RE: SOTW: Fiat X1/9
Discussion
Some people are looking at the X19 through rose tinted glasses or with a huge tinge of sentimentality.
Other than looking pretty they were a complete heap of junk (like most Italian cars of the era). Rust everywhere, non-existant electrics, weak mechanicals... I'd understand people getting wet knickers about them if they were awesome to drive (they weren't), but as tvrolet recalls below, they were a shed when they were new, never mind 30 years later...
what an absolute shed
this thing bled me dry
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.
If it was mechanical is tended to break too.
If it was metal it rusted.
Other than looking pretty they were a complete heap of junk (like most Italian cars of the era). Rust everywhere, non-existant electrics, weak mechanicals... I'd understand people getting wet knickers about them if they were awesome to drive (they weren't), but as tvrolet recalls below, they were a shed when they were new, never mind 30 years later...
tvrolet said:
what an absolute shed
this thing bled me dry
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.
If it was mechanical is tended to break too.
If it was metal it rusted.
Edited by tvrolet on Friday 18th May 11:23
Ah...fond memories of Italian steel.
"This car is a series of conjoined holes. There is a minor outbreak of steel around some of the corrosion but this will soon disappear."
I think all Italian car owners of this era got fed up and bought something solid. I swopped an Alfa for a Saab and my mate swopped his X1/9 for a plastic Lotus.
"This car is a series of conjoined holes. There is a minor outbreak of steel around some of the corrosion but this will soon disappear."
I think all Italian car owners of this era got fed up and bought something solid. I swopped an Alfa for a Saab and my mate swopped his X1/9 for a plastic Lotus.
Ah, the Fiat X/19. One of those cars that everyone should own if only for one of life's great experiences; the surprise of not knowing if it will start in the morning, crazy electrics, questionable gearchange, and the decidedly phalic shaped gear lever...the girls loved this.
Owned a metallic blue one of these in the 80's. It was a right little screamer and had hours of fun with it. Driven everywhere with roof off, with Boston, Billy Idol, Simple Minds and Island Records Greatest Hits albums being played very loudly.
Bought from an RAF Officer, I have two distinct memories, 1. going backwards into a cornfield at 70mph; we all survived, and 2. managing a number of successful "home runs" with an ex-girlfriend. For the X/19 virgins out there, this is only do-able in with the windows open...though the rear boot and engine cover provide excellent "ride height" and "ledge-ability"
I wish best of luck to whomever buys this SOTW...you'll have a lot of fun
Owned a metallic blue one of these in the 80's. It was a right little screamer and had hours of fun with it. Driven everywhere with roof off, with Boston, Billy Idol, Simple Minds and Island Records Greatest Hits albums being played very loudly.
Bought from an RAF Officer, I have two distinct memories, 1. going backwards into a cornfield at 70mph; we all survived, and 2. managing a number of successful "home runs" with an ex-girlfriend. For the X/19 virgins out there, this is only do-able in with the windows open...though the rear boot and engine cover provide excellent "ride height" and "ledge-ability"
I wish best of luck to whomever buys this SOTW...you'll have a lot of fun
I had one very briefly in my late 20s. I recall it had a fabulous driving position, much better than a Ferrari 328 that I once sat in. It was very nicely balanced, but cried out for a bit more uuumph.
Sold it after just six months to a kid who worked at Burtons. He turned up to collect it in his other car - an old Rolls Royce.
I then bumped into him one day, about a year later. Aparently the engine had completely lunched itself after only a few weeks. He replaced it himself with one from a scrappy and was quite happy with it.
In fairness, it's not even close to the top of my list of cars I wish I'd never sold.
Nice enough though, and very reasonable for the money.
Good shed. Happy memories.
Sold it after just six months to a kid who worked at Burtons. He turned up to collect it in his other car - an old Rolls Royce.
I then bumped into him one day, about a year later. Aparently the engine had completely lunched itself after only a few weeks. He replaced it himself with one from a scrappy and was quite happy with it.
In fairness, it's not even close to the top of my list of cars I wish I'd never sold.
Nice enough though, and very reasonable for the money.
Good shed. Happy memories.
Interesting shed but not for me, when I was selling fiats we had one in as a potential part exhange on an Uno Turbo - while the guy looking to buy the Uno Turbo was out on test drive I ran the X1/9 round to the workshop to stick it on the 4 post ramp and have a quick look underneath
4 Post was in use so put it on the 2 post........
It didn't end well :-(
Still the guy got a great deal on an Uno Turbo.
4 Post was in use so put it on the 2 post........
It didn't end well :-(
Still the guy got a great deal on an Uno Turbo.
My first car was a white X1/9 (it was the 80's) 
Brilliant design. Targa roof, two boots, and a full size spare wheel.....all in a car no bigger than my Elise.
Electrics were a pain though, nothing ever worked properly. Bodywork wise it was rust mostly held together with paint and fiberglass. I'm glad I never crashed it.
Brilliant design. Targa roof, two boots, and a full size spare wheel.....all in a car no bigger than my Elise.
Electrics were a pain though, nothing ever worked properly. Bodywork wise it was rust mostly held together with paint and fiberglass. I'm glad I never crashed it.
I had two of these, the first looked just like the one in the ad (20 years ago) and was pretty good for a while, went and handled really well, impressed girls my age who had never seen anything like it when all the other guys had Capris - It was wrecked in a head-on with a Granada Scorpio (due to its driver being asleep at the wheel) and didn't fold up and kill me in the impact, which was nice!
I had another a few years later, but it was a dog with thicker paint than metal in most places - Swept up the pile of bits and binned it eventually.
I did like the plug-in handle that was supplied in the glovebox to work the electric windows when they inevitably expired....
t tyres presumably, as for all their stereotypical italian rubbish electrics and self-oxidising bodywork they are supposed to have excellent handling?Exactly - The one thing it did do well was corner!
I had another a few years later, but it was a dog with thicker paint than metal in most places - Swept up the pile of bits and binned it eventually.
I did like the plug-in handle that was supplied in the glovebox to work the electric windows when they inevitably expired....
Twincam16 said:
I had one ... because it's a targa-roof, you have to check the weather forecast every time you decide to drive it any distance with the roof off as you can't just pull over and pop it on.
The roof fits under the front boot-lid and can be fitted by one person - Not a modern powered roof, but not impossiblehidetheelephants said:
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?Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff