Monday 7th March 2005

Fiat rolls out X1/99 concept

'Baby Ferrari' overdue for renewal?

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Fiat may be about to revive the lovely little mid-engined X1/9, seen at the time of its original launch as a baby Ferrari. One of a number of concepts the troubled Italian car maker has rolled out, the car seen at the Geneva show last week is based on a Punto platform, is similar in size to the original, and sports a folding hard-top by Webasto. The car's Punto underpinnings mean of course that any production version will be front-engined but at least it's likely to offer a tad more luggage space that the original's miniscule offering.

Few other details are available, but an update of this minor classic is surely well overdue.

X1/99 pictures: www.channel4.com/4car/gallery/motorshow/2005-geneva/gallery04.html

[lockup]

Hardly a revival of a lovely little mid-engined car to put a folding roof on a Punto... or am I missing something?

[dinkel]

pistonheads said:

The car's Punto underpinnings mean of course that any production version will be front-engined but at least it's likely to offer a tad more luggage space that the original's miniscule offering.

Fwd will be rwd when the frontwheels become rearwheels . . . just reverse the thing.

Doing this they can go back to the drawingboard and design a PROPER follow up: This looks like a Focus ffs . . .

www.jalopnik.com/cars/concept-cars/turin-design-students-create-fiat-x19-concept-033939.php

www.network54.com/Forum/387192

Maybe they should fusion with the new Stratos design . . .

[britten_mark]

Thats funny, it looks nothing like an X-1/9 OR a baby current Ferrari. Wonder where they made the association? The Hyundai Coupe is more of an evocation of the 456 by comparison!

[v8thunder]

Looks a bit like that Hrabalek Stratos concept, actually. Then again, both were designs fron Bertone's golden age, and I've always thought the X1/9 looks more baby Stratos than Ferrari.

[mr_tony]

Looks pretty cool to me and would make a great runabout for the summer Lets hope they make it!

[annodomini2]

Looks lovely! Sort the build quality out and I might think about one!

[annodomini2]

Looks lovely! Sort the build quality out and I might think about one!

[annodomini2]

Looks lovely! Sort the build quality out and I might think about one!

[shoestring7]

Beg to differ; the X1/9 has a bloody great front boot (big enough to take the unfolded roof lying on the top) and another good size one behind the engine. The latter has the advantage of being gently heated by the exhaust so keeps your Korma warm.

Perhaps Ted was confusing it with a Testarossa?

SS7

[Tuna]

Um.. (responding to Ted's article) actually the X1/9's luggage capacity is second to none - usable front and rear boots, unlike most other mid-engined cars of it's time, or since. Besides being a great little car, it's layout was inspired.

The pictures don't look anything like it, and really it sounds like Fiat want a Punto equivalent to the Pergeot 206cc. If this were genuinely a follow up to the X1/9, we would be in MR2 territory.

>> Edited by Tuna on Monday 7th March 16:11

[philbob]

YUMMY!
Please make it rwd, otherwise whats the point!!
Fwd would mean less people would buy it. Make it into a targa? There would be some good specials.

[planetdave]

If you use Punto gear shirley it is another Barchetta?

Except not quite so boaty IYSWIM

[longq]

Is that an air-brake on the roof?

If it has any performance it may need one. Punto brakes are not inspiring.

[speedsix20]

Fiat doesn't have much to do with this concept apart from the fact that they granted the right to use the Fiat badge.

It's basically a final year project undertaken by the transportation design students of Torino based Istituto Europeo di Design. At the Geneva show, it's exhibited on their stand, not on Fiat's.

I.E.D's website www.ied.it/



>> Edited by speedsix20 on Monday 7th March 15:23

[vetteheadracer]

My mum had one of the originals and she loved it, I drove it once and hated it, the pedals were so far offset to the left it felt like you were driving a set of lefthand drive pedals on a righthand drive car.

[klassiekerrally]

I don't think this would be a worthy successor...
Not special enough IMHO.

[Tuna]

vetteheadracer said:

My mum had one of the originals and she loved it, I drove it once and hated it, the pedals were so far offset to the left it felt like you were driving a set of lefthand drive pedals on a righthand drive car.

You are a very strange man

[M@H]

Tuna said:

Um.. (responding to Ted's article) actually the X1/9's luggage capacity is second to none - usable front and rear boots, unlike most other mid-engined cars of it's time, or since. Besides being a great little car, it's layout was inspired.

Basically it was the same as the Porsche 914..

[vrooom]

Nooooooooooooo to concept car. The whole point of "re-production car" is to re-make them in similar style and similar handling characteristc? like BMW mini and classic mini, VW beetle and new beetle. fiat 500, and new fiat 500 so on.

But that new X19 DONT look anything like thier old X19. so scrap that concept.

[t1grm]

Not quite got the style of the original version though has it? Just looks like a chopped Punto to me. Vauxhall Tigra anyone?