Fiat X1/9

Fiat X1/9 Bertone X1/9 Manufacturer Fiat (1972–1982) Bertone (1982–1989) Production 1972–1989 ~150,000 produced (Fiat)[1] ~50,000 (Bertone)[1] Assembly Fiat Bertone (after 1982)[1] Predecessor Fiat 850 Spider Class Sports car / Roadster Body style(s) Two-seater targa Layout Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive Engine(s) 128.A (1290 cc) straight-4 138.B (1498 cc) straight-4 Transmission(s) 4-speed manual 5-speed manual (after 1978, with 1.5 L engine)[2] Wheelbase 2,202 mm (86.7 in)[3] Length 3,830 mm (150.8 in)[3] Width 1,570 mm (61.8 in)[3] Height 1,170 mm (46.1 in)[3] Curb weight 880 kg (1,940 lb)-962 kg (2,121 lb) Fuel capacity 47.6 L (12.6 US gal; 10.5 imp gal)[4] Related Fiat 128 Fiat Strada/Ritmo Designer Marcello Gandini at Bertone

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.^[1][5] Production lasted from 1972 to 1989 with the first official right-hand drive variant arriving in 1976.^[6] 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).^{[7][8][9][10]} 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.^[1][11]

Contents 1 Pre-production 1.1 History and packaging 1.2 Concept car 1.3 Name 2 Production 3 Racing 3.1 Abarth 3.2 Dallara 4 Technical information 4.1 Paint codes 5 Criticism 6 See also 7 Footnotes 8 External links

Pre-production

History and packaging

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 passenger cabin, directly in front of the rear axle with the manifolds on the rear face, giving a mid-engined layout. The fuel tank and spare wheel were mounted side by side ahead of the engine directly behind the seats, thus maximising the proportion of the car's weight falling within the wheelbase.^[12]

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.

FIAT Codenames

Project Code	Production Vehicle
X1/1	FIAT 128
X1/2	Autobianchi A112
X1/3	FIAT 130
X1/4	FIAT 127
X1/8	Redeveloped as X1/20[13]
X1/9	FIAT X1/9
X1/20	Lancia Montecarlo[13]
X1/38	FIAT Ritmo[14]

Production

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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 2,250 lb (1,020 kg), 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^[15]

Year	Description	Code	Name
74-76	Green	358	-
74	Yellow	272	-
74	Blue	426	-
74	Orange-Red	474	-
75-76	Yellow	297	Giallo
75-76	Sunset Orange	299	Tramonto Arancio
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

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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

• Porsche 914, a contemporary mid-engined targa two-seater.
• Matra Bagheera, a contemporary mid-engined three-seater.
• Pontiac Fiero, another mid-engined two-seater.
• Toyota MR2, another mid-engined two-seater.

Footnotes

External links

• Son of Xweb Forums - Since 1999, the world's largest English language X1/9-specific forum
• Xweb 1.0 Archives - Archives of older Xweb discussion topics, hosted on N54
• www.icsunonove.it - The Italian based X1/9 enthusiasts web site
• UK X1/9 Owners' Club - UK based owners' club with forum (paid membership required)
• Filipinetti X1/9 - All about the first X1/9 racecar from Scuderia Filipinetti
• The Bertone Runabout concept-car - History by Tobias Berger
• 1969 Bertone Runabout Information
• The Greek Fiat Bertone x1/9 Club

v • d • e « previous — Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. car timeline, European market, 1960s–1980s — next »
Type	1960s										1970s										1980s
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
City car	500												126
	600														133						Panda
Supermini					850							127												Uno
Small family car	1100									128									Ritmo										Tipo
		1300					124								131										Regata
Large family car					1500			125					132									Argenta				Croma I
Executive car		2300								130
Coupé / Roadster							Dino / 124 Sport Spider								124 Sport Spider
								124 Coupé
Sports car						850 Spider							X1/9
Panel van																		Fiorino I							Fiorino II
Compact MPV	600 Multipla
Van	600 T									850 T						900 T
	1100 BLR / ELR / I / T										238
						241									242
																				Daily*
																						Ducato I
Off-road	Campagnola (1101)														Campagnola (1107)
*Rebadged Iveco model