RE: SOTW: Fiat X1/9
Discussion
I had one of the early one of these in around 1980 in blue with the stepladder style black logo down the side and the small bumpers - definitely the best looking of all the models. Some really clever bits of design in there to really optimise the space - spare wheel behind driver's seat, roof fits in the bonnet 'boot' above the luggage space etc., extra boot behind the engine. But what an absolute shed. I was a young lad at the time - first job - first 'decent' car - first house - getting married - and this thing bled me dry. It gave me nightmares about how I could make ends meet and keep the thing running - and it never worked long enough to sell it and get any sort of value back out of it.
If it was electrical it broke, burnt out or generally needed replacement. This included a battery actually half exploding when the regulator failed; and being in the bonnet 'boot' it sprayed acid all over my best jacket I had in in there peppering it with little holes.
If it was mechanical is tended to break too. Gearbox gave up - twice. Problems with the steering too. Biggest fright was finding out there was nothing in the design actually holding the front pads in, other than them being too thin to slip out between the caliper and the disk...only when the disk gets worn a bit and the pad is low too - it pops out under heavy braking. Very luckily there was nothing coming at the junction I coasted through without being able to stop with a dead brake pedal. Oh, and the handbrake never worked either.
And the rust - jeez the rust. If it was metal it rusted.
In the end on one of my regular trips to the local scrappy to get more bits to keep it running I noticed they had a rolled X1/9 Lido, which apart form being fairly flat (although the rool hoop had stood up pretty well) looked in good nick and was a good few years newer than mine. I ended up buying the wreck from the breakers and built one car out of the best of the two - my bodyshell patched up, and the Lido engine, running gear and interior. Sold it as soon as I got it back on the road, and never breathed a bigger sigh of relief selling a car before or since.
Still, they looked nice and had some great designed touches.....
If it was electrical it broke, burnt out or generally needed replacement. This included a battery actually half exploding when the regulator failed; and being in the bonnet 'boot' it sprayed acid all over my best jacket I had in in there peppering it with little holes.
If it was mechanical is tended to break too. Gearbox gave up - twice. Problems with the steering too. Biggest fright was finding out there was nothing in the design actually holding the front pads in, other than them being too thin to slip out between the caliper and the disk...only when the disk gets worn a bit and the pad is low too - it pops out under heavy braking. Very luckily there was nothing coming at the junction I coasted through without being able to stop with a dead brake pedal. Oh, and the handbrake never worked either.
And the rust - jeez the rust. If it was metal it rusted.
In the end on one of my regular trips to the local scrappy to get more bits to keep it running I noticed they had a rolled X1/9 Lido, which apart form being fairly flat (although the rool hoop had stood up pretty well) looked in good nick and was a good few years newer than mine. I ended up buying the wreck from the breakers and built one car out of the best of the two - my bodyshell patched up, and the Lido engine, running gear and interior. Sold it as soon as I got it back on the road, and never breathed a bigger sigh of relief selling a car before or since.
Still, they looked nice and had some great designed touches.....
Edited by tvrolet on Friday 18th May 11:23
JayTee94 said:
I like it.
My dad had a 1986 Fiat X1/9. It was a great car...until the exhaust fell off.
My mate had one when we were doing our A levels. 1500 twin carb in red. I loved it. His exhaust also fell off and for 3 weeks, I could hear him come to pick me up from so far away that I knew I had time to get ready before he arived! My dad had a 1986 Fiat X1/9. It was a great car...until the exhaust fell off.
Fond memories of him pulling out of a junction in front of some school girls in the snow (roof off for some reason) and the back end wiping out and smashing into the curb. He lost half an alloy wheel as a result. :-)
I always thought I was going to die when in my mates one! 
They'd lose the tail just driving round a roundabout at normal speeds.
You always thought lorries were gonna run you over as they couldn't see you
No headroom if you're over 5ft 4" unless the roof was out.
Utterly unreliable.
Rust like hell.
Would I have one? In a flash!
Weird, quirky, unreliable, dangerous even. But a hell of a lot of fun!
They'd lose the tail just driving round a roundabout at normal speeds.
You always thought lorries were gonna run you over as they couldn't see you
No headroom if you're over 5ft 4" unless the roof was out.
Utterly unreliable.
Rust like hell.
Would I have one? In a flash!
Weird, quirky, unreliable, dangerous even. But a hell of a lot of fun!
Morningside said:
newdogg06 said:
I put one of those steering wheels on my Strada. It went twice as fast then.
I know someones two door that ripped the mounts off the drivers seat and left holes in the floor where they were supposed to be bolted.Crow555 said:
The X1/9 has been SOTW before has it not? My brother has been attempting to restore one of these but put it on the back burner to do a TR7 DH instead.
Masochism! Your brother have a thing for rusty wedges? Geoffcapes said:
I always thought I was going to die when in my mates one!
They'd lose the tail just driving round a roundabout at normal speeds.
sThey'd lose the tail just driving round a roundabout at normal speeds.
t tyres presumably, as for all their stereotypical italian rubbish electrics and self-oxidising bodywork they are supposed to have excellent handling?Edited by hidetheelephants on Friday 18th May 11:45
loved them, I've owned 5 over the years (long time ago)
had some 1.3 with small bumpers and also the les attractive 1.5 with big bumpers.
you can also fit the Uno turbo engine in it en a 1.9 fast engine out some Fiat and more I guess.
some are very very fast, there is that (here it comes again) Israeli? very fast Bertone X1/9 with a 2.0 engine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqB5Jbed-L8
this UK? one is nice too, x1/9 with lancia volumex engine and montecarlo gearbox
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qFusNbKtvQ
had some 1.3 with small bumpers and also the les attractive 1.5 with big bumpers.
you can also fit the Uno turbo engine in it en a 1.9 fast engine out some Fiat and more I guess.
some are very very fast, there is that (here it comes again) Israeli? very fast Bertone X1/9 with a 2.0 engine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqB5Jbed-L8
this UK? one is nice too, x1/9 with lancia volumex engine and montecarlo gearbox
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qFusNbKtvQ
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