The X1/9 is either an Italian MR2 or a cut-price Ferrari depending on your point of view. Here’s how to buy a good one.

Words: Chris Hope

For its time, the Fiat X1/9 was nothing short of revolutionary. Launched in the early Seventies – when if you were after a bit of cheap two-seater excitement here in Britain, you’d need to turn to the likes of the Triumph Spitfire or the closely-related MG Midget – the X1/9 was an agile, sharply-styled sports car with equally sharp handling.

This tiny wedge’s greatest asset was its engine: more specifically where its engine was mounted. By slotting the Fiat 128 coupé engine behind the seats, Fiat produced the world’s first affordable, mid-engined rear-wheel drive sports car.

Fast forward to today and the X1/9 still remains affordable: we reckon it makes a great alternative to the modern budget sports car of choice, the Mazda MX-5.

While this tiny Italian number is actually deceptively easy to maintain thanks to its simple Fiat mechanicals, the parts situation for those bits that are unique to the X1/9 isn’t good – front grilles, front spoilers, plus boot and bonnet lever assemblies are just a few examples of the components that have over the years become increasingly difficult to locate. Still, dedicated model specialists such as Sirus UK will be able to help you with most servicing tasks and restoration work, plus the Fiat X1/9 Owners’ Club is an active group with a wealth of knowledge to help keep this sports car on the road.

The big event in the X1/9 calendar this year is the club’s National Event on Sept 2-5. The public day is Sunday 4 and this year’s location is Billing Aquadrome in Northamptonshire.

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

Bodywork
Although, generally-speaking, Italian cars don’t exactly have the best of reputations when it comes to rust-resistance, the X1/9 isn’t actually as bad as you might think. After all, it was designed to meet overly-stringent US-based safety legislation and as such is fairly robust. Design only goes so far though and both Fiat and Betone are guilty of not getting the level of rustproofing right first time, which explains why so few 1300 models remain today.

Moving on to the specifics, begin your inspection inside the front luggage compartment (where the targa roof panels are stored). You’re looking for bubbled paintwork along the inner wings and the base of this compartment – a sure-fire sign that the inside of the strut towers are heavily corroded. Similarly, rot around the windscreen and its scuttle base is costly to correct.

As well as the strut towers at the front, you’ll also need to be mindful of the ones fitted at the rear. As towers are triple-skinned (and it’s the middle skin that rots) swollen patches are a give-away that all isn’t well. Unfortunately these really need to be right as repairs involve the engine coming out. The inside of the rear luggage bay (particularly the lower crossmember, between the engine bay and luggage bay) will also need inspecting – try to see it from underneath too as its proximity to the exhaust leaves tin here vulnerable.

Those are the areas that can get really expensive to repair, but there are nonetheless other bits worth checking. Obviously, as with any classic the sills and floors can rot – crusty corners where panels meet will eventually require a lot of attention and fresh metal. Wheelarches and the front lower half of the outer wings rot too and may have been repaired with filler.

The quarter panels, the tin on the underside of the targa bar, and where the boot panel meets the edge of the inspection panel may have also begun to let go.

The radiator mounting (hidden behind the front grille) will also need checking and finally, the X1/9’s wedge shape means this little roadster’s snout is fairly close to the road, so it’s quite vulnerable to parking knocks.

Stuart Bulbeck, from Fiat X1/9 and Lancia Stratos specialist Sirus UK, also recommends that readers try to find a car with good doors as they’re difficult to replace. Replacement panels are generally very expensive, though Stuart’s firm does stock some. He advises to buy secondhand were possible. 

Values:

Given that they have so much to offer in the way of summer excitement, these dinky little sports cars are ludicrously inexpensive. Prices start from under £750 for projects, although for not a lot more you’ll get a roadworthy example that’s probably been used daily – say £1000-1500. We reckon between £2000 and £3000 is high days and holidays money, so expect any X1/9 in this bracket to be solid, well-sorted and in excellent working order. For £6000 you can expect a faultless example 

Factfile

Clubs

● Fiat X1/9 Owners’ Club, www.x1-9ownersclub.org.uk, 01379 668625
● Fiat Motor Club, www.fiatmotorclubgb.com, 020 8372 4028

Website

The Fiat Forum, www.fiatforum.com/x1-9

Specialists

X19 Spares, Essex, 01206 231103, www.x19spares.co.uk

SPECIAL THANKS

Stuart Bulbeck from Fiat X1/9 and Lancia Stratos specialist Sirus UK for his tips on what to look for when buying one of these Italian wedges.

 To read the rest of this buyers' guide see the September 2011 issue of Classic Car Mart - available to buy here.