Italian Wedge: The Fiat X1/9
The 1974-1982 Fiat X1/9 carries the distinction of being one of the few (only?) cars with a slash as part of its name. Not only that, it was the last Fiat sold in the US until the brand’s reintroduction to our shores last year, and to this day remains the only production mid-engined Fiat.
Think of it as a Porsche 914 without the pedigree angst. Or a Toyota MR2 without the bizarre interior. Interestingly, the X1/9 was conceived in the same way as the later MR2: By taking an economy car FWD engine, powertrain and front suspension (in this case the Fiat 128’s) and “flipping” it 180°, positioning it immediately behind the seats to create a mid-engined sports car.
Additional features include a lift-off targa roof panel that stowed in the front luggage compartment, bumpers designed to minimize the visual impact (pun intended) of stultifying 1970s crashworthiness regulations, and a fuel tank and spare tire mounted between the passenger compartment and the engine, as close to the car’s CG as possible. This detail, together with the engine’s location and the car’s featherlight ~2,000 lb curb weight made for go-cart-like handling rivaled only by certain Lotuses. Indeed, the X1/9 is still a force to be reckoned with in certain autocross classes, a testament to Fiat’s formula.
The interior is sensibly laid out and quite stylish for the late ’70s, a well-resolved demonstration of the de rigeur angular themes of the day. The engine wasn’t much to write home about, but with only a ton of car to motivate its task wasn’t arduous. Initially a 1.2l SOHC 4-cylinder developing 63 hp in US trim, a 1.5l, fuel-injected 75 hp version of the engine was rolled out for 1979, marginally improving performance; 60 mph came up from a standstill in around 11 seconds.
On another note, it’s interesting to consider the difference between Fiat’s abandonment of the US market in the early ’80s and their return in the 2010s. The X1/9 was unmistakably a niche car, something of a halo vehicle designed to bolster the Italian automaker’s dashing, somewhat romantic (in an straight-edged ’70s kind of way) appeal in the US. Perhaps having decided that approach was a failure, Fiat decided to reintroduce themselves to an American clientele with a much more mass-market car, the far more conventional supermini 500. As good a car as the 500 is, and as much as I appreciate Fiat’s shift in market strategy, I do hope there remains a bolder voice in the organization, one that would encourage the powers-that-be to gamble a bit by releasing something as quirky as the X1/9 on our shores. Perhaps once the automaker establishes more of a financial beachhead over here they’ll consider it; who knows.
