The vendor of at the moment’s Good Worth or No Cube Fiat X1/9 claims it’s “cosmetically very authentic, however has fairly just a few good modifications.” Let’s see if we like the value or if it wants some adjustments.
For those who’ve ever been informed to “gradual your roll,” it may not have been an admonishment however a suggestion to purchase the 1982 Peugeot 505 turbo diesel we checked out final Friday. With a zero to sixty time within the higher teenagers, that Pug isn’t going to win many races. However at simply $2,500, it did win our appreciation and a 72 p.c Good Worth victory within the voting.
Gradual because it is likely to be, the 505’s good-looking Pininfarina styling ensures everyone enjoys the view because it trundles alongside. Right now’s 1980 Fiat X1/9 is one other gradual automobile with nice styling, though its attractiveness come from the home of Bertone and styling legend Marcello Gandini. Not solely is it a looker—the wedge of cheese styling seems simply as contemporary at the moment because it did when new—but it surely’s additionally a masterclass in packaging design.
Fiat invented the fashionable design for FWD automobiles, using a transverse engine and end-on gearbox that sends energy to the entrance wheels by unequal-length half shafts. Fiat first examined this structure within the Autobianchi Primula and took it mainstream within the 128. The X1/9 was the primary manufacturing sports activities automobile to take a transverse FWD drivetrain and transfer it to the again, making for a rear mid-engine structure.
The innovation doesn’t cease there, both. As small because the X1/9 is, it nonetheless manages to have each entrance and rear trunks, a detachable Targa roof that shops within the entrance trunk, and homes its gasoline tank and spare tire throughout the wheelbase, each mounted vertically sandwiched between the cabin and the engine compartment. It’s like a magical Bento Field on wheels.
This 63,175-mile instance gives the entire later version’s updates—an even bigger 1.5-liter fuel-injected engine, improved inside, and better-integrated bumpers—and has loved a slew of labor undertaken to make it a straightforward turn-key collectible.
A few of these updates are laudable, whereas just a few are open to query. The rebuilt engine, refreshed gearbox, resprayed paint, and upgraded brakes are excessive on the need column. On the opposite facet of the desk, there’s the seemingly kludged-together engine administration system that leverages a Megasquirt controller for gasoline injection and an digital ignition driver from Ford. Prime that off with a catalytic converter delete, and choices change into restricted concerning the place this Fiat might be simply registered and meet smog requirements.
If that isn’t a problem in your neck of the woods, then this little X1/9 has heaps to supply. It seems to be beautiful in its ruby pink paint and Cromodora alloys. The one apparent visible blight on the outside appears to be some waviness within the rubber snood across the entrance bumper, which provides the automobile a little bit of a sneer.
Within the cabin, issues look amazingly intact and alluring, one thing outstanding since, traditionally, X1/9 interiors tended to have the sturdiness of institutional rest room paper. Nothing right here exhibits extreme put on, and the colour combo completely compliments the outside hue. It even nonetheless has the goofy beer faucet shift knob for the five-speed that’s not exceptionally snug to make use of however does look all artsy-fartsy. X1/9-branded mats maintain the carpet clear however look misplaced as a result of their contrasting coloration.
In keeping with the vendor, who’s an X1/9 aficionado, the automobile’s quirks embrace some minor clear coat points, carpet put on underneath the accelerator pedal, and, most notably, an occasional subject with the Frankenstein gasoline injection that requires a restart to quiet down. Apparently, that might be cured with some remapping of the Megasquirt controller, however good luck discovering somebody to sort out doing that.
When it was in manufacturing, the X1/9 outlived its maker, Fiat, within the U.S. market by greater than half a decade. Fiat pulled up stakes right here in 1982, however the X1/9 continued on, independently imported by Malcolm Bricklin (sure, that man) and marketed as a Bertone till 1989. By 1990, sizzling hatches and, actually, the debut of Mazda’s MX5 Miata spelled the tip for the X1/9.
Right now, these are thought-about minor classics and could be a wonderful and inexpensive technique to get right into a enjoyable, collectible automobile with out breaking the financial institution. Would this one match the invoice at its $12,000 asking value?
What do you say? Is {that a} whole lot, and do the mods assist or harm this X1/9’s possibilities at that asking value?
You determine!
Seattle, Washington, Craigslist, or go right here if the advert disappears.
H/T to RevUnlimiter for the hookup!
Assist me out with NPOND. Hit me up at [email protected] and ship me a fixed-price tip. Bear in mind to incorporate your Kinja deal with.
