Fiat X1/9 1972-1989

BUYER'S BRIEF

There's never been a better time to buy Fiat’s brilliant little sports car

MARKET ANALYSIS

Despite being the first mid-engined car to be built in significant numbers, the X1/9 failed to shake the foundations of the UK market, where buyers were still wedded to the idea of low-tech, front engined British sport cars. For that reason, there aren’t too many examples of the little Fiat to go round.

Survivors are highly likely to have been cherished, so you should be able to drop into that little cockpit and set course for the nearest set of bends without too much concern. But if you’re on a strict budget you’ll want to make the most of it – and give yourself the best chance of it remaining affordable.

Early cars carry a premium, but beware of bodgery by somebody aiming to earn a quick buck. £1250 might get you a project car but be wary of examples needing masses of corrosion repairs. Spend around £3500 and you’ll get a runner in need of a little work. According to recent auction results, trouble-free cars are now fetching around £5000 with the very best of the best up to around ten grand – a 14,000 miler sold at CCA in September for almost £13,000.

Why you want one

Back in February 1973, our sister publication CAR magazine courageously declared the X1/9 to be ‘the most significant sports car of our time’. It reckoned the ‘Spridget-cum-Spitfire type of vehicle would be dead by the second half of the Seventies’ and that a lucrative new market would exist for something more sophisticated and sporty. While it suggested the X1/9 was ‘the kind of car that a chap who owns a Mercedes 350SL might buy his wife as a present’, it was also clear the X1/9 had a lot more going for it for the keen driver – be they male or female.

The X1/9 was launched in Italy in 1972, but didn’t arrive in the UK in right-hand drive form until 1977. The MkI can be distinguished by a shallower engine compartment lid. The first cars sold were powered by a 73bhp 1.3-litre overhead-cam four-cylinder engine designed by Ferrari engineer Aurelio Lampredi, similar to that used in the 128 Coupé. Despite four gears and low power, these early examples are the most valuable. From 1979 the X1/9 was fitted with the longer-stroke 85bhp 1.5-litre from the Ritmo/

Strada, in conjunction with a five-speed transaxle with higher overall gearing. Bertone took over production in 1982 and introduced various revisions, including electric windows, alloy wheels, tweaked floorpans, bodywork and bumpers and two-tone paint. Black mouldings and bumpers were added in 1987 and the last-of-the-line Gran Finale model, with Alcantara trim, spoiler and metallic paint, went on sale in 1989. Production ended in 1990 with a total of 163,750 made.

The Inspection

Thankfully, most of the basket cases are long gone but you will, as you'd expect, need to inspect your prospective purchase very carefully as there are plenty of rot traps. Given how poor the factory-applied rustproofing was, you’ll want to check every panel and every crevice. Having panels repaired will often be a better option than trying to replace them, because some repair panels are known to be ill-fitting. The front and rear wing bottoms, sills, door bottoms and wheelarches are the first areas to go, along with the front and rear valances. Also check the engine and luggage compartment lids plus the nose panels, the inner wings and the triple-layered front suspension turrets. The windscreen surround needs careful inspection – rust is common here and fixing it properly can be a time-consuming DIY job (around £1000+ at a specialist), because it requires removal of the interior and windscreen.

Despite its location, the engine is easier to access for servicing than you’d think. That said, join the club for all the tips and tricks. For instance, fellow members will already know how awkward setting the valve clearances is, because it’s done with shims! All X1/9 engines have a cambelt that should be replaced every four years or around 30,000 miles. Oil leaks from between the camshaft carrier and cylinder head are common, and cylinder head gasket failures are far from unusual. An erratic tickover will be a clue.

The X1/9's engine needs a lot of cooling, given its location in the car. There’s a thermostatically controlled electric fan; the nose-mounted radiator corrodes internally, and the outside gets covered in debris. The alloy cylinder head can also corrode internally if anti-freeze levels aren’t maintained, plus the steel pipes that run from the radiator to the engine can corrode inside and out. It doesn’t help that the coolant pipes that run the length of the car do so within a welded-up box section, so they’re not accessible.

The X1/9’s manual gearbox was taken from first the 128 and then the Strada/Ritmo. This means that 1.3-litre cars have four ratios while 1500s have an extra cog. The four-speed gearbox tends to last extremely well, but the five-speed unit is much less robust. Look out for particularly poor synchromesh on second and third. Spare parts are currently hard to come by, but it isn’t a complicated item, so a rebuild won’t be difficult for the experienced – or it’ll be £300 to sort via a specialist. Watch for split CV joint covers and listen for knocks that signify the joint needs to be replaced. Also, the cap-headed bolts that secure the shafts to their flanges can work loose. It’ll be obvious something is amiss from the noises coming from the rear as drive is taken up.

The rack-and-pinion steering gives no problems apart from the possibility of damaged rack gaiters. Tired front suspension ball joints are easily and cheaply replaced but those at the rear are costly to renew because they’re integral with the lower wishbone. Even used wishbones are £150 apiece; new ones are at least double this. If there are any issues in this department, they’ll be given away by rear-wheel steering and a knock from the back of the car. X1/9s originally sold in the UK were fitted with alloy wheels, and there were at least half a dozen different designs. The running gear is generally tough and very reliable, as with other Fiat models of this era. Brake calipers can seize though, along with handbrake cables on sparingly used cars. There’s no servo to go wrong and assistance isn’t needed either, the all-disc system being up to the job with excess pedal effort. Mind you, the handbrake clips on the rear calipers often seize up so that's something to look out for..

This is a 1970s car and therefore worn interior trim and brittle plastics is a way of life. Split seat trim is a common issue for the X1/9 owner – especially on the driver’s side. The seat material on early 1300 cars isn’t very hard wearing at all, the vinyl on early 1500 models can crack badly, while the later cars got tougher cloth and good quality black and red leather. The Alcantara of the Gran Finale doesn’t wear at all well, so check that carefully. On the upside, the seats can be removed and dismantled easily, which helps when it comes to keeping the cost of refurbishment down.

You should find most electrical issues have been solved on cars in good order but you may still find your headlight relays and diodes failing. The same goes for the electric window switches – and if they have manually wound windows instead, the operating cables can break. The start point for fixing these things is, as you'd expect, inspection of the fusebox, which is located in the passenger footwell. Another weak spot can be the alternator; some cars got a poor-quality Marelli item while others got a Bosch unit. Before spending any time or money on a new item, first check the security of the earthing strap on the front bulkhead yourself; it often works loose or corrodes, and reattaching or replacing it is an easy fix.

CABIN

Low-quality interior trim guarantees a challenge or two, so carefully inspect the whole cabin before you buy. Seats come out easily though, making a retrim easier.

ENGINE

The engine is easier to access for servicing than you might imagine but its location means it’s susceptible to overheating if the cooling system isn’t kept in tip-top condition.

BODYWORK

Replacement panels dried up long ago, so you need to be on the lookout for signs of bodged repairs or rust that’s likely to be a pain to fix.

USEFUL CONTACTS

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