24 Hours of LeMons Recap--the Fiat X1/9 Perspective
I have a checkered past with the Fiat X1/9--as checkered, in fact, as is possible with a relationship that is limited to lusting and blogging. You see, I wrote a post about the X1/9 back in 2007 in which I detailed both the high points of the car (its gorgeous designer looks and nimble handling) and the low points (slow straight-line performance and dubious durability reputation).
In July of last year, the fine folks at Xweb, an online X1/9 community, stumbled across that post. They quickly registered the criticisms I made of their beloved Italian wedge and expressed a range of emotions ranging between bemusement and righteous indignation. I was startled by the response and headed over to Xweb to try to clear things up. My explanatory post was fairly well-received by most Xwebians, with one exception--Bernice, who described herself as "the lioness that ends up biting you on what you wrote about the X1/9." Bernice, quite simply, brought the pain.
Well, as it turns out, Bernice and some other X1/9 fanatics entered a X1/9 in this year's 24 Hours of LeMons--a hilarious and surprisingly intense 24-hour endurance race contested by beaters worth $500 or less. In short, just like the similarly named Concours d'LeMons, a Car Lust-type of event. If you're still doubtful of the weirdness quotient present here, consider that this race was won by a 1984 Volvo 244.
Bernice and her fellow X1/9 fans entered under the name Italian Stallions Racing, and they dubbed their X1/9 The Flyin' Spaghetti Monster. In an attempt to bury the hatchet with this fine protectoress of origami Italian sports cars, I present to you a recap of the 24 Hours of LeMons, as told by Bernice. For more comprehensive coverage of the 24 Hours of LeMons, check out Jalopnik or any of the sources here at the official site.
Bernice:
Last weekend we ran our Bertone/Fiat X1/9 at the 24 Hours of LeMons at Buttonwillow Raceway. We finished trouble-free and running
well. Two hours in we were in third overall and contending for the lead, but as the race went on the more powerful cars (like the V-8-powered Volvo) got us.
The end of the race was exciting; on the last lap the leading Acura Integra was fighting off the Volvo and rolled the car. The driver is OK, but the car fared less well--video at the end of the post.
We finished 16th overall, first in class L3, tied with the class L2 leader. We were 15th overall, one of four cars tied at 244 laps completed.We got a trophy for our class win and one from Grassroots Motorspots, "Most From The Least."
It was hot during the day, about 100 degrees. This caused many cars to die from overheating, blown head gaskets,
flying con rods, exploding hoses, leaking water pumps, electrical problems,
and fried brakes. One BMW's brakes ran so hot, the pad backing fused itself on to
the rotor and piston. Many teams were working hard to put their cars
back together all event long.
All of our drivers (Chris, Pel and Mike) had cool shirts which helped a lot during
their 1.5-2 hour driving stints. Our X kept its cool well enough, under
a constant load of 6,000 to 8,200 RPM hour after hour.
Here are our class win and "Most from the Least" trophies.
Our Team, left to right--Mike, Pel, Bernice, Chris, and Jen. The car is the #69, Flyin' Spaghetti Monster, a 1980 Bertone/Fiat X1/9.
Here's Chris in the car.
Here's Chris, Pel, and me--Pel is in the car.
Chris: Here's the final finishing order--the team names and car list are entertaining, so it's worth clicking to expand the picture.
The first two photos here came from Flickr user karamia29. The rest are from Bernice.
Bernice: Here's the video--the first video is of the flip on the last lap. The second is some in-car video from team "Formula BMW 325e." Their driver, Rahul, tried to get past our X with Pel driving. The BMW has 2.5 liters of engine versus the Fiat's 1.5 liters.Both cars and drivers are very well matched.. Rahul finally got by after Pel got caught in a dust cloud caused by another car going off course.
SwedishMetal on August 27, 2009 at 01:26 PM
Volvo FTW. i like everything about this race :)
David Colborne on August 27, 2009 at 03:45 PM
At least you beat the Kia Sephia. That's awesome.
24 Hours of LeMons always struck me as one of those really fun events that I want to try at some point in my life. I don't know when or how that will happen, but, if it does, I'll be a happy clam.
Shawn on August 27, 2009 at 09:07 PM
Here's an account of a superior car (BMW 6-series) running the LeMons :)
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1297464
It didn't fare so well, but had it been a later model with better parts availability I think the results may have been different.
tyre changers on August 27, 2009 at 10:07 PM
The prominent appearance of the Fiat X1/9 is not just attributed to the wedge-shaped car exterior design,it also features mounted headlight.I'm a fan of this car since i became aware of different vehicles.
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FSM on August 28, 2009 at 07:26 AM
Hello Shawn,
There is a lot more to LeMons racing than just the "Superior Car" there is pre-race prep, team work and problem solving. One example of this at the Buttomwillow LeMons race was Mr. Bean Mini, while some might consider the Mini to be an inferior car, it is what they accomplished with hard work, resourcefulness on a tight budget and team work that made all the difference and got them the Index Of Effluency trophy.
It's not just about the "car", it's much more about the individuals who take part in LeMons.
Shawn on August 29, 2009 at 01:11 AM
FSM, my comment was largely in jest. I'm biased to the 6 and wanted it to do better than it did. I've got love for Fiats and Minis as well.
CJinSD on August 30, 2009 at 12:03 AM
X1/9 fans are the reason that the root of fan is fanatic. Ask Keith Martin where being objective about X1/9s will get you. It doesn't matter how much you love them, if you recognize any of their flaws, you are not worthy of having an opinion.
tigerstrypes on August 30, 2009 at 04:17 PM
Anybody else notice the number of the X? 69. How original. Well, it did bring out a smile and a chuckle.
FSM on August 31, 2009 at 11:09 AM
x1/9's.. cheap plastic interior parts that break off at will, cloth or vinyl seats that dissolve, fit of some parts are poor enough to hide travel baggage into.. I can go on...and on about how cheap and crappy the x1/9 is as well as crow about how good this car is. Keep in mind the X is NOT a Lambo Miura and does NOT cost like one either. The real value in the x1/9 is not easily visible to the typical gear head or automotive journalist, the real value is what has been designed and built into it's chassis and it's chassis dynamics. The x is much about the "drive" and less about the "ride".
It is widely believe that every car leaves it's creator being the best it could be, but this is not so for the x1/9, it was denied any significant product development since it's introduction in 1972 for political reasons. Since FIAT owned Ferrari at the time, the last thing they wanted was a cheap Bertone design based on FIAT FWD mechanical to out perform their Ferrari cars...
Same was true for the Lancia Scorpion/ MonteCarlo.
What to the historical car preservationist view on cars that were never allowed to be properly developed into what they could have been?
This is what happens if the X1/9 is allowed to be properly developed into a real race car. This X1/9 won the Danish Touring Car championship 2009.. The other two contenders were a Renault Megane Trophy (mid-engine Nissan V6 powered) and Porsche 997 (GT3 cup car)... Note there are two Aquila CR1 & SR1 sport racers in this field and how they compare. Fastest lap times are posted.. Not too shabby for a chassis that was designed in the mid-1960's and is widely believe to be a cheap crap heap.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV1t5O2xmcI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4-Wvtz1gWY
More about this X here:
http://www.x1-9.dk/english.htm
http://www.x1-9.dk/graversen-traef.htm