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Fiat X1/9
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The Fiat X1/9 is a two-seater mid-engined sports car designed by Bertone and built by Fiat until 1982 and Bertone between 1982 and 1989. Production lasted from 1972 to 1989 with the first official right-hand drive variant arriving in 1976. The Fiat X1/9 was the first affordable mass produced mid-engined sports car to employ the revolutionary use of a complete transverse Fiat 128 FWD engine and gearbox package in a mid-mounted RWD position (a solution later employed by other budget mid engined sports cars).
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Encyclopedia
The Fiat X1/9 is a two-seater mid-engined sports car designed by Bertone and built by Fiat until 1982 and Bertone between 1982 and 1989. Production lasted from 1972 to 1989 with the first official right-hand drive variant arriving in 1976. The Fiat X1/9 was the first affordable mass produced mid-engined sports car to employ the revolutionary use of a complete transverse Fiat 128 FWD engine and gearbox package in a mid-mounted RWD position (a solution later employed by other budget mid engined sports cars). The X1/9 was considered to have excellent handling, and was amongst the first cars to meet the abandoned late 60s U.S. safety regulations.
Pre-production
History
The X1/9 started life in 1969 as a show concept car called the Autobianchi A112 Runabout, with styling by Bertone under chief designer Marcello Gandini. It was designed around the all-new 128 SOHC engine and gearbox (transmission) from the front wheel drive Fiat 128, but used these parts in a radical way, moving the entire transverse drive train and suspension assembly from the front of the 128 to the rear of the Autobianchi Runabout, giving a mid-engined layout.
Concept car
The prototype car featured a distinctive wedge shape and took many styling cues from contemporary power-boat design. Though the more extreme features of the Runabout such as the C pillar mounted headlights and the small wind-deflector windscreen were lost for the production car, many aesthetic features of the Autobianchi Runabout are readily identifiable on the X1/9. The long flat bonnet (hood) with central indentation, the large front overhang, the wedge shape with prominent C pillar roll-over hoop and the car-length indented plimsoll-line all made the successful transition to the X1/9, giving it a highly distinctive appearance.
Once developed for production, the two-seater featured sharp-edged styling with a wedge shape, pop-up headlights and a removable hard top roof panel (targa top) which could be stowed in the front boot.
Name
The X1/9 name stands out amongst the contemporary FIAT automobile names for not conforming to the standard (at the time) numerical designations. FIATs of the time were named using a basic numerical system (127, 128, 124, 131 etc) denoting their relative position in the current model line-up, with the X1/9 being the lone exception to this rule.
The name stems from the codenames employed by FIAT for their new development projects during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The 'X' projects were subcategorised as X0 (for engines), X1 (for passenger vehicles) and X2 (for commercial vehicles). The first passenger-vehicle developed with this code (X1/1) was released as the FIAT 128 in 1969; other known vehicle-codes are shown in the table below. Though originally envisioned as the '128 Spider', the X1/9 uniquely retained its prototype code through to production.
Production
After a high level of interest was shown in the Runabout concept, the car was rapidly produced for release in 1972 to replace the aging 850 Spider by Bertone. It was not intended as a replacement for the 124 Sport Spider and production of the 124 Spider and X1/9 continued in parallel for much of the X1/9's life. The car's monocoque body was produced at the Bertone factory in Torino (Turin) and then transported across town to the FIAT's famous Lingotto factory for the installation of the engine and final assembly. In 1982, shortly after the introduction of the 1500 model, complete production of the car was devolved to Bertone and all cars produced from that point were badged as the Bertone X1/9. Bertone badged chassis were slightly different than earlier models in that the footwells were dropped a few inches to enhance legroom and sitting comfort for persons taller than the original design target.
The first models featured a 75 bhp (56 kW) 1290 cc single overhead cam engine with an aluminium head. In this form, the car had less than dramatic performance, hampered somewhat by the surprisingly heavy body shell. The weight largely stems from the immense strength of the bodyshell, built to give the car the same crash resistance in US crash tests as a sedan. Ironically while the X1/9 passed these tests, many standard US models of the day failed them, and eventually the test criteria were relaxed. However, the design was complete by then and so the bodyshell stiffness is considerable for a car of its type, and it also allows power plants of much greater power to be fitted without modification of the standard shell.
For the U.S. market, additional emission control equipment and large safety bumpers were added, which sapped performance even more — an increase of engine capacity to 1498 cc with 85 bhp (63 kW) partially dealt with this. While the engine itself was widely regarded as a fine design, the fact was that the car was rather heavy for its power (though light by modern standards) at about , despite its small size and sports car aspirations.
The last production models were named the Gran Finale and sold over the 1989/1990 period. They were a dealer modification of the Special Edition (commonly abbreviated to SE) of 1988/1989, with the addition of a rear spoiler and Gran Finale badges.
Racing
Due to its mid-engined layout, and associated handling advantages, the X1/9 was naturally predisposed to development as a competition vehicle; though this potential was never fully realised.
Abarth
The FIAT subsidiary Abarth, in 1973, developed the Abarth X1/9 Prototipo to replace the 124 Spider Abarth as FIAT's main rally car. Ultimately, though technically inferior and slower, the parallel 131 Abarth project was chosen over the X1/9 as the main rally competition platform as the 131 model had a wider market (and therefore more marketing appeal).
The X1/9 Prototipo used an 1840 cc engine (a bored 1600 cc 124 derived unit) with a custom 16v cylinder head fed by twin 44 mm Weber IDF carburettors. Externally the cars sported flared wheel-arches, a small "duck tail" spoiler and an F1 style air intake designed to feed the carburettors cool air from above the cars roof. All the X1/9 Prototipos were raced in the traditional Abarth lime-green/yellow and orange/pink colour scheme.
The prototype nature of the X1/9 Prototipo project means that the exact number of cars produced is impossible to define. Components and entire body-shells were routinely swapped and replaced as part of the development process, but it is believed that 5 genuine cars were produced.
Dallara
In 1975 the X1/9 was chosen by Dallara to enter the World Championship for Makes (in the Group 5 Special Production class). The car featured a modified X1/9 engine with a custom 16v cylinder-head and fundamental suspension and body/monocoque alterations, the most obvious of which are the massively flared wheel-arches and the over-sized rear wing.
Technical information
Paint codes
Paint codes for Mica Red (408) and Mica Blue (407) (1988 to 1989) are not listed in Fiat paint catalogues (they are Bertone colours) but are listed in Volvo paint catalogues. The colours used on the contemporary Volvo 780 are identical to those used on the X1/9 (even using the same 408/407 codes) as the two cars were produced, and painted, by Bertone in the same factory at the same time.
FIAT and Bertone Paint Codes| Year | Description | Code | Name | | 74-76 | Green | 358 | - | | 74 | Yellow | 272 | - | | 74 | Blue | 426 | - | | 74 | Orange-Red | 474 | - | | 75-76 | Yellow | 297 | Giallo | | 75 | Green | 397 | - | | 77-78 | Metallic Green | 390 | - | | 77-78 | Metallic Orange | 190 | - | | 77-80 | Metallic Blue | 447 | - | | 78-81 | Yellow | 275 | - | | 78-82 | Metallic Black | 813 | Nero Met | | 78-83 | Orange-Red | 171 | Rosso Arancio | | 79-80 | Metallic Light Red | 853 | Rosso Met | | 79-81 | Gold | 589 | - | | 80-81 | Silver | 656 | Argenti | | 80-81 | Metallic Mid Blue | 835 | - | | 82-85 | Silver over Metallic Charcoal | 656 / 900 | Argenti / Grigio Scuro Met | | 83 | Yellow over Black | ? / ? | - | | 84-85 | Metallic Champagne over Metallic Brown | 866 / 791 | Colorado Brown Met / Dark African Sand Met | | 85-86 | Red over Metallic Charcoal | 171 / 900 | Rosso / Grigio Scuro Met | | 85-86 | Metallic Light Blue over Metallic Mid Blue | 872 / 835 | Polar Ice Met / Blue Met | | 86-87 | Black | 601 | Nero | | 86-87 | Metallic Red | 861 | - | | 86-87 | Metallic Taupe over Black | 809 / 601 | Grigio Chiaro Met / Nero | | 86-87 | Red over Black | 886 / 601 | Rosso / Nero | | 86-88 | Red | 886 | Rosso | | 87 | Metallic Light Blue | 881 | Azzuro Met | | 88 | Metallic Grey (Gunmetal) | 224.668-039B | Grigio Metalizzato | | 88-89 | Yellow | 572.225-113B | Giallo Cerdo | | 88-89 | White | 574.064-474B | Bianco Cassablanca | | 88-89 | Red | 574.183-535L | Rosso Karmin Rot | | 88-89 | Metallic Dark Red (Mica Red) | 224.129-408B | Rosso Micalizzato | | 88-89 | Metallic Dark Blue (Mica Blue) | 224.845-407B | Blu Micalizzato |
Criticism
The X1/9 was not properly developed for production, and a reputation for problems dogged the model throughout its remarkably long life. The confined space of the engine compartment meant that routine maintenance was often skipped, and it also led to problems with overheating. A cooling fan was added for the carburetor, which otherwise would get so hot fuel would vaporize in the float chamber, leading to fuel starvation. Early models were also prone to premature rusting to an extent that it endangered the security of the steering rack. There were problems with rapid wear of the transmission, and, in particular, failure of the reverse gear.
Despite its mid-engined configuration, weight distribution was not perfect; the normally excellent handling soon worsened with wet or slippery conditions as the front wheels could struggle to gain grip under the relatively light front end of the car.
In contrast to these mundane problems, the car was respected by those in the know for its tremendously good handling and dynamic qualities which made it a joy to drive and a real driver's car. One motoring review of the car after a 12,000 mile (19,000 km) test consisted simply of three words: "A baby Ferrari". Enthusiasts of the marque also took the standard lack of power into their own hands, and a popular do-it-yourself conversion was to transplant a 2.0 L Lancia DOHC engine, boosting the car's performance tremendously. Replacing the solid front brake rotors with vented Lancia parts was another common modification. A more modern alternative is the Uno Turbo engine (MK1), which is an easier, straight forward engine swap. Also the Uno turbo's vented brakes make an easy upgrade.
The removable hardtop, although not heavy, could be awkward for some people to remove and replace until the proper technique was worked out. Conveniently, it could be stored in the front luggage compartment which had fittings designed to secure it. There was an aftermarket top made by Saratoga which was made of lightweight polycarbonate, and had the additional advantage of being transparent.
The car had a reputed propensity to rapidly rust under all but the most desiccated of conditions. Although many contemporary manufacturers vehicles suffered similarly, Fiat's problems were hyped by competitors (eg, the X1/9's contemporaries such as Fords in the UK suffered badly from rust, but somehow never got the same reputation).
See also
Footnotes
External links
- - A discussion board dedicated to the Fiat / Bertone X1/9 and available to all enthusiasts worldwide
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- - X1/9 Automobili North America
- - SeattleX19, NW USA Club
- - All about the first X1/9 racecar from Scuderia Filipinetti
- - History by Tobias Berger
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