Stratos DNA in it or so it seems!❤ Perhaps as you said, it has left its imprint on the Stratos…And Ed you are truly excelling yourself with each new video. You are indeed a first class presenter. And its great that there is such a thing as You Tube Premium for people like us to get to see these wonderful presentations and learn so much more! Thanks!
For Gandini, this was a better rally car than the Stratos. In the Stratos he used the Ferrari V6 because he was requested to by Cesare Fiorio, but he considered it too heavy and top heavy for a rally car. The FIAT twincam was better.
Infact the Fiat X1/9 Abarth was the car that should have replaced the Stratos on the World Rally Championship. In tests, the pilots valued it favourably, especially for the more predictable behaviour, the car had already been homologated to race in WRC but, at the last moment, FIAT decided to use the 131 Abarth instead.