Fiat X1/9

The Fiat X1/9 was never a great car; at best, at its introduction in the mid-1970s, it was a novel styling exercise and a miracle in packaging that yielded a tiny mid-engined sports car with the agile handling to match its excellent weight distribution.

By the standards of 1974, the X1/9 was not a fast car, running only about as quickly as the bog-slow standard family sedan of the time. When the car was discontinued in 1988, wearing a Bertone badge in honor of its designer following Fiat's pull-out from the American market, it was one of the slowest cars on the market, neck and neck with low-grade economy sedans and base-model minivans.

The 1974 edition ran 0-60 in a halfway respectable 11.0 seconds (respectable by the standards of the time, anyway), but by 1976 tightening emissions standards had caused the Fiat to fade to 14.0 seconds--an eternity in virtually any era.

What the X1/9 always had going for it, though, was style. Mid-engined cars are a novelty even today; in the 1970s, they were the stuff of exotica. With its extravagantly wedgy profile, intimate seating arrangements, and trim, tidy proportions, the X1/9 perfectly captured the time and looks sharp and contemporary even today.

Nowadays, you can find ratty old X1/9s behind gas stations, parked in alleys, and in fields--their marvelous designer lines left to slowly (or rapidly, as the case may be) rust away into nothingness.

I'm sorely tempted to nab one and fix it up to have my own boutique mid-engined, two-seat sports car, but Fiat's legendary unreliability, expensive parts, and typically casual 1970s approach to rust-proofing would probably make even a free X1/9 a very expensive proposition.

Someday, perhaps.

The international appeal of the X1/9 is displayed by the fact that these photos are courtesy of www.peterboehi.com, a German-language site that discusses his love of quirky cars and Fiats in particular. This is just more proof that Car Lust transcends national and linguistic barriers.

--Chris H.

Edit: This post was discovered by the fine folks over at X1/9 Automobili North America (XANA), and some of the posters there took issue with my characterization of their beloved car. Their counterpoints can be found here.

Comments

[Dave on July 28, 2009 at 12:00 PM]

I had a 77 X1/9 from 1980 to 1995. I drove it everyday until about 1986. It may not had alot of power but once you got up to speed you didn't have to slow down too often. You could take curves at twice the posted recommended speed without even squealing the tires or leaving your lane. WOW, I've never driven anything that corner like it did or was as much fun to drive.

[Paul on January 31, 2010 at 04:36 PM]

I have a '74. I would agree with the author's statments about speed and power. He is missing perhaps the sensation of speed? 10 mph on a skateboard is a lot more fun then 100 mph in a Caddie! Its like driving a roller skate! I have an Alfa GTV6 that is fun on the highway. The fun there starts at 60 or so. The fun in the Fiat starts when you start it! Also keep in mind the 55 mph speed limit in the 70's. I would also agree with the author about reliability issues. Lots of silly things go wrong with these cars. I would beg to differ on the cost of parts though. I really do not see a significant difference in the parts of these cars verses the parts of domestic cars. I replaced all the rubber parts, steering rack, wheel bearings, and usual wear and tear things on mine for under $400. Almost all comparable parts for my Alfa's are double or maybe even triple....

[JusDav on March 07, 2010 at 03:54 PM]

My X had not run in a while.. darn plastic coolant tank....
I just found a replacement tank for the cooling system. Been searching for a while now. Hate to spend much money on my X.... I have had it for 17yrs now. So, for $45 I got her running again. And since I had such a rough day I went for a midnight run on the interstate. just to blow the cobwebs out of the thing... Ummmmm all these articles keep stating "not a three digit speed", well, maybe not high hundreds, but I was pulled over last night in my 96K orig miles, 1983 Bertone X at 103MPH. well.. it is three digits... lol
I saw the HP, just too late. Stock X's don't stop or slow down well as we all know. I just coasted for a while then pulled over to wait for him.. Not like I was going to out run him... He came up, drivers license, insurance...blah blah blah... well, it is about a $400+ dollar ticket, plus court costs AND mandatory appearance, many points, traffic school, bunch of stuff here in Missouri. But I kept smiling, it is a fun car without that targa top, on a moon light. 45 degree evening with the engine whining and the radio blasting...

He ran my plates, license, no tickets on record.. (gotta love being smarter when you get older)

Mr nice officer told me that he liked my car, you just didn't see them much anymore. Mine is in very good shape, all there, no custom. I have "historical" license plates (over 25yrs old), limited to 2K miles a year... He said, well, what I am going to do for you is to issue you a seat belt violation ticket... $10, no points. You slow down and be safe. I would like to still see this car on the road in 10-20 years.

Thank you Mr. Nice HP man. :0) but back to my point. 100+ has been often attained by me and my X. ok, ok, never 106, but hey.. Three digits is three digits man!!!

It is the only one of my "eX's" I still get along with.......

JusDav

[carl on April 17, 2010 at 01:47 PM]

for those out there i have a x/19 that my dad gave and due to what i do for a living i am not able to keep it i. i am not sure what they are worth i will admit that it need some work been sitting for a while. my email is lamerde35@yahoo.com i see about some pics

[Paul on July 22, 2010 at 10:37 AM]

I had a '79 with the smaller engine. Owned it a total of 23 days. LOVED EVERY DAY OF IT. Got it with some money of mine and my dad for my 17th Birthday. It had issues, but for 800.00 bucks back then (1989) could you expect anything else? Fuel tank had sludge in it (needed to get it boiled out) so id constantly stall, have to pull over, pull the jets out of the carb and squirt carb cleaner through them to get er back on the road. Further, clamp holding the exhaust to the outake of the engine broke, and had to buy one for like 150.00 from an import parts store in Wichita Kansas (where I was living at the time). Anyway besides this, I LOVED this car. And the girls I gave rides home from school loved it too ;). The night before it died, the throw out bearing for the clutch went out and so when i pushed the clutch in it would scream till I let off of the clutch. Then the fateful night... I was awaken by a pounding on the door of my parents house to my neighbor who told me (and i could now see) that my car was on fire! Well that was the end of my Fiat X1/9. it sat while my dad sued the guy who we bought it from who claimed it was perfectly safe and good to go. My dad won, and the guy came 6 months later and took it back from where it had sat in front of the house. I was sad that day, always dreaming about fixing it up. Later in life I read a Car and Driver report that stated the X1/9's were prone to fuel fires due to dried out fuel lines in a overly hot engine compartment. Probably what happened to mine. One day ill own another one.

[Bob reibstein on November 25, 2010 at 03:40 PM]

I have a 1987 Bertone X 1/9 in excellent condition. 5 speed, air NO RUST always garage kept. 22,400 miles. Would anyone who can help me with a proper price I shoul sell it for or who wants to buy it please contact me. I can't drive it anymore. I have a nerve condition called "dropfoot" and I can't use my left legany further. Please call. 610-656-6920. In Philly area. Bob R.

[David on February 04, 2011 at 08:53 PM]

I traded a pocket bike for a nearly rust free '79 x19 Bertone in the winter of 2009. The Transaxle dropped reverse and the 1500 barely ran. My son who was 6 then, immediately claimed it for his own. We drove it up our hill once and coasted back home as it died near the top. We laughed together many times since of that memeory. I just finished an engine transplant and we drove it yesterday. HOLY COW did it haul or butts up the hill. Night and day difference what a German engineered engine can do to a Fiat. I built a 1776 aircooled VW engine with big valved dual port heads, Engle 110 cam and 1.25 rockers. dual 40 hpmx carbs literally dump fuel strait into the cylinders. Engine is not mid mounted anymore but hung flush with the rear of the car. Had to remove the rear bumper and sheet metal between the tailights to accomodate the exhaust. 4 speed VW IRS transaxle sits where the little Fiat water pumper once was. Plenty of power now and yes it does handle very well. My son and I will have lots of fun this summer just driving our country roads.

[mk on March 30, 2011 at 09:09 PM]

To J Hasley, yah that's the way it always is, buying a pre owned car that someone never took care of and beat the crap out of the car before you bought it. They had approx 5 years to do their job on the car and it ended up in your hands. See the car was inexpensive to buy, so who would own the car? Mostly some kid that can't afford payments or maintenance. so every time it exchanges owners the car is always in poorer state.

mk

[Jim Palermo on January 19, 2012 at 12:29 PM]

I have had the privilege of owning 4 X1/9's. The carberated '76 4 speed, an '81, '82, and '83 EFI 5 speed. The '82 was the quickest, but the most austere. The '83 was fully loaded with a full leather interior, power windows, passenger side mirror and A/C.
It was orange over black and I love(d) that car. I have owned vettes, comaros, cobra mustangs, Audi TTS, and none of them can compare to the feeling of the open targa on an open mountain road straining the 7K rev limit of the Lancia SOHC engine. One by one, as life's responsibilities mounted, I sold my X's. Now in an effort to recapture that singular adrenaline rush, I'm retrofitting a Fiero with a turbo charged Quad4. I hope to not be disappointed.