Crossed the X1/9 off the list today

[svandamme]

[Toast54]

Fast it ain't, Tony

[Starless]

I had one too, bought new in 1978. Slow, not very reliable, but I loved it. And, the targa top didn't leak like a 911.
Oh, I also had one of those Merkur XR4-Ti's. That was a pretty fast car for it's time. I remember following a 911 from Quebec to Montreal. I was right behind him the whole way, he could barely get any distance on me.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by wswartzwel

Not the most powerful, but they sure were fun to drive after repairing them. Occasionally I wish I still had mine.

a little over 30 years ago... With my then girlfriend now wife...

That's a great pic, Bill! Great combo!

Thanks for sharing.

When I think of the X1/9......I think of the TR-7. I did have 2 of those but that's for another discussion.

[cairns]

I loved my X 1/9 too and would have it back today if I could. People forget that a Fiero could outrun a Ferrari Dino back then. And that Porsche was much closer to a glorified VW than most would care to admit.

[Starless]

Originally Posted by BSiple

For some reason I thought this thread was going to be about that weird Merkur XR whatever from the 80-90’s

I had one of those too.

[slow&rusty]

I never liked the X19 but the first gen MR2 was brilliant

[berettafan]

I was about 10yrs old when I saw one in person. somebody in our neighborhood owned one. used to ride my bike past that house and just stare at the car. at the time it was a wild design.

around that time my aunt got a 928 and I forgot all about the 'Bertone x1/9'.

for a similar car of that vintage I would most definitely play with a 914 instead.

[id10t]

Thought they were cool in high school in the 80s... but that may have been because there was a redhead with big tits that drove one...

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Turns out a Honda K24 motor fits into these pretty well and easy to get huge hp for a 2000 lb car. This car had too much rust to do that but I'd much sooner do a swap than a 914. Have owned two, a 2.0 and a 1.8. Really don't like 914s both to look at and of course the shifting.

[sand_man]

I liked them a lot as a kid. Now? Not so much. Definitely not on any of my lists. Too many Alfas I'd rather own, if I were going down that road again...

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by svandamme

This one is sharp, tho...

[nota]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

Have always wanted one, love the looks, cool little mid-engine car, perfect for top off motoring in the summer. Drove one today with good mechanicals and a ton of rust. Wow is this car slow. Really slow. I can't imagine ever owning one with exception of stuffing a Ford or Audi 2.0 w/ turbo motor into it with 250+ hp. Then I could see it.

]

get a fiero the swaps are a lot eazyer
as most 4 v6 or even v8's from GM bolt in except chevy v8 and there are adapters
and kits for ls or or older chevy v8's

[rammstein]

Originally Posted by SCadaddle

I had a 1979 X 1/9 as my second car in 1980. My first car was a 1975 Fiat 128 2 door sedan. The 128 survived myself, 2 nephews and somebody else in the end. My older brother bought a brand new 1979 X 1/9 from a defunct Fiat dealership in Jackson MS to upgrade from his 1976 X 1/9. I was 16 at the time and had the job of delivering it to the dealership in Baton Rouge early on a Saturday morning, with my Dad following me. I was pretty bummed. It was a really nice car in Blue. Got to the dealership and looked around inside. Man oh man.....there's one in RED! The dash was completely apart and laying in the seat. My Dad asked me "what do you think about that red car?" I said "looks GREAT to me!" He said "Good. Because that one is yours." DO WHAT?! Yep, Dad scored the red X 1/9 from the same defunct dealership the day before and had it towed to Baton Rouge. Somebody had tried to hot wire it when it was at the dealer in Jackson. It was a "fixer upper". I think I waited a month to go back and pick up my new RED X 1/9. Might as well have been an eternity! I think the blue car was bought for about $4500 and the red car for about $3500, and each came with a $750 rebate check from Fiat a month or so later.

I drove my X 1/9 through high school and college. The only issue I ever had was a bad head gasket, a water pump and multiple rear wheel bearings. It was as fun and balanced as a car could ever be. I auto-crossed with it regularly. At 6'-4" and 250# it fit me like a Gucci loafer. My jeans all had a wear spot on the inside right thigh from the steering wheel. The early 80's were the "Magnum P.I." years and hard top off sporting my Detroit Tigers baseball cap I always got honks and waves driving that little red X 1/9 around. When my college town got hit with an ice storm (rare here in The South!) I was one of very few that could get to the liquor store after putting several sand bags in the front trunk!

One really fond memory was when I scored a vintage wind up 8mm movie camera at a second had store for like $5. Loaded it with a roll of film and drove up the Natchez Trace Parkway from Jackson to Starkville on a sunny day. I put the camera on the dash and with the trigger I would take a single frame about every 4 seconds with nobody ahead of me, then increased the frames as I came up behind someone. Once I passed them I would slow down the frame speed once again. I did this for the entire 2 1/2 hour trip. The resulting movie looked like I was doing 300 mph, slowing down to 50 mph then hitting the turbo back to 300 mph once I started to pass. I used that movie in a "Public Speaking" class with an instructor that was a dead ringer for Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders. Of course I had the popular Pretenders tune of the day "Middle of the Road" to go with my movie. I got a D!

I loved my X 1/9, IF I could find a really nice one I'd do it all again at the drop of a hat. No, it wasn't fast but it was FUN! My brother's X 1/9 was "immediate family" Fiat #13, mine was #14, I later bought a 124 spider as #15 and in the last 5 years my brother bought, drove and traded 3 of the new Fiat 500's. That makes 18. We had them all: original 500's, 600's, 1100, 850 spiders, 128, a 124 spider, 3 X 1/9's and the new 500's.

You should get that converted and onto youtube with a cool music score. I'd watch it.

[kach22i]

I looked into buying a Fiat X-1/9 once, but the guy on the phone wanted too much money. Once explained why and started to itemize all the money he put into it, and how he wanted some of it back, he scared me off.

Driving Impression: Fiat X1/9
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2012/05/29/driving-impression-fiat-x19/

Leisurely acceleration is generally acknowledged to be the X1/9’s greatest flaw, and this example does nothing to contradict that viewpoint. Fuel injection helps driveability – there was not so much as a hiccup, not even from cold – but the 75 ponies on tap can do only so much when confronted with more than 2,000 pounds of steel. A 0-60 time of more than 11 seconds means that just about every minivan on the road can leave me in the dust. On the other hand, being mere inches off the pavement adds to the impression of speed. Out on the highway, the illusion of 70 MPH is broken by a glance down at the speedometer, whose needle hovers at 60 MPH. The unassisted disc brakes are effective and give good feedback, not that I need to use them much.

At a local auto show every year, an engineer named Keith brings his electric car that I love.

1974 Fiat Bertone X1/9
Keith's 1974 Fiat Bertone X1/9

Acceleration Quick 0-30mph in 2nd gear,
then..........10sec 0-60. Faster than with
Gas.

[Jim Richards]

Shaun, stop messing around. You know what to get.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Hey Jim, if that's your position, you will wholeheartedly agree that I definitely know what to get, Walt at CE is shipping a 2.7 case, crank and rods back to me today, RS P/Cs are on the shelf, Matt has my stacks and as soon as I can Cerakote the pump and nickel plate all the hardware, Mark will be putting a proper cam in the pump. That's eating up a seriously nice 240Z all by itself and since I won't have the motor built and in a car for another 2 months, I've been looking for something cheap and fun. Or maybe you were saying to get a plane ticket and fly out and drive yours back for a few months.

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

Shaun, stop messing around. You know what to get.

[tadd]

I always wanted one. Came real close just out of high school. Ended up with an MG Midget instead.

Reminded me of these: Pure sex.... Lancia Stratos

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

Hey Jim, if that's your position, you will wholeheartedly agree that I definitely know what to get, Walt at CE is shipping a 2.7 case, crank and rods back to me today, RS P/Cs are on the shelf, Matt has my stacks and as soon as I can Cerakote the pump and nickel plate all the hardware, Mark will be putting a proper cam in the pump. That's eating up a seriously nice 240Z all by itself and since I won't have the motor built and in a car for another 2 months, I've been looking for something cheap and fun. Or maybe you were saying to get a plane ticket and fly out and drive yours back for a few months.

Hmmmm, I'll need to think about that one. Maybe I can just ship you 280Z hardware for restoration instead. BTW, that engine project should be fun. I loved my 2.7RS-spec engine that I had in the 73E.

[Jim Richards]

tadd, I had a Midget when I was 18yo. Lots of fun to bomb around the twisty roads in Amish country.