Fiat X1/9 at 50: celebrating Italy’s miniature supercar

By Simon Hucknall

| 22 Nov 2022

Classic & Sports Car – Fiat X1/9 at 50: celebrating Italy’s miniature supercar

When designer Marcello Gandini presented a seemingly wacky concept car called the A112 Runabout Barchetta on the Autobianchi stand at the 1969 Turin Auto Show, little could he have guessed that two decades later the road car it begat would just be going out of production.

Not only was the show car’s basic shape set to endure, but the Runabout’s racing-boat-inspired wedge profile and razor-sharp lines hinted at a brave new world in automotive design, one that had the potential to shake the mainstream sports car establishment to its core.

It just needed a visionary to realise it.

That the fundamental shape remained unchanged over the X1/9’s 17-year lifespan reaffirms the soundness of Marcello Gandini’s original design

Fortunately, that person was just around the corner.

Autobianchi had been subsumed into the Fiat empire the year before the Runabout was unveiled, and, while the concept was initially sidelined, when company chief Gianni Agnelli was shown the project in 1971, he immediately saw it as a perfect successor to the ageing, Bertone-built Fiat 850 Spider.

What’s more, the mid-engined concept car was already powered by an all-new Fiat engine, Aurelio Lampredi’s 1116cc overhead-cam ‘four’ that had recently been fitted to the company’s first front-wheel-drive model, the 128 saloon.

The stylised badging on the Fiat X1/9 1500 (front) and earlier 1300

Development was rapidly signed off for a production prototype, known as ‘X1/9’ – ‘X1’ being the generic identifier for all prototypes at the time, and ‘9’ denoting the ninth car developed under the programme – and the name stuck.

The two-seater was groundbreaking not only for its shamelessly modernist design, but because it would become the world’s first mid-engined sports car built in any significant volume.

Gandini’s design positioned the X1/9’s engine transversely behind the cabin and in front of its transaxle, providing excellent traction and a low polar moment of inertia for highly responsive handling.

The controls are delicate and superbly balanced in the original 1300

The engine was canted forward by 11º to fit snugly behind the rear bulkhead, while also liberating space for a small but well-shaped rear boot.

Commonality with the 128 extended to the X1/9’s chassis, despite the two cars’ very different configurations.

The little saloon’s MacPherson strut suspension was repurposed and located on the X1/9 by lower links and brake-reaction arms at the front, and wishbones at the rear, while retaining the 128’s unequal-length driveshafts but doing away with its anti-roll bar.

Braking was by solid discs all round, with no servo assistance.

The X1/9 carried Fiat badges until Bertone took on full production in 1981

If the X1/9 had a bugbear, it stemmed from its power – or lack of it.

We’ll come back to what effect that had on its sales shortly, but Fiat’s rationale for fitting the Lampredi engine was sound.

The production X1/9 used the larger-capacity, more powerful 1290cc unit from the 128 Coupé, which benefited from lightened pistons and conrods, bespoke exhaust and inlet manifolds, and a twin-choke Weber 32DMTR carburettor, compared to the milder 1300 fitted to the 128 Rally.

This one-owner early UK car still has its optional matching luggage

The net result was an output of 73bhp at 6000rpm, 19bhp up on the standard 1116cc unit and an 8bhp increase over the Rally.

Hardly heart-stopping, but good enough for 0-60mph in 10 secs and top speed of 106mph (though Motor’s first UK road test posted just 12.2 secs and 98mph respectively).

Performance apart, in every other respect the X1/9 was a supercar in miniature.

Judi Trow took delivery of her Metallic Green X1/9 1300 in 1977

Unlike its contemporaries, the Fiat’s route to open-topped motoring was via a removable targa-style roof that unclipped and located neatly in the front boot.

This was at a time when there was concern for the long-term prospects of soft-top cars in North America, due to safety issues.

The X1/9’s solution neatly sidestepped these, while its roof-hoop artfully disguised a roll-over bar, which combined with a stressed central tunnel and ultra-strong box-sections at the sides of the passenger cell to create an immensely safe and robust structure.

The little Fiat sits on 13in Cromodora three-spoke alloys

Impressively, it ended up being one of only two cars (the other a Volvo) to pass the new Federal 50mph head-on crash tests.

No great surprise, then, that after the X1/9’s launch 50 years ago US buyers immediately fell for its charms, with around half of the 30,000 vehicles sold in 1973 and ’74 finding buyers on the other side of the Atlantic.

And this despite Fiat eschewing the 1972 Turin motor show as a debut for the car, for fear of it overshadowing the new 132 (a shrewd move, since the saloon needed all the help it could get).

The name of styling house Bertone adorns the dash in this Fiat X1/9 1300

In stark contrast, you can only imagine the frustration felt by potential British buyers when Fiat Auto UK initially opted not to take the X1/9.

The importer deemed it too underpowered among its peers, and if you look at independent performance tests from the time you start to see why: even the likes of the MG Midget and Triumph Spitfire had the Fiat nailed – not by much but, given the X1/9’s image as a technical tour de force, it wasn’t ideal.

Fiat SpA was also tempting its UK importer with the prospect of a so-called ‘X1/20’, a more powerful mid-engined model that was to replace the 124 Sport, disincentivising take-up of the X1/9 still further.

Classic & Sports Car – Fiat X1/9 at 50: celebrating the miniature supercar

The Fiat X1/9 1300’s cabin (left) is comfortable and features delightfully 1970s trim (right)

The X1/20 finally emerged in the UK as the Lancia Beta Monte-Carlo, meaning that Fiat buyers still only had the choice of an expensive, RHD-converted grey-import X1/9 from London dealer Radbourne Racing, or nothing.

When Fiat Auto UK finally bowed to customer pressure and opened its X1/9 order books in early 1977 – five years after the original debut – the car was warmly received by British customers, which wasn’t remotely surprising considering that most of its natural rivals were by then in their death throes.

Priced at £2998, the X1/9 was cheaper than the recently launched TR7 (which would remain a fixed-head coupé until ’79), but more costly than traditional soft-tops such as the MG Midget 1500 (£2085), Triumph Spitfire 1500 (£2359) and MGB (£2843), all of which had been in the market for at least 15 years.

The 1498cc engine fitted to the 1500 (left) increased power to 85bhp compared to the 1300’s 73bhp

Motor perfectly summed up the X1/9 after its UK launch: ‘Stylish, fun to drive, economical and next to our own ageing rag tops about the nearest you can get to real wind-in-the-hair motoring at the price… What a car it would be with a bigger engine, though!’

Conveniently, we have both a 1300 and a later, more powerful second-series 1500 at Lydden Hill circuit, to test that theory.

Judi Trow bought her 1300 new, almost on a whim, based solely on its looks. Delivered to her in August ’77, and still resplendent in its Metallic Green launch colour 45 years later, the 82,000-mile X1/9 remains remarkably original, save a respray some years ago.

Bigger bumpers and two-tone paint give the later car (front) a slightly fussier look

Approach the car and you’re taken aback by how petite it is, sitting on its smart 13in Cromodora three-spoke alloys. At just 12ft 7in long and 3ft 10in high, it leaves even shorter drivers towering above it.

The sun’s out, so the top is stowed away in the 5.5cu ft (155-litre) front boot, leaving just enough space below it for one or two pieces of soft luggage.

The rear boot (4.25cu ft/120 litres) contains probably the rarest of all X1/9 accessories: two Bertone-designed soft bags, trimmed to match the car’s seats – a wonderful period touch, and thoroughly practical, too.

In front of that is a second hatch for access to the snugly installed 1300 engine.

A hatch in front of the boot provides access to 1500 (left) and 1300’s snugly installed engine

Drop down into the strangely alluring olive/beige/brown/orange-striped cloth seats and you face a smart, sporty-looking four-spoke steering wheel, ahead of which a four-clock instrument pod sits atop a brown plastic ledge running the width of the cabin.

A sloping central stack containing the sliding heater controls and a rather haphazard selection of rocker switches brings to mind the Ferrari 365GT4 2+2’s arrangement – a logical connection, given the family ties at the time.

Ergonomically, the X1/9 is what you’d expect of a 1970s Italian, with the non-reclining seat putting you in a slightly straight-arm position, with knees bent, and the feeling that if you wore anything above size-nine shoes you’d be hitting two pedals at once.

The larger-capacity 1500 better exploits the X1/9’s excellent chassis

Fire up and there’s no aural drama, the little Lampredi motor settling to a gentle hum behind you.

Clutch travel is long, and the narrow-gated four-speed gearshift is relatively light and accurate, though not as quick and precise as it is in the 128 saloon.

You soon realise that this early car thrives on revs, so it’s fortunate that, other than a short phase of mid-range buzziness, the engine is generally smooth in its upper reaches, and a joy to work hard.

The Fiat X1/9’s roof-hoop artfully disguises a roll-over bar

It lacks torque, though, which isn’t helped by the sizeable gap between third and fourth gears. Despite that, top still only results in 16.6mph/1000rpm, meaning a dizzying 4200rpm at the national speed limit.

Dynamically, you really do wonder if car development has hit reverse in the past 50 years.

The X1/9’s unassisted steering is sublime: light, linear, quick to turn in, and with just the right level of feedback through its 165/70x13 tyres.

Front-end grip is tenacious, and it takes heroic attempts to even approach mild understeer in the dry.

The later 1500 switched to a quarterlight-mounted mirror

Body control over crests and slicing through well-sighted bends is impeccable: an MGB wouldn’t see which way it went.

Only when you really push hard do you start to feel the engine’s weight causing the body to roll over the rear axle, but it’s never less than composed.

So, did installing the 1500 engine turn the X1/9 into the car it should have been from start?

Receiving its world debut at the 1978 British motor show, the second-series X1/9 used the recently launched Strada’s engine, essentially the same unit as before but stroked to give 1498cc, and mated to a five-speed ’box.

The Fiat X1/9 1500’s bonnet features the crest of Bertone

While the chassis and most other mechanicals were unchanged, some of the X1/9’s original design purity was lost with the addition of Federal bumpers, adding a not insignificant 5½in (140mm) to its length.

The cabin was also given a full makeover, with a tidier layout, pushbuttons instead of rockers, and accoutrements such as electric windows and – on special-edition models such as ‘our’ car – leather trim.

Weight increased from 1940lb to 2028lb but, crucially, so did the engine’s overall power and torque to 85bhp and 87lb ft – up 16% and 20% versus the 1300.

The plush Versione Speciale adds niceties such as leather trim and electric windows

Once again, Motor tested the car and cut 2.3 secs from the 1300’s 0-60mph time and a staggering 15.3 secs from 0-90mph, with commensurate improvements in all the in-gear acceleration figures.

Sam Read’s 1984 1500 VS (Versione Speciale), purchased recently as a starter classic, is typical of the more generously specified X1/9s made before production halted in 1989.

Technically speaking, it’s not even a Fiat.

Flat-dish alloys on the Fiat X1/9 1500 retain the shape of the first-series car’s Cromodoras

Originally, Bertone only manufactured the base car at its Grugliasco plant near Turin, with Fiat looking after final assembly at its Lingotto factory.

But from 1981, the carrozzeria took on full production and rebadged the model as the Bertone X1/9, though it was still sold through Fiat’s dealer network.

Visually, swapping from 1300 to 1500 is like comparing two photographs of the same person taken a decade apart, their different clothes and barnets reflecting ever-changing fashions.

‘Visually, swapping from 1300 [right] to 1500 is like comparing two photographs of the same person, taken a decade apart’

Inside, some of the 1300’s quirky character has been lost, replaced by a more logical but slightly soulless layout, though beneath it the same key elements remain (main instruments, steering-wheel design, seating position).

But there’s no denying that this is a more driveable car, and one that would be easier to live with day to day.

The 1500 motor seems to possess a deeper timbre on start-up, and you immediately notice how much more quickly it responds to the throttle in the low-to-mid range, as you watch the rev counter’s needle sweep anti-clockwise around its dial (the 1300’s runs clockwise).

The Fiat X1/9 1300 (front) and 1500 are a pair of superbly rewarding drivers’ cars

At 70mph, the engine rotates at 400rpm less, and the higher ratios are more closely stacked, making it easier to stay on cam and exploit the biddable chassis.

The steering in this later model is perhaps a touch heavier, reflecting the car’s higher kerbweight, but this X1/9 is still everything you’d expect: poised, sharp and exciting.

Five decades on, there are few new cars that can genuinely claim to be all three.

Images: Max Edleston

Thanks to: Andy Rowley, X1/9 Owners’ Club; Reuben Elman at Lydden Hill Race Circuit

Baby Fiat’s all too brief stage show

In 1973, plans were drawn up to replace the Fiat-Abarth 124 Spider rally car, which resulted in the famed tuner developing two prototype successors in parallel: the 131 Abarth and the X1/9 Abarth.

Five X1/9 Abarth rally cars were built using either 16-valve, 1756cc 124 Abarth-derived units with twin Weber 44IDF carbs, or, in the case of one of the prototypes, a more extreme 1846cc ‘four’ with fuel injection, producing 210bhp.

Radically different in appearance to any regular production car, the X1/9 Abarths were identifiable by their flared arches, ducktail spoilers and prominent F1-style air intake mounted on the engine cover.

On only its third outing, in the 1974 Rally delle Alpi Orientali, the X1/9 Abarth was victorious, and it continued to enjoy considerable competition success through the season, despite some reliability issues.

However, even though the development team was on track to achieve homologation in Group 4 for 1975, Fiat instead opted to put its weight behind the new 131 Abarth rally car, and the X1/9 project was killed off.

Factfiles

Fiat X1/9 1300

Sold/number built 1972-’79/c160,000 (all)
Construction steel unitary
Engine iron-block, alloy-head, ohc 1290cc ‘four’, with Weber 32DMTR twin-choke carburettor
Max power 73bhp @ 6000rpm
Max torque 71lb ft @ 3400rpm
Transmission four-speed, manual, RWD
Suspension independent, at front by MacPherson struts, lower lateral link, reaction strut rear MacPherson struts, lower wishbones
Steering rack and pinion
Brakes discs front and rear
Length 12ft 6¾in (3830mm)
Width 5ft 1¾in (1568mm)
Height 3ft 10in (1168mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 2½in (2197mm)
Weight 1940lb (880kg)
0-60mph 12.3 secs
Top speed 98mph
Mpg 34
Price new £2998 (1977)
Price now £5-12,000*

Fiat X1/9 1500

Sold/number built 1979-‘89/c160,000 (all)
Construction steel unitary
Engine iron-block, alloy-head, ohc 1498cc ‘four’, with Weber 34DATR7 twin-choke carburettor
Max power 85bhp @ 6000rpm
Max torque 87lb ft @ 3200rpm
Transmission five-speed, manual, RWD
Suspension independent, at front by MacPherson struts, lower lateral link, reaction strut rear MacPherson struts, lower wishbones
Steering rack and pinion
Brakes discs front and rear
Length 13ft 2½in (3969mm)
Width 5ft 1¾in (1568mm)
Height 3ft 10in (1168mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 2½in (2197mm)
Weight 2028lb (920kg)
0-60mph 9.9 secs
Top speed 108mph
Mpg 37
Price new £4575 (1979)
Price now £4-10,000*