The World's First Affordable Mid Engine Car - Worthy Or Best Forgotten? Fiat X1/9
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- The Fiat X1/9 was the first ever affordable mid engined car but it was criticised for not having enough power. The Bertone designed car was pretty but does the handling match its junior Ferrari looks? Today I test drive it and find out.
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The 124 was longitudinal front-engined, rear-wheel drive! The 128 had a transverse-mounted engine and front-wheel drive! I know, because I had both!
It wouldn’t be a Number 27 video without at least one mistake! 😁
@@Number27 ... this time, you're above average ;-) ... and I'm only 3/4 of the way through! I love the X1/9, though! Couldn't upgrade from my 124 Sport Coupe to one because the family had grown by then!
Great video Jack, these are amazing cars, how Fiat signed this off we may never know but we’re glad they did..and that Bertone continued for a bit longer. My mate had one in the 80s and it was well rotten even then sadly.
@@Number27 I think you meant to say the 127
I liked the X 1/9 but they rotted as they arrived at your front door (most cars did in those days) but these were shockers. I drove a friend’s car then rented an MR2 which could run rings around it but they also rotted eventually. This one must have been kept in an a/c bubble!
I was a mechanic at a couple Fiat dealers back in the day. I wasn’t impressed with the X1/9 until I drove one. Wow! What a blast! You may be right about the lack of power actually being a virtue. With more power they might have required some suspension mods and they’d become just another MX5. Reminded me of the 850 Spyder. You drove them like you were in an actual race - all the time! Didn’t have enough power to get into trouble with the law.
Ha! I was pulled over recently in mine for what turned out to be an expired registration. When the policeman came to the car the first thing I said was "I know I wasn't speeding!"
Jack, keep producing videos that "normal" car fans want to watch. First class.
But please more car and less talking head. We can still hear you even if we don't see you. I want to see the car, on the road, POV. Why do these reviewers always film themselves, with bare glimpses of the car.
@@Metal0sopher You're 100% right! I want to see the car, not this clown.
My X1/9 was a joyous little car - driven the length and breadth of the UK. Lovely and clever design, with a ton of details that took it way beyond its low price. Such a shame it was never developed further.
A good mate of mine had an X1/9 1300/4 at the same time I had my Alfa Sprint Veloce. These two Italian cars would often be seen haring around the country roads far and wide of the town we lived in as teens.
I got to drive the X1/9 quite a bit during the years he had it and I would call it anything but a hairdresser's car - it was nimble and light on its sure-footed feet, but where the mainly Australian-produced vehicles that chased us about would lumber around corners (by comparison to the Italians), the X1/9 just stayed at the same speed and left them in its dust. The Fiat was lighter in the steering to the front-engined Alfa, but it seemed more precise even at higher speeds, whereas the Alfa almost needed power steering at carpark speeds.
Here in New Zealand we use kilometres per hour and Steve would drive the X1/9 around corners with posted recommended speeds at the equivalent MILES per hour.....and the difference between 80km/h and 80mph is quite significant, but the little car never lost footing and just hugged in tighter. The X1/9 was a scalpel compared to the likes of a Huracan's mallet when it comes to handling and outran so many vehicles through the winding roads of this country that were way more powerful, much younger and considered brilliant for their handling ability.....and yet I never saw Steve raise a sweat as one does when a car is On The Limit....because the car just wasn't.
I can attest to the fact they are able to get the weekly shop for a single bloke under that front bootlid too, as I had to borrow it while Steve was replacing the tappet bucket on the Alfa's #3 inlet valve. Made a few people stare - that's for sure!
The X1/9 eventually got the 1500/5 transplant and was much more liveable, with the car now way more capable on the hills as well as the flat. Fuel economy was similar, as was the top speed (about 110mph), just that the 1500 got there slightly quicker and the 1300 needed a downhill slope to push through the ton without waiting for the seasons to change. Both engine / driveline setups were brilliant in that if you wound it out to the red line in one gear, the power band was immediately available to you in the next and this is why she was such a force to be reckoned with in getting from place to place so effortlessly. I never felt like the car was going to let go of the road and it was a car that seemed to keep asking you to put your foot down and play.
I'd certainly love to have one myself now....but sadly, most of the ones in this country are now full of fibreglass resin and plastic and what little metal remains is still trying to rust away.
Thanks for the old stories, really entertaining!!
I loved mine too. My 'baby' Ferrari.
1979 model 1500cc. Traded a 1500cc Spitfire for it.
Not a pristine car mine but fab. The Targa top was excellent.
I loved the mid engine concept so much after that, that I bought a written-of 1982 Lotus Esprit S3 and fully rebuilt it !
The Lotus is still around today !!!!!
I have an 83 Mondial QV, and honestly, by listening to the 9:00 mark, the soundtrack isn't that far off! I get what you say by being a 'baby' Ferrari!
This is almost a, "So what's not to like?" episode. I would far rather dig into the optimum power band of a small "willing" engine than have massive power to spare. Using all the power all the time is a sure formula for the fun you were clearly having tossing this thing into the twisties. The 'time warp' nature of this example made this an especially entertaining video.
Less is more as they say.
@@franksmith4254 much more fun to be flat out at 85mph or so, because who can really drive faster than that on the road in most places/situations?
Agree 10 times. Some of the best real drivers I can recall. I am up to 200 plus cars owned and my faves, are these little Ferrari replicas, The Azura! They had it overweight but a great evolution to that spyder
You really don't need a lot of extra power if you know how to drive...and understand how to use the shifter properly.
I knew someone with a Volvo, and someone else with a 2 liter van, they both complained how difficult it was to keep down to the speed limit, I think the best engine for a Lotus 7 would be the 750 FIAT 4 cylinder pushrod engine.
I had one of these back in the day, I bought the smaller engined one for my wife. It was a great fun car to drive, it felt like it was on rails, so stable. You could even drive in the rain with the roof stowed, the rain just went over the top (had to careful not to stop though !) and similarly during the winter, the heater pumped out enough heat to keep you warm without the roof. Eventually a family came along and the little two seater had to go.
75bhp from 1300cc may not sound much today, but back in the early 1970s it was comparable with the competition like the Triumph Spitfire and MG Midget.
And it was a light car
And it had this short gearbox 😉. We had two 128 3p in the 80ies - unforgettable when they were running up hills on German highways, leaving all the middle class cars behind them.
I bought a '72 Spitfire as my first car back in 1979. I really had a thing for British roadsters at the time. In the rural portion of midwestern United States where I grew up, Spitfire's and Midget's were fairly rare (I was the only one in my high school with such a car). X1/9's on the other hand were almost never seen in the area (except those passing through on the highway). I liked the X1/9 back then and still think they look great today. The little Fiat still strikes me as the more exotic car now, just as it did back then.
@@jochenkreusel131 What beautiful forgotten cars the 128 3P and 128 sport!!
@@studiocalder818 Not totally forgotten 😉. I have been driving through the Alps to Northern Italy with my 128 SL recently, and it has been recognized with enthusiasm regularly (in difference to previous trips).
I used two of these 1500/5sp cars as daily drivers, for years. They were great-handling cars, and with a few minor mods - Konis, anti-roll bars, and sticky tires - you could run rings around much faster cars, on the right roads. The brakes were NOT "weak", as long as they were well-maintained - again, upgraded pads helped.. Aah, memories...
I have driven loads of those little cars, I enjoyed every mile, easy to do when they belong to other people. I had to drive them because I had a contract with a local Fiat dealership to dewax all the new cars and clean all the second hand cars they were going to put in the showroom. I bought a Fiat 124 saloon car for £75 from them and drove it for a long time. It was far better to drive than most of the similar British cars. It could go too! The X1/9 was a whole heap of fun to drive, I think Dallara has made some sports cars from them, for racing. Watching you revving the little motor took me right back to how it was to just rev the nuts off it, screaming around country lanes with a big grin on your face, happy days! I'm an "old boy racer" nowadays.
My mother's family owns several new car dealerships and back in the day they sold both Opel through the Buick franchise and the X1/9, which eventually became Bertone after FIAT left the North American market, through their FIAT/Lancia dealership.
When my aunts and uncles reached driving age they got a new car and most of them chose either the Opel Manta or GT or the X1/9.
Those that chose the FIAT remember them rusting after their first Midwestern winter thanks to salty roads and continuous electrical niggles as well as wheel bearing failures.
I had an uncle that drove his from Wisconsin to California and he said he had to buy cotton to put in his ears a few hundred miles into the trip because the engine was spinning at 4,500 to 5,000 RPM just keeping up with interstate traffic and he was getting a headache from the noise.
But everyone that had one said that if they were still available they'd buy one in a second as a weekend car because they were so much fun to drive.
Holy truth! Not so tough for American conditions but fun as hell!
@@bartoszfiszer3183 I shared the video with a couple of my aunt and uncles that owned them and they remembered a list of problems that was literally endless.
Rust, wheel bearings that needed changing every 10 to 15,000 miles, oil consumption and leakage, nothing electrical working, clutch cables and hood release cable snapping, headlights not going up or down and for the couple of vehicles that were equipped with air conditioning it would make the engine overheat in moderate weather.
They were also very difficult to start in extremely warm weather or cold weather.
They had coolant pipes running underneath the car that either got dented on speed bumps or rusted through every winter and would burst vomiting coolant all over the place.
They were also so long the coolant got too cool going into the heater core and the car is barely had enough heat to defrost the windshield let alone keep passengers warm.
The ones that chose the Opel vehicles enjoyed much greater reliability and durability.
@@williamegler8771 Yes, right. I owned two X1/9 and I can confirm all of your word (excepting clutch cable, because it's hydraulic one). It's true, electrical is poor, body turns into rust bucket after one winter outside the garage. Difficult start on warm, problems with overheating, very loud engine. But for me this car has someting to love (waht? I don't exactly know). I owned also two 911's (996 and 997) and finally I sold them and leave Fiats (x1/9 and Pininfarina Spidereuropa) in my garage. Why?
I used to love them back in the day. Nothing has changed, still love the look of them.
The X19 had HUGE potential, that was never properly exploited by Fiat sadly.
With some development it could have been a very highly regarded car. The "hairdressers car" moniker was probably brought about by the fairly modest power output in what looked like a very powerful car.
Really Fiat should have developed a Turbo version in time, but they chose to do that with the Uno Turbo. Some people did the Uno Turbo engine swap(which was pretty much drop-in) and it resulted in a staggeringly good car!
Issues however were pretty serious, rust and sticking the distributor under the leaky carburettors resulted in the scrapheap and a number of burnt out wrecks.
However......... great car and a bag of sand in the front boot made it even better!
I love the reviews of the quirky/interesting cars of the past. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Kim!!
The key feature of the X1/9 was SAFETY. It’s made from scratch to fit the new regulations in USA (very important market with the 124 Spider already a great seller). They stipulated all open cars would need a targa roof for roll-over protection (it never materialized) and also the new ”indestructable” bumpers. The X1/9 indeed showcased a cutting edge safety passenger cell with front/rear crumple zones. For its time, it was a very safe little sportscar - hence the somewhat surprising weight.
(Fiat did a lot of safety concept cars in those days)
Didn't work for two of my friends in a mild curve on a b-road. The same tree I hit with a rear engined Karman Ghia the year before and walked away from hurt them very hard.
@@VolkerHett Well I suspect the speed in a Karmann Ghia needed to go off the road was slightly lower! :)
@@pereldh5741 We booth where too fast for a snowy road and the tree survived it. The Fiat was totaled and the Karman too.
I had two dual Solex carbs, cylinder heads with bigger valves, a cam and tipless ignition which made about 70 to 75 horses in the Karman. So performance was about the same.
It is possible my friends didn't use their safety belts.
In the time I had mine, I avoided two or three crashes simply by being able to flick the steering wheel and get an immediate response from the car to avoid being hit. The big safety issue was wet braking, because with very little weight on the front it was easy to lock up the wheels; I managed to blow out a front tire one day by sliding into the curb as I tried to stop on a wet road.
@@Mark-mq9ix Mine got me out of a few situations too.
In 1979, I bought one of these (in green) brand new off the showroom floor. Loved driving it as it would take on corners like a beast, pulling 0.779 g in the turns. The 1.5L fuel-injected 5-speed was enough to take on my friends 280ZXR so long as there were a lot of twists and turns, as that was where I was always able to catch up and pass him.
Sadly, the US models that had AC had some wrong pulleys used, tossed the belts on a long drive, and took out the head gasket. Off to the nearest dealer it went as it was still under warranty. I was told it needed a new short block and with basically none in the supply chain, was going to delay its return. The day came and I got it back, and all seemed well for a while, and just as the warranty ran out, it developed a rod knock. As I was working at a family-operates import car repair shop (for something to do while I was on shore duty at Great Lakes), I ordered a set of std bearings, pulled the pan and through disassembly and careful measurements) discovered a short block had not been installed under warranty, but that one rod journal had been machined to use 0.020” over bearings. I shimmed the std set I bought using layers of 0.002”brass shim stock, filed the bearing ends and hand-fitted a set of bearings. Problem solved, ran the snot out of it too, until the alternator went out and wasn’t a Magnetti-Martello alternator to be found.
Pulled the warning light on the cluster, charged the battery every few days while I waited for my order to arrive.
The day came, the Fiat was driven to the Ford dealer and used as the trade in (still dead alternator) for my 1982 Mustang GT, and off I went!
Good final choice
I had a 77 Audi fox/100 I bought from a Audi shop & was the owners car. He put headers & short shift kit & who knows what else on it. But it was amazingly fun. I had a souped-up Chevy Nova kept spinning his tires behind me @ a stop sign (Jacked up, wide wheels, likely a 350). I knew the road well & it was curvy. Was a bridge where I barely hit the ground in time to do an 80 degree right. I raped the Nova so bad when I hit the next stop sign, I had to wait a good 20 seconds for him to come up behind me again. I pulled away slowly & no more Nova burnouts. I've owned an Audi ever since, a Porsche as well although historic now (but still have). Did have a 76 Mercury Comet with a 302 back in the day, but a total snooze. Had a Scirocco kick my butt on the highway, traded it in the next day. 76 had all Jimmy Carters pollution crap on it, what a waste. Loved the car otherwise.
@@MrFast928 Ah yes, the Audi 100LS. Few know that was the test bed for the Porsche 924. Gotta love the RWD with the inboard brake rotors…ugh!
🤪
and today parked side by side the X will draw way more attention than that 82 Ford.
I've owned my Bertone X1/9 since 1989, 106000 miles & I won't ever sell it.
@@Beauloqs mine came from SG Smith Streatham, a 1987 with 7500 miles on it at the time.
I'm at 135K on my 1986, still stunning and causing smiles.
My dad had a Regatta (double T in Argentina) with that 1.5 engine. The sound it made is the reason why I became a mechanic. 35 years since that and if I close my eyes I can still hear that little engine screaming at 6.000 rpm.
Many have commented about the inaccuracies in what was front (128) and rear (124) drive, and as an addition…bertone WERE contracted to produce a spyder version of the 128, but it was to have front wheel drive. Bertone hated it so did the X19 behind fiats back, showed it at the motor show and won Fiat over. I’ve had two and only one rotted and that was due to a bad repair after accident damage.
If the gear selection is vague then that’s down to the selector bushes, and you can upgrade these with nylon or poly-bushes
I had one of identical spec to that in the 80s so delighted to see that one. Whenever it broke down, the AA guys always said the same thing: “Uh-oh - Mussolini’s revenge!”
Fabulous handling car though, with such a low polar moment of inertia, when it did go, it went very quickly. I love the contra-rotating instruments. Mine didn’t rust too badly but the headlights were useless they were so dim. That little Veglia clock in the dash, was £50 as a spare (a fortune in the 80s) - mine didn’t have one.
Interesting that you say 'whenever' it broke down. Not 'if'. In mid-80s I gave up Italian cars and bought Toyotas and Hondas ever since. Never looked back, never saw an AA man again.
@@H-Zazoo The X is easy to work on and I am not a mechanic, most issues can be resolved immediately. As for Toyota and Honda...they aren't exotic, not even close because well, they are a Toyota and a Honda. Might as well throw Subaru in there too. Yawn.
@@captainobvious6025 Not sure why you say 'yawn'. My Toyota's were an MR2 Mk2 and a Celica GT. My Hondas were two CRX2 and a CRZ. The MR2 in particular was outstanding and is still considered so if the prices for one these days are anything to go by. None of them ever left me by the side of the road. The X19, although I loved it, sadly it did. It really had more akin with the MGB where you love it for what it is and accept that it will likely leave you stranded. What 'most issues can be resolved immediately' means I have no idea.
I had a '74 with a few upgrades (carbs, cam). Your perceptions are pretty much on the mark. It was a fun car, great handling nearly rivaling my 944, but not enough power. What was great about it was that you could use it at 9/10ths ALL THE TIME, and stay mostly within legal limits while doing so!
The small FIAT fours of that era used in so many models are rather under-appreciated engines IMO, all the ones I've driven have been consistently smooth and unstrained at high revs and seem very long-lasting (take huge abuse) as well
Couldn’t agree more! Usually the Fiat DOHC Lampredi engine from these days is praised (for good reasons), but its little brother, the 128 SOHC is forgotten. And it’s such a terrific little engine. I am owning a 128 Coupé (again) since seven years - just great!
@@jochenkreusel131 In 1973 my Mini 1000 needed front end bodywork repairs due to my inattention. My insurance company paid for a rental so I thought I'd try a Fiat 128. The BMC A series motor is a stalwart but that Fiat blew me away. Although completely dissimilar it had the same spirit as the 2 stroke Lambretta GT 200cc engines I rode in my mod years.
That motor was used as the base for a lot of engines, cumulating to the Fiat Punto Turbo engine. And yes, the motor itself, with regular maintenance, is near immortal. My 128 3P coupe fell apart due rust, but the engine, even worked over to produce 100hp+ (was contemplating NOS, but never got to it), was dependable. I looked for a 1x9 after that, but life interfered and I ended up with a car on the other end of the spectrum, the steamboaty Opel Record E.
@@maddox0110 Just discovered that it was designed by the prolific Aurelio Lampredi, the man certainly had a knack. My mum had a 128 Sport 2-door (in which she had a blow-out on the M4 and endoed down an embankment, luckily when she was still quite young and not too seriously hurt), that was my earliest experience of these engines. I had a Strada 1.5 (sporty model, can't remember which one exactly, consigned to oblivion as it started to dissolve), both me and the previous owner absolutely hooned it for thousands of miles, you just couldn't help it because it was just so eager and smooth.
The 128 1300 was a lovely car to drive, except for the rubbery gearchange. Smooth engine, precise steering, great handling and ride.
Had one of these in the 80s when I was 20 . Absolutely loved it . Tent in the front bags in the back girlfriend next to me roof off windows down lovely targa experience , many weekends in the lake District . One of the best experiences and times I ever had in that little thing .
I had the mk1 mr2 which looks like it was inspired by the fiat. Also I'm 6'3 and managed to get quite comfy in it, getting out was like a sack of potatoes falling off a lorry though lol
If you can find pictures of the underneath of the X1/9 and the MR2 (with the cars on a hoist) you'll see that the MR2 was not just inspired by the X1/9, but blatantly copied.
How you managed I've no idea I am 6'3 and just couldn't operate the clutch
I had a Dinky/Corgi X1/9 and thought it amazing. It never occurred to me the these were real cars in the real world. I regret not knowing better and not buying one when I started driving in the 90s
The FIAT Lampredi SOHC engine is one of the very best power plants of the 1970s/1980s. It has a very large 5 bearing crank and massively over square bore and it will happily sit at 8000rpm - which is why so many people used the FIAT 128 3p and Coupe for racing in Ireland back then. In fact it was so popular and economical that it was one of the most successful one make series ever there. Massive grids of screaming FIATs - door-to-door close racing coined the name 'FIATnam'. It is a truly remarkable engine.
My dad had 3 of them, one after the other. I went to school every day in one. The original 1300 had wild styling on the interior and matching luggage to fit in the back boot.
I sold Fiats from 1976 to 1978. As the lead Fiat salesman, the X=1/9 was my choice for my "shooter", a demonstrator that the salesman was allowed to take home. I went through 10 of them and loved every one of them. This was when they came with the 1290cc motor and a 4-speed. Back then, convertibles were exempt from requiring shoulder harnesses because there was nowhere to attach them but despite the fact the X-1/9 had a built-in roll bar, Fiat elected to forgo the shoulder harness providing seat belts only. It wasn't until years later that Fiat began including shoulder harnesses in the X-1/9.
Some interesting trivia. Near the end of Lotus Elan production, Lotus founder Colin Chapman was looking for a sports car to give to his daughter but rather than giving her an Elan, he bought an X1/9 for her. Why? He believed that a car that put out only 61 h.p., (and included a roll bar) wouldn't get her into too much trouble.
Unfortunately she crashed it - according to journalist Peter Windsor, it fell apart around her.
@@johngilbert7933 Interesting. I did not know that but I can tell you one thing for sure. Had she been driving an Elan, she wouldn't have survived! (I own one.) You're not the John Gilbert who used to work for the Mpls. Star-Tribune are you?
@@frankhoward7645 No - never work for the Star Tribune. Used to have a 1973 Elan Sprint myself - a yellow one which featured in the Graham Arnold Elan Profile book. I crashed and rolled that and was very lucky to limp away with my head.
@@johngilbert7933 Your message prompted me to go look at my Lotus book collection. Not counting the workshop manuals, I have 40 of them but I don't have Graham Arnold's Profile book. As I recall, there's a series of Profile books and they're kind of thin. Very impressive that you got your car in there. What a shame what happened to it. I would guess that even a totally smashed up Elan is worth substantial money. Mine is a '71 S4SE and it's yellow as well although the lower half isn't white. I've had it since 1987. I was determined to make it into a reliable daily driver and it was for about 13 years until the head gasket let go several years ago. Since then, I haven't had the time to fix it but that will happen some day.
@@frankhoward7645 it’s called Lotus Elan Super Profile. The crash happened in the 1980s and the car was rebuilt later - it’s still UK registered.
You ought to get yours rebuilt- shame not to be able to enjoy such a superb driver’s car.
Still miss mine. When I gave my dad a lift, I had to remove the roof to get him in and his knees were wedged against the dash. Took all the skin off my hands replacing the alternator belt, the wiring round the ignition switch caught fire and the rear subframe detached! Rust finally killed it.
The sights and the sounds of my first ever sports car (a 1983 1.5 VS 25 years ago) right here in your latest great video! Thanks Jack! 👍🏻
Great little cars which were dirt cheap for SO long… and lift-off oversteer for the unwise or unwary!
I forgot the X19 ever even existed Jack! I love how you find and review all these cool retro cars . Awesome job your doing buddy 😉
I love that you showcase cars that don't cost more than my house. Keep on keepin' on, Jack!
Prices on these are going up. Nice ones will run between $10k-$20k and more depending on the mods. Modified cars will pull more money, especially if they are Dallara.
I bought a Gran Finale X1/9 new in 1989 after the demise of my Lancia Beta Coupe.
It was a great fun car to drive and took me on trips to the Mediterranean coast and Swiss Alps. Years later I have a 2004 Porsche Boxster S. The little X1/9 however still resides in my garage.
Thanks for this one, it was one of my dream cars in the mid eighties. I just didn't have the time to keep welding one!
I knew a guy in high school who had one of these...very cool car! Definitely a budget exotic! Where else can you get Italian heritage, Gandini-design, in a fun to drive mid-engine package?
My friend had an X 1/9 when we were in high school. I drove it many times. It was fun to drive. It was also “eco friendly “, the body was biodegradable. It literally rusted to pieces.
LOL!
When I was 21 my girlfriend at the time owned a X1/9, great days and up there with the best in my life. Sat in the passenger seat on a summers day with her driving was special. Great video thank you!
My dream is one of these with a Busso swap, a wedge - early 80's retrofutiristic widebody, and a wrap around rear wing.
Always loved the X19 I nearly bought one but then bought my Lancia Beta Coupe which is my favorite Marque with Alfa , there is something about old Fiat , Lancia ,alfa cars i've always loved and had many and prefer them to new Italian cars that will get you nicked very quickly .
The good thing about these cars is the fact you can drive them hard without doing 150 mph, Them Velia clocks I miss so much .
I owned a 79 US model and used it as a daily driver. One of the few cars I regret not still having. Jack captures the essence of this car which is perfect balance and 'flow'. With a little desmogging and tuning you could unlock about 15 - 20hp which was just about perfect for the chassis. As others have noted, this was a very stiff monocoque designed to withstand 35mph frontal crashes, and this really helps the ride and handling. One other interesting tidbit; with 4 Vredestein snow tires this was the best winter driver I've had (until the snow got over 5" ) such is the perfect balance of the chassis.
Jack I had the use of a yellow X19 for a summer when I was 16. A neighbour went to Europe for the summer and offered me the use of his X19. It was such a blast. And thank god for that targa top because at 6'6" I didn't drive it without the top off. If it rained, I didn't drive. LOL. But the engine was fun to wring out and the handling was very good. IIRC the body was a monocoque. BTW, at 12:38 I'm sure I spotted Pepe parked on the road side. Great vid mate... brought back high school summer memories.
A properly nimble little car with a very special feel to drive, finger tip stuff. Having owned a 1500 and been driven in a 1300 I think I would I would go for the 1300 Lido, the 1500 isn't sufficiently faster to make a real difference and the chrome bumpers give the car the look it was supposed to have. I particularly loved being able to turn off the dashboard lights when driving at night and just focus on the road ahead, not something you'd be allowed to do now but just brilliant.
Fiat 128 not 124. I really enjoyed mine back in the day, did a few sprints and hill climbs for fun. Narrow tyres made for lots of fun slidding
Was yours a 128 Special T ? I seem to recall they came with either large bore Dellortos or Webers and were pretty rapid.
@@michaelarchangel1163 There was no 128 Special T - this version was only offered as 124. The T meant twin and was referring to the Lampredi twin-cam engine. All 128 versions used the Lampredi SOHC engine.
Just look at the smile on the reviewers face...that tells it all. I have a '87 X-1/9, had it since 1992. It puts the same smile on my face every time I drive it (over 150,000 miles).🙂
You can keep your Ferrari, Lamborghini or Bugatti, I would much rather have a smaller car with just enough power of which I can use it all rather than a 3, 4, 500 bhp monster that can barely break idle on UK roads. Between you and Harry Metcalfe that section of the B4437 will be even more worn out than it is already, great video as ever.
It's funny how cars that were considered hairdresser cars back in the day are now some of the best sportscars for the masses...ie, Elan,mx5 ,mr2 and the x/19....cool little car.
Wow! Isn't that so? I'd never noticed that before. And not just for the masses, they score highly in their own right when judged in absolute terms. I'd have an Elan and an X 1/9 in my lottery win stable (of about 20 cars).
Love the last two videos Jack, Alfa Busso and Fiat X19 .....two of my favourite automotive things.
Great stuff 👌
You really haven't really driven one of these until you pop the top off! The sounds and sensations change, and you know you're in a sports car. My friends laughed when I picked up my first X1/9, but the chuckles abruptly stopped when their girlfriends all started begging to go for a ride with the top off!
The Fiat 128 was a great car in the day, technically advanced compared with anything the British manufacturers offered but overshadowed by the Alfa Sud and Citröen GS which were game changers. The X19 was great but they were expensive.
The 128 was the real game changer - the first mass produced FWD car with transversal engine and separate oil reservoirs for engine and gearbox. And even after more than 50 years it still feels like a modern car (except from the noise level 😉).
Great review! Always loved them. I used to buy Car magazine in the day, it always made their annual top ten. Lol at hairdresser's car, back in the nineties I had Sierra Cosworth one of my mates said that's definitely not a hairdresser's car when I got it. One day I met another Cosworth on the road, we pulled over to compare notes, turns out he was a hairdresser ☺ BTW, just to be clear I'm not remotely suggesting anything wrong with his chosen profession.
I remember having one of these here in the States years ago. You either heard people say "What's that?" Or "It's a baby Ferrari!" Definitely an interesting car. Thanks for sharing 👍
I had one in the mid-80's as a company car.. it was great with the lid off & stored under the bonnet & with the wind in your hair. Loved it to bits & I have never had so much fun in any car either before or since. You are right, that they looked like a little Ferrari & so turned people's heads in the streets, as you spend by them.
Bought one new in June 1979 (5 spd/1500) Drove it from Los Angeles to Miami and back with my wife for the Christmas holidays. Fun time! One of twelve transcontinental trips I've made, including one in '76 in a clapped out BugEye Sprite.
Hairdresser Special, for sure!
I worked on two of those cars and they both belonged to hairdressers! Was definitely a blast to drive….and the hair dressers were a lot of fun too😆
A friend bought a 1.5 X1/9 after his divorce and I think it delivered as far as his requirements were concerned although a small puppy would have achieved the same while being cheaper - think it cost him £4.5k new at the end of Fiat production. I drove it before it was run-in and was a little disappointed - it stuck to the road almost too well. We had both been running Alfasuds and the fun with them started when the tyres let go but that wasn't as easy to manage with the Fiat. As a homage to front wheel drive it certainly delivered, having two Strada front subframes, the rear of which also used 2x track rod ends to locate the rear hubs.
I'm build one with way too much power.. doing the Midwest bayless k swap kit in my 74 x19.. with Garret turbo. Hoping for 450whp when done and shooting for under 1800lb
Thanks for bringing us this one, Jack. They’re a great car and, as you said, even quite practical. It’s not hard to get them to be a little nippier, either; a set of twin-carbs, a cam and a reasonable exhaust will do the trick. I love mine! Cheers.
As a youngster I idolized these.I had the brochure back in the day and 'your' car was my favourite colour......
We loved our x1/9 (76). We bought it in Livorno Italy,(we’re we live) and drove it at the proper speed, over 100 mph daily. We ship it to U.S and was pulled over, because the police did not know what it was. We were also driving with Italian plates. We also, found it comfortable in the ski resorts with the roof off. Just a side note, I owned many Fiat 500’s, 128, 126, 131 and 1100. All good cars.
I think it's iconic. That sort of car was a part of the old sports car tradition - affordable, aspirational, more country roads oriented than race. Same with Porsche 914, MGB GT, TR5/6/7, maybe even Alfa Spyder as well. Kind of thing a naval officer or private detective would drive, although not a bank manager or collector.
I test drove a 2nd hand Bertone in 1987. And promised myself, I'd get one when I could. I never got one. Haven't driven a better steering feel car in over 50 years.
I drove one when they forst came out, easily equal to my all-time fave my Alfasud Sprint Veloce..Felt better than a 308 Ferrari I drove many Years later.
An incredible fun car and the styling is still relevant today. Very nice design. Handling, as you can imagine, is excellent.
I'm biased on this as (ex) technical advisor to the UK Owners Club, I've owned several, raced a couple (including a Dallara) and they are just brilliant for what they are. Well maintained and kept in adjustment for suspension alignment the handling is sublime. Let it go out of adjustment and the handling quickly deteriorates. Same for the brakes (and gearshift, and engine, etc). This is not a low maintenance car but it isn't a car that is costly to maintain. When you talked about the MX5 reviving the whole sports car market after years of falling from favour - this is the car that carried the flame for the intervening 15 years, it did such a good job that it was copied by Pontiac and Toyota (for better or worse depending on which one you're talking about) and even by Lancia. Lots of dark history in its creation, typical Fiat group infighting.
Also the 124 was definitely and has always been rear wheel drive. The 127 and the 128 were FWD
As for further development - they *did* carry on development. The 1300 turbo engine in the mk1 Uno Turbo was meant to be shared with the X1/9 - it was the development mule for the engine and it fits like a glove. Typically upper management decided to kill it off instead.
That said, stop revving out at 6000rpm - the engine will rev to 9000 quite happily (unless you have one of the banana shaped blocks). The 1300 was even more rev-happy
Thanks for the interesting comments Julian!
Lancia didn't really copy it - the Montecarlo was supposed to be a Fiat (X1/20) and Lancia inherited it when Fiat didn't want it.
@@duncanmartin2626 I know but it all gets a bit wordy and there is much more to that story than a single sentence:)
My 77' was 10 years old and had almost 100 000 miles when I bought it for 500 dollars in 1987
Since it was an American version it had big bumpers and only 70 horsepower. But it was fun.
Driving around orange county California with the top off, you felt like a rock star. I've had some nice cars and none, even my Subaru wrx sti going 100 m.p.h sideways on gravel wasn't close to being as fun as my beat up barely safe X/19 the best thing I ever owned for Driving enjoyment. Great video
We used to have a two tone example with total red leather interior, so Italian. Driving on a motorway was eye opening as you were sat so low almost on the same level as lorry tyres. Very susceptible to crosswinds being so light. I have repaired several with body damage and the way the panels arrive was a nightmare as the front wings would come without the flanges which you had to weld to the wing before welding the wing to the car. Body panels were horribly expensive as they came from Bertone. As you said that the car was never developed as it had great potential. Perhaps you could find someone with a Lancia Monte Carlo which is the X19 natural successor. Great feature thanks
Thanks for taking me back down memory lane. I had one exactly the same car colour combination on an 82 Y reg back in the day. I can tell you from experience that when the back does finally break free it was tough to catch. I loved it then. Yes it was bit of a hair dressers car in the day. My only regret is that I traded in a BMW E21 320 to buy it. 2.0ltr straight six 4 speed manual. What was I thinking!
a hair dresser couldn't drive the X nor would they want to. Just saying.
Thanks for the memories! I put 100K miles on my '73 yellow X1/9, pushing that wonderful engine to the red zone often. Never had the slightest bit of engine problem. Wheel bearings (replace all several times) and rust finally got to it.
My brother had an 82 model back in the early 90s. It was such a blast to drive I loved that car. At the same time I had a 79 124 spider. The difference between the two cars were night and day. I love driving the x 1/9.
Jack you NEED to get one as your next project… rare, interesting and something you can work on in that fabulous garage of yours
always thought it was quite a good looking little sports car, lacking power for sure but some chucked in the 2.0L twin cam for much more laughs
My first car in 1993, a lightly pre-crashed X1/9, reg BBX 7V - otherwise known as 'Bog Bollox'. One headlamp permanently up, one down; starter was flaky so had to park on a hill; reverse had to be 'held-in' with one hand on the lever and guaranteed to emit a loud backfire around a minute after you stopped the engine. Span it quite a few times & had to sell it to buy my train ticket home as there was no-way it would have made it from West Wales to East Anglia. Great fun and of course now I'd love to have it back!
Well that brough back some fond memories. In total I had 3 x1/9's before moving on to a lancia delta HF turbo, then an Alfa 164v6, Then a 145 cloverleaf, then an Alfa GTV v6. In the snow, my little X1/9 was so light it used to just float over the top when all my mates in their golfs and escorts were getting stuck. I used to take the Targa top and use it as a sledge with my little nephew. I once drove from Edinburgh to Leeds with the top off, my face was so badly sunburned by the end I couldn't move my face :)
Now I drive a citreon relay van, life is no way as much fun as it used to be
Fiat 124 wasn’t front wheel drive - only 127 an 128 (later Ritmo/Strada) was FWD
Love this car- my father owned the fuel injected version. I always loved the style of this car but old Fiat cars hard to maintain especially in Canada. In the states using a conversion kit some people are doing a Honda/Acura ‘k20 swap’ on the surviving cars - I’d love to give one of those a go with Honda reliability!
I will keep my car all ITALIAN!
Thinking of electrifying my 74.
I was a 20 years old college kid in Kansas and I bought a '78 X-1/9. I have to admit, that car got me dates that I would not have been able to otherwise. I also bought a Lancia Beta that I owned at the same time. Really fun budget cars that I could afford while I read Road&Track and AutoWeek.
A friend had one in Michigan in the early 80’s a light blue one not sure of the year I’m guessing a 79 or early 80’s. It was a 5 speed so it was a later model.
Great video...thanks...My father was a motoring journalist from the 1960's to the 90's and told me he had spoken to Colin Chapman about the X19. One of Mr Chapman's daughters wanted a Lotus Esprit when she had passed her test, however, he bought her an X19 and told her that once she had mastered it, he would get her the Lotus. Not sure how true this is, but after riding motorbikes as a youngster, I wanted an open top car, so went and bought the 1500cc X19 and loved it.
Lovely little X1/9 - I was very tempted to buy a late Bertone model a few years ago. However, I know that these are very susceptible to rust, sadly. That little engine sounds wonderful!
Yes, many really nice cars of the 60s and 70s just oxidized away, a real pity 😢.
I’ve had a few of these Jack. A 1978 burnt orange 1300 with the ladder stripe decals, a 1983 five speed 1500 same colour and very similar spec to the one you tested, and a dark orange & charcoal 1986 VS (version speciale) with black leather interior. I did a 4250 mile Western European tour in the ‘83 and drove to the Algarve in the VS. They were great handling delicate cars as you say but really did need more grunt. Some people put 2 litre DOHC Lancia Beta engines in them. Very clever design as well how the targa top unclipped, rotated through 90 degrees and went under the front bonnet without significantly compromising the luggage space underneath.
Great vid. Brings back so many memories. Owned a 74 X 1/9 in the mid 80’s while in college. Paid $1,300 bucks for her. Underpowered, cheap plastic interior parts, broken window cables, two serpentine belt replacements and the list goes on. But with that said, I loved that car. So fun to drive with the targa top off around my college town. Sold her after college. I hope she had a good life. She put many smiles on my face😎
Had one of these for 3 years, driving from Huntington Beach to San Juan Capistrano every weekend to pick up my child and back! Great car!!! Now I own VW bugs... but oh that car was so much fun!!!
Back in the day... had one of these for about 5 years. Great fun especially with the targa panel removed. Lots of issues like welding for every MOT, dodgy headlight motors, constantly seizing up brake calipers, hydraulic clutch issues, etc became too much as it was used as my daily driver. It had to go... still miss it occasionally.
To be fair, it was a Fiat after all.
Ugh, the clutch hydraulics. I will never forget buying replacement clutch slave cylinders, and one of them coming out of the box with a little note of apology from the manufacturer. It said something along the lines of, "This being an Italian hydraulic part, you may have difficulty with installation, and it may not fit or actually work all that well. Please just give it a go and try to make the best of it."
Nice review Jack thank you! This was a car I coveted back in the late 80's for a first car. Alas as you say, they were few and far between, also, being 6' 1" less than practical for me. Like you say, still very cool though. Ended up with a Mk2 Scirocco instead... Happy to lend you my early 1982 example for a blast from the past for a review!
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Hi Russell,
Just came across your post. You need to get your car on here, I had an 83 single wiper which I miss dearly.
At your height you must be lying on your back, headroom was tight I remember!!
@@booradley1510 Thanks, only a handful left on the road now. My GL Auto is one of just 4 according to howmanyleft. I am in contact with Jack, just got to sort timing out... head rooms OK, just getting my daddy long legs under the wheel which is the struggle!!
I had the original 1300cc version (best IMO) and 2 1500cc versions. Absolute lovely car. Miss it so much.
I had two X1/9's. The first was a '74 that I bought in the spring of 1978. It was rusting badly by that time, but I didn't care it was a blast to drive. A year later I convinced my Father to co-sign on a loan for a new 1979 model at a mind blowing 18 percent interest. I was 20 years old and thought I was Joe Cool!
I've owned a mk1 and mk2. Both owned when they were everyday cars. So both cheap to buy. I thought the mk1 was a better car as it felt more raw
This baby can outcorner virtually every modern car, IF you can drive properly. The point where a modern car activates his auto correct system is the limit. A that speed the X1/9 hasn´t even started the fun yet 😄 Even if the new car has an assist mode that can be switched off, it is totaly helpless vs the X1/9. This is Lotus Elise / Mazda Miata terrain, don´t even attempt to follow these in a corner, you´ll be in trouble...
Way back in 1982 (I was 19 years old) a buddy of mine had X 1/9 marketed by Bertone when fiat left the US market. It was a blast to drive. One late night I was behind the wheel driving on a twisty river valley parkway when we encountered a Chevy citation of all things going slowly, under the speed limit. I got a clearing and proceeded to pass when the citation driver took umbrage with my decision. Of course he floored it and we wound up neck and neck going way too fast as I pulled ahead and merged back into the proper lane. Knowing there was a coming more than 90° tight S bend coming, my buddy said “you can take this at fifty mph - I’ve done it” I was familiar with that curve but it was the 50 mph and utter blackness of night that was novel. Without further ado, and with a psycho citation hot on my tail, I lead us into that bend at 50, balancing the power steady with no acceleration or deceleration through it with a slight drift of all 4 wheels. The X 1/9 made it through the bend quite happily. The citation went straight into the woods. From the other side of the river we could see that they were able to back out of the woods apparent with bruised egos and minor sheet metal damage. Anyway it was quite exhilarating to say the least! The balance of that car was impeccable.
I’ve had mine ( a 1988 SE) since 2006, and it was given to me by my godmother, at 29,000miles, who had it new as a Christmas present. Fantastically fun and engaging to drive and practical too for a holiday in France etc.
Super vid Jack! Hairdressers car? Yes I used the say that too. Until I drove one. One of the very few cars that can be driven flat without the driver getting into trouble. Like a Fulvia, the X1/9 dances on the ashfelt. It really is a sensation to savour. There is no modern production car that offers this level of feedback. Not even a S7. Maybe an Atom?? The Camen comes close but is marred by its power steering. We have read the same books Jack. Well done. Bw from the Forest of Blackness in Germany.
I've got a black 1987 model. Its not about the speed as you say, its about the style and feel. Shame they never made a new version, or maybe an electric one?
Great car, drove one once briefly and loved it. But as an affordable mid-engined car, the Matra M530 predates the X1/9 by about five years.
I love these cars, and what a great specimen this is! I’m currently rebuilding a 1980 X1/9. When I bought it in 2013, it had its engine replaced with a 1.5 Ritmo engine, and it never really wanted to rev, it overheated, suffered from vapour lock, had nackered seats, some rust started to develop in the footwells. So I decided to strip it and do an engine swap with an Uno Turbo engine (which delivers a whopping 105 bhp, and a lot more torque than the NA 1.3). I found a decent one, had it fully rebuilt and now I’m saving up to have the body done properly (de-lackered, de-rusted, some minor welding - it’s almost rust-free - and then coated and painted). The seats have already been re-upholstered, so as “soon” as the body is done, I can start assembling again. I hope to have the car on the road before the end of 2025 :-)
working in a specialist sports car garage in my youth I got to drive quite a few exotic cars including the original Dino, Ghibli Alfetta GTV etc but it was the X1/9 that stole my heart. they look great, drive like a gokart, are very tunable and because of the FIAT 128 underpinnings are cheap to keep on the road. cracking fun little cars
Cool car but something about its shape/proportions are just wrong to me it looks awkward in a way that the Mk1 MR2 just doesnt... can't put my finger on what it is. Still a lovely old thing though! Love the interior :)
taking off the huge absorbing bumpers and adding some nice quarter bumpers in chrome from an old say 500 /mg improve the looks a lot.Oh and I had the orang colour variant of that pattern seats in my second bug, ahh memories.Oh , and all the hairdressers(good ones at least) around here drove Supras,Celicas and mitsi GTO's! heehee
Those 5 mph bumpers spoiled its looks; the earlier model looked much sweeter.
for me its the OPPOSITE, something just looks jarring to me with the first gen MR2. The Bertone Fiat was a little sex pot!
Has one in the eighties. Red with a black top. Lovely little car. Problem was it kept stopping on the highway for no apparent reason. Starting again when it felt like it. The main dealer never found out why.
Sounds like an electrical short.
My guess is the electronic ignition module
Yes. I absolutely loved mine, back in the day. Maybe because I was young, but it was certainly one of the most fun cars I owned. So glad you liked it too. Nice one Jack!
I had a 1981 metallic black X1/9, it was the second car I owned in my late teens. I have never had a car since that was as much fun to drive, especially in the summer with the roof off.
My brother had one of these way back in the day, and I remember that it was in the garage more often than it was on the road.
I had one in my 20’s for a few years and it was a cracking car. Trouble was it needed the 2 litre twin cam lump desperately. The MR2 came along and was everything the x19 should have been.
This channel just keeps getting better. Deserves many more subscribers ..
I miss mine had it in college, 79-80. I think it was a 75. Yellowish orange paint with the black stripe on the sides with the cutout X 1/9 in the body color. So much fun on country roads and in fields with my girlfriend. Had to have both doors open, top stored and a small pillow on the parking brake.