RE: Fiat X1/9 'Prototipo': Driven
Discussion
motco said:
Nerdherder said:
I'll just leave this 2L Hillclimb X1/9 here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_K_0YBwtdPM
Gorgeous! Nerdherder said:
I'll just leave this 2L Hillclimb X1/9 here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_K_0YBwtdPM
Great noise, but visually, didn't look that quick.Could be an illusion, how much power did these have?
Helicopter123 said:
Nerdherder said:
I'll just leave this 2L Hillclimb X1/9 here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_K_0YBwtdPM
Great noise, but visually, didn't look that quick.Could be an illusion, how much power did these have?
PH said:
...maybe 'innovative', too, given its transverse, mid-engined layout.
Maybe. Although not if you know that it wasn't the first transverse mid-engined car. The Miura came out in 1966, and I've no idea if that was the first, but it beats the Fiat. It wouldn't surprise me if someone made a transverse mid-engined car in the early 1900's.s m said:
Way back last millenium, a local lad used to be into his X1/9s and built a Dallara replica.
Looked great in the mirrors, like mini exotica
http://www.sfconline.org.uk/models/icsunonove/icsu...
Loved the way the numbers on the gearstick were angled at you on the normal X1/9.
The Mk1 MR2 seemed to attract a lot of X1/9 owners - there were always trade-ins at the local Toyota garage
I really like the car in the article but that front view looks stunning. Looked great in the mirrors, like mini exotica
http://www.sfconline.org.uk/models/icsunonove/icsu...
Loved the way the numbers on the gearstick were angled at you on the normal X1/9.
The Mk1 MR2 seemed to attract a lot of X1/9 owners - there were always trade-ins at the local Toyota garage
Johnny5hoods said:
Good article. Good conversation. And it's another reminder of how sports car manufacturers are moving further and further away from what enthusiasts really want. Small, light, nimble, connected to the road. Why is the Mazda MX5 the only sports car available for family hatchback money that can do all of the above things? How come no other mainstream manufacturers have even tried?
Quite agree. However, the word you used is 'enthusiasts' - and no Manufacturer is going to sign off a car just for enthusiasts. I've owned two X1/9's in my time: A standard car, and a modified, Dallara wide-bodied version - Loved them both!
In the dry, the "Dallara" was an absolute limpet on the road, and the relative lack of power meant you could use full throttle through the corners without having to worry about spinning up the 235/50/13 rear tyres. In the bends it was like a go cart, and the driver of a more powerful car behind would wonder why they were struggling to keep up.
(I did think about fitting an Alfa Romeo 3.0 V6 or even a Ferrari 2.4 V6 into it, but as with most of these types of ideas, the cost of modifying the car meant it never happened).
The standard car was also fun but in a different way. It had a lovely balance, but with the standard wheels and tyres, you didn't throw it into the corners as hard, and the brakes were more prone to locking up under heavy braking.
The basic design of the car was very much like a half sized Ferrari 308 GTS (in fact, my standard car was nick-named The Bambino Ferrari by my family, and had Scuderia Ferrari badges on her front wings [ a bit sad to some, but I didn't give a s
t what anyone else thought ] ).
One of the most surprising things about the X1/9 though, is the packaging. I'm @ 6' 2" and was still comfortable in the car (I would say though that I was at the limit of what would be comfortable - over 6' 2" and you're going to struggle).
More than that, I could take the hardtop roof off, store it under the front hood, and still carry a full set of luggage, or a family's weeks worth of shopping in there too!
Another car I've owned is a Ferrari 348 TS, and the only way I could drive that and carry a roof panel, was to find an uber rare folding soft top targa panel to put on the rear parcel shelf, and leave the factory hard top back in the garage - With the standard top behind the seats, I simply couldn't fit in the car properly (as I found out on an incredibly uncomfortable test drive! )
The front trunkin the 348 was pretty good, but I think the X1/9's front trunk could still hold a little bit more, and added to that, the X1/9 also had a rear trunk too.
In addition, unlike the Ferrari, the X1/9 didn't let water into the cabin, even in the most torrential downpour (the Ferrari seemed to specialise in dripping water onto your right arm at the slightest bit of drizzle - With either the hard top or the folding soft top fitted [i]yes, shock of shocks, my Ferrari did get driven in the rain!
] ).
Yes X1/9's does have some issues (weak gearbox synchro's and rust for a start off), and perhaps the MK1 Toyota MR2 is technically a better car, but in it's own little way, the X1/9 is a great little car, and the fact is, it was the first, easily affordable mid-engined, open top sorts car, and on top of that, it was a proper Italian car - A bambino Ferrari indeed!
In the dry, the "Dallara" was an absolute limpet on the road, and the relative lack of power meant you could use full throttle through the corners without having to worry about spinning up the 235/50/13 rear tyres. In the bends it was like a go cart, and the driver of a more powerful car behind would wonder why they were struggling to keep up.
(I did think about fitting an Alfa Romeo 3.0 V6 or even a Ferrari 2.4 V6 into it, but as with most of these types of ideas, the cost of modifying the car meant it never happened).
The standard car was also fun but in a different way. It had a lovely balance, but with the standard wheels and tyres, you didn't throw it into the corners as hard, and the brakes were more prone to locking up under heavy braking.
The basic design of the car was very much like a half sized Ferrari 308 GTS (in fact, my standard car was nick-named The Bambino Ferrari by my family, and had Scuderia Ferrari badges on her front wings [ a bit sad to some, but I didn't give a s
t what anyone else thought ] ).One of the most surprising things about the X1/9 though, is the packaging. I'm @ 6' 2" and was still comfortable in the car (I would say though that I was at the limit of what would be comfortable - over 6' 2" and you're going to struggle).
More than that, I could take the hardtop roof off, store it under the front hood, and still carry a full set of luggage, or a family's weeks worth of shopping in there too!
Another car I've owned is a Ferrari 348 TS, and the only way I could drive that and carry a roof panel, was to find an uber rare folding soft top targa panel to put on the rear parcel shelf, and leave the factory hard top back in the garage - With the standard top behind the seats, I simply couldn't fit in the car properly (as I found out on an incredibly uncomfortable test drive! )
The front trunkin the 348 was pretty good, but I think the X1/9's front trunk could still hold a little bit more, and added to that, the X1/9 also had a rear trunk too.
In addition, unlike the Ferrari, the X1/9 didn't let water into the cabin, even in the most torrential downpour (the Ferrari seemed to specialise in dripping water onto your right arm at the slightest bit of drizzle - With either the hard top or the folding soft top fitted [i]yes, shock of shocks, my Ferrari did get driven in the rain!
] ).Yes X1/9's does have some issues (weak gearbox synchro's and rust for a start off), and perhaps the MK1 Toyota MR2 is technically a better car, but in it's own little way, the X1/9 is a great little car, and the fact is, it was the first, easily affordable mid-engined, open top sorts car, and on top of that, it was a proper Italian car - A bambino Ferrari indeed!
This gives a detailed history of the X1/9 though most of the pics are b&w. Still a few copies available on Amazon
Has a chapter on the racing versions. Hadn't realised Dallara designed a bespoke 16v head for the FIAT block. It lists some of the competition successes of the Radbourne/ Steve Soper racer. My only 'project' was to convert a 4sp 1300 to a 5 sp 1500. Made it a fair bit more exciting!
Has a chapter on the racing versions. Hadn't realised Dallara designed a bespoke 16v head for the FIAT block. It lists some of the competition successes of the Radbourne/ Steve Soper racer. My only 'project' was to convert a 4sp 1300 to a 5 sp 1500. Made it a fair bit more exciting!
Edited by millen on Wednesday 16th May 22:55
SimonTheSailor said:
Just seen this today, maybe some sort of special edition with the red leather ?
That's nice, but perhaps not as it left the factory. The wheels are from the last couple of years production, but the transfer on the pillar looks like an earlier car. I think leather was available on the earlier version- pretty sure the last ones, with those wheels, all had cloth seats.Only special edition of late cars that I remember was the Gran Finale. And that had a little boot spoiler, so this is not that.
Another fan here . Only had mine for a couple of years before writing it off, though. At least it went properly- off the road in a 360 spin.
mac96 said:
That's nice, but perhaps not as it left the factory. The wheels are from the last couple of years production, but the transfer on the pillar looks like an earlier car. I think leather was available on the earlier version- pretty sure the last ones, with those wheels, all had cloth seats.
Only special edition of late cars that I remember was the Gran Finale. And that had a little boot spoiler, so this is not that.
Another fan here . Only had mine for a couple of years before writing it off, though. At least it went properly- off the road in a 360 spin.
The Gran Finale models were alcantara iirc Only special edition of late cars that I remember was the Gran Finale. And that had a little boot spoiler, so this is not that.
Another fan here . Only had mine for a couple of years before writing it off, though. At least it went properly- off the road in a 360 spin.
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