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Fiat X 1/9 - Center for the masses

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Created on April 20, 2022

Text:

Karl Ludvigsen (Übersetzung: Paul Krüger)

Photos:

Ludvigsen Partners

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Ludvigsen Partners

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The Fiat X 1/9 was the first low-cost sports car to bring the exotic mid-engine concept to the road in large numbers, and it looked tempting at the same time.

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Marcello Gandini designed the Autobianchi Runabout, which made its debut at the 1969 Turin Motor Show, as a concept for a small sports car of the future.

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The Runabout used the transverse engine-transmission unit of the Autobianchi Primula. Without a roof and doors, the mid-engine runabout definitely looks like great driving fun.

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In direct comparison with the Autobianchi Runabout, the Fiat X 1/9 cannot hide its origins - and it doesn't have to. The design is more than successful.

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Fiat had its sights set on the US market from the very beginning. Here, an X 1/9 with American "ladder bumpers" poses in front of its predecessor, the 850 Spider, which was also designed and built by Bertone.

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Giuseppe Puelo and his engineers designed a chassis with suspension struts and wishbones all round, which was intended to provide plenty of traction with negative camber.

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The longitudinal section shows the excellent space utilization of the X 1/9, which made two passable luggage compartments possible.

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The X 1/9 had an unusually rigid body with a central side member. This cutaway model shows very well the complex body structure.

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In Bertone's factory in Grugliasco, the supplied body parts were assembled, painted and fitted with the chassis. They then went to Fiat for final assembly.

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In Bertone's factory in Grugliasco, the supplied body parts were assembled, painted and fitted with the chassis. They then went to Fiat for final assembly.

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An X 1/9 towards the end of assembly at Bertone, already fitted with bumpers and steering wheel

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Fiat presented the X 1/9 to the press on the Targa Florio circuit in Sicily. Here are three of the demonstration cars in front of the Hotel Igeia in Palermo.

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The test cars for journalists were either "verde chiaro" (light green), "blu francia" (French blue) or "bianco" (white).

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This photo shows the typical roads of the 72-kilometer circuit in Sicily. Fiat was right to think that this was the ideal terrain for the X 1/9

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This dark blue Fiat X 1/9 pauses on the start-finish straight in front of the Targa Florio pit building.

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The chrome trim around the rear end of the otherwise unadorned and unadorned Fiat is striking.

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The bad road properties were also extensively tested in Sicily.

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On damp surfaces (more rarely on hotel terraces), the X 1/9 could develop quite precarious handling characteristics. Here is an early model in "Giallo Fly"

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The Fiat engineers managed to fit two luggage compartments and the engine into a length of 3.83 meters. The roof was accommodated under the front hood.

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The air from the water cooler flows out under the bulge at the front. The rubber mounts for the roof section can be seen next to the strut mounts.

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View of the interior with the roof section installed ...

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... and once with the roof removed. The mighty rear beam could also serve as a roll bar.

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Despite the compact dimensions, the designers succeeded in accommodating a full-size spare wheel in the X 1/9. It serves as a counterweight to the fuel tank behind the driver's seat.

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The slits in the B-pillar were used for interior ventilation. The air intake between the door and rear wheel provided a cooling draught in the engine compartment.

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The gearshift is conveniently located right next to the steering wheel. The instrument panel has found its counterpart on the passenger side in the loudspeaker panel.

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Instead of the group standard, Fiat gave the X 1/9 its own, very successful sports steering wheel. The red zone in the rev counter from 6500 rpm is only a recommendation.

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The air vents in the dashboard were adjustable. The air volume, direction and temperature were set using the sliders and toggle switches in the center console.

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The De Tomaso Ghia 1600 Spider with Ford engine was a brazen copy of the Bertone design.

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Summary

When the Fiat X 1/9 appeared at the end of 1972, it was by far the most affordable mid-engined sports car on the market. Despite its low price, it drove like a "big car", looked like a concept car and impressed with its torque and excellent driving characteristics. This article tells the story of the development of the mid-engined Fiat and describes the impressions of a journalist who attended the press presentation in Sicily in the fall of 1972.

This article contains the following chapters

From the rear to the center
X 1/1 to X 1/20
Better safe than sorry
Low, central center of gravity
Porsche was not good enough
A barrel organ with a lively rear end
Because five is better than four
Name change after ten years

Estimated reading time: 14min

Preview (beginning of the article)

After the introduction of the BMC Mini in 1959, the first modern small car with a transverse engine and front-wheel drive, the idea arose of using the same drive configuration to build an inexpensive sports car with rear-wheel drive. All that was needed was to place the entire package of transverse engine, transmission and differential behind the cockpit. The Lamborghini Miura and the Dino 206 GT had already shown how mid-engined cars could be built at five-figure prices. But no manufacturer, regardless of size, had yet had a sports car of this design in its range that most people could afford - until Fiat came out with the X 1/9.

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