A godfather for the Fiat X 1/9?
In September 1972, almost exactly 40 years ago, Fiat presented the X 1/9, which was based on the Bertone "Runabout-Barchetta" study (under the Autobianchi flag at the time).
But there were other similar-looking studies and prototypes at the time, e.g. Giugiaro's Karmann Cheetah (VW-based) ...
... or a concept car from Ghia Vignale, which was based on the De Tomaso chassis and fitted with a small four-cylinder engine from Ford. In any case, the Ghia Vignale car resembled the Fiat X 1/9 in many respects, for example it also had a removable targa roof.
To be fair, it has to be said that the Bertone Autobianchi Runabout study comes closest to the features of the mid-engined Fiat.
As always, all pictures of the Fiat X 1/9 and its "godfathers" can also be found in large format in the Zwischengas archive.
