IDRIVEACLASSIC reviews: Bertone X1/9 Grand Finale
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- Опубликовано: 21 авг 2021
- Today's video is on the lesser spotted Bertone X1/9 Grand Finale
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Bertone X1/9 Grand Finale
The Bertone X1/9 Grand Finale was the final hoorah for the two-seater sports car designed by Bertone and built by Fiat.
The car set out to be the first affordable mid-engined sports car and at time of launch, journalists in major motoring mags noted that the car was not only incredibly stylish, which we’d expect from an Italian sports car, but handled unexpectedly well.
The car came into market to replace the Fiat 850 spider but with a twist, they decided to take a cue from the more expensive sports cars and use a mid-engine configuration. This was no small feat, because Fiat hadn’t worked to this spec before and it required a lot of new thinking.
Whilst Bertone were the design house on the job, the designer Marcello Gandini, who had previously worked for Lamborghini, really was the man of the hour and it was his concept car designs which led to the inspiration for the production of the Fiat X1/9.
The car was originally sold as the Fiat X1/9 from 1974 until 1981 and was fitted with a single overhead cam 1290cc engine and a four speed transmission unit.
The car had several tweaks in its lifetime and in 1978 it was fitted with the 1989cc engine and a five speed transmission unit and the had four wheel independent suspension and Macpherson struts.
As we discuss on test, the brakes are disc both front and rear and it’s got rack and pinion steering. Even on a later model like this, there’s no power steering, which actually doesn’t really impact the experience.
Now when we did the MGB video and Morris minor reviews, we discussed how the American market had different safety regulations, so if you’re watching this from America and the car looks a bit different, that’s because in the US market they had to fit additional emissions equipment and larger bumpers, which means the cars don’t perform quite as well as they do in the UK and mainland Europe.
Although it is worth mentioning that the original design for the X1/9 was initially overengineered to try and stave off any potential future challenges brought about in safety regulations, both in the domestic market and in the US.
But the engine change and the American regulation tweaks weren’t all that changed and in 1982 for the final 6 years of production, the car was sold as Bertone X1/9, with this car being the Grand Finale, or in simpler times, the final hoorah and special edition.
There were 160,000 made throughout the production lifespan of the car and they’re a rare beast today, especially in the UK where they were always an import due to being made in Italy.
The car does just shy of 100mph, topping out at around 99mph and does o to 60 in 12.7 seconds. Not amazing, but respectable enough for an affordable sports car, especially in the early days of production.
There is so much history to the X1/9 so this is a brief overview and unlike so many of my test cars, this is one you could drive yourself and experience first hand. I now introduce graham from great driving days to tell you more. 
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I had two X1/9 's back in the mid-late 80's and I loved them. The poor man's Ferarri. I bearly used the doors, just jumped in over the top like Magnum! (remember it was the 80's!). I had a red one with the small quarter bumpers, then a silver one with the big full bumper. Every time I passed one we'd both pop our lights and wink at each other - it was the done thing back then. Once, I even had a cheeky traffic light race against a guy with a white XR3i that thought he was 'the Boss'. I left him almost standing. Great fun, a bit naughty but great memories.
My one scary moment happened when driving during the night on a blind bend in Wales when the accelerator linkage disconnected just on the bend. My foot hit the floor and the engine revved sky high. All I could do to save the engine was switch off the ignition going around the bend, but my X1/9 had one more surprise for me - switching off the ignition automatically dropped the headlights! Everything went pitch black, but luckily I knew the road extremely well and I somehow managed to safely slide it into a gravel siding ... Phew! I left it there overnight, got a lift home, returned next morning and found the accelerator linkage nut just resting on the top of the engine. Two minutes work and all perfect again, then back on the road like nothing happened. It's one car I'd like to have kept.
I bought my used '78 X 1/9 for my 17th birthday, and still have it. 104,000 original Kms on it, but has been sitting for a while. The plan is a full restoration next year. That out of the way, it is such fun to drive! Can't wait to get it back on the road :)
I bought a X1/9 in 1976 and loved it. The gear box was tight with a short throw and the handling was fantastic on the winding mountain roads here in Southern Oregon in the States. With the mid-engine it was wonderful in the snow.
The mid engine Fiat X1/9 was one the cars that had a major influence on te design of the later MG F. It's still a gorgeous looking Italian car!
Thanks Steph. Always liked the X1/9 and even briefly drove one in the late 80's (briefly as in 20 minutes). Thanks for reminding us with the review.
Great vid as usual :-). I've had customers, over the years, with X19s and so have had an opportunity to service, tune and drive several examples. They are not particularly fast but they handle absolutely beautifully. Real world point-to-point travel over winding B-roads is an absolute Joy. The gear change does wear over the years and, back in the day, the mechanism did not feel problematic. However, a more recent customer 's car did have a less than perfect linkage. Quite a few owners have upgraded their cars to 2-litre twin cam units (some with turbos or blowers) and then the cars are real flyers with serious performance - not that I've driven one like that.
Worked at a Fiat garage late '80s and had the pleasure to drive one of these last models. Pin sharp and a roaring engine by your shoulder.... Not fast but soo sharp.... Mid engine lovely Ness....
Thanks again Steph for another great video. Hope things are well in the UK. We are currently in lockdown in NZ.
Very informative video. I have not seen one of these for years. Always liked the look of these cars. Always a pleasure to watch what you upload. Hope the new job is going well.
Great to see you back Steph, and was nice to meet you at the Social. Used to be one of these round the corner from my parents old house, I believe it was a colleague that worked alongside my dad owned it.
Owned a 1976 X1/9 when I was 22. Fun, fun car that I could not leave alone. Boarded and balanced the engine, headers, high flow exhaust, reworked carburetor, aluminum flywheel, lowered with progressive spring suspension and stiffer anti roll bar. The track performance capabilities where amazing. What I failed to appreciate and upgrade was the cooling system. Yep, overheated it a few times and melted the rings. Sure was a blast to drive for the 4 years I had it. Even learned how to rewire solenoids, of which there were many, because they seemed to burn out frequently. Looked for one to buy a years back but unfortunately the condition of them now is almost beyond salvage.
Nice to see that you didn't race home after all the work you did at the Social last weekend to put a video out, I told you we wouldn't mind 👍. I do feel envious of this test as while working in a classic British Sports Car Garage I got to drive alsorts but did feel I missed out because I've always wanted to drive an X1/9 and never did ☹
Ahhhh, love the good old X1/9!!!! Well done once again Steph!!!
I was fixated on that Blaupunkt radio that must be about fifty years old or so. Looking at it with its three types of frequencies is such a throwback.
The car that brought mid-engines to the masses! We can only dream that Fiat would take risks like this today...I had my eye on one recently that was part of a big auction here in the States, but it ended up going for $$$$.
stay away from years 74-76 Fiat built the cars for europe and threw some modified versions together for the states and they had many problems, in the shop more than on the road and the engine has to be pulled to do many small projects due to space restraints., youreally got to love these to invest in this much frustration but nothing corners better than this little car for the price range, it really grips the turns.
Great review Steph, looks a fun little car, not seen one of these for over 20;years
I drove a yellow Fiat C19 as a company car when I sold swimming pools in Texas in 1981. It was so fun to drive but overheated often.
Can't wait! I've really been missing your videos :)
God, I never heard of the "Grand Finale" version of the X1/9, and thought you were hanging up your reviewer's cap. Thank goodness nothing has changed! Fantastic stuff!!!
God no! Why would you think that?! X
Been a fan of the X1/9 for many years great survivor this car great video Steph
There was still a "Fiat dealer" on the west side of Detroit on Plymouth Road that had two brand-new Bertone X-19's in 1989 or 90 when my dad and I stopped by. I recall they were maybe '85s? I don't know when they stopped importing them, but my dad laughed and taught me the 'Feeble Italian Attempt at Transportation' joke. We hopped in the TR-7 and sped off. Great memory. Thanks for sharing.
So cool, one of these got me interested in cars and car media. Was a teenager, just, when saw one parked, looked at and purchased Wheels Mag (Aussie) Feb 79 as had a comparison between the x1/9 and Triumph TR7. Have yet to drive one, would love to own one.
I very nearly bought an identical example 25 yrs ago. Lovely little cars - nice to see one in such good condition! (They’re usually very ratty) Nice to see a Lancia Trevi too - rare as hens molars - are you going to do a video on that? Worth it just for the awesome dashboard!!
In high school there was a fairly popular Greek girl whose dad did well, but (father said) she could only date Greek guys - or maybe an Italian if they passed muster. Her boyfriend one summer was Nik (Nikolas) and he had an X1/9. Don't remember much about him except both of them were pretty tall and it was a sight watching them unfold from the car - but everyone was captivated and it really didn't matter that the thing would lose a drag to a properly driven Celica (and a lot more besides). You looked at the styling and just assumed somehow that it would do wonderful things and/or that Nik could probably fix it - which amongst the suburban kids (some of whom couldn't put air in a tire) was also a source of wonder.
Great to see you back Steph, nice car I believe these were nicknamed the baby Ferrari
Good to see another video Steph, hope all is well with you and the cars.
Thanks for another great review Steph!
Thanks Steph and Graham. My first car was a 1300 X1/9. Fantastic. To my eye, prettier than the 1500, but it was rusting away and then the cambelt went. It took me 30 years to recover enough to buy another Italian sportscar. I have also driven Graham's E-type - I can fully recommend his business, he offers great opportunities to experience classic cars at reasonable cost. He is right, the first 60 minutes are where the real experience lies.
Great video - in response to you asking what other people who drove the car think of it, I have!
I commented on Facebook - not the best fit for somebody over 6 foot tall.
Totally agree with you that it wasn’t the easiest car to start with, but once on got used to it, it was a fun sports car.
I never really liked the gears. Was warned about the steering before I drove it (quite sensitive). The lack of power steering wasn’t a problem.
Of course it didn’t start first time for me, so we agree on that!
I realised it wasn’t a quick car by today’s standards, but reasonable for its time. Being so small and low down it felt plenty fast enough though.
I noticed you drove with the roof on. I took the roof off (it fits underneath the bonnet).
Certainly an interesting one-off driving experience.
Graham from Great Driving Days is a really nice guy too.
Great to have you back what's been happening to tinkering Tuesday s
I remember when the Chairman of the company I worked for a bought a Fiat X1/9 for his 17 year old son. He wrote it off not long after buying it.
Drove this car on a Great Driving Days, 5 Classic car day. Excellent day out, fully recommend it, and my last car of the day was Bertone. Took me back to my youth.
Love the positive sound of the gear change
Surfing web and stumbled on your video. In the states, Love that accent. Good review of my dream car as a teen, too.
I've been interested in the X1/9 since I was a teenager in the 90s. Good, rot free cars have been hard to find for a while and apparently like some other mid engined cars the radiator being up front and the engine in the middle can lead to some rather unique problems. They are not fast either but....
It's Italian, it's mid engined and from the 70s, it has pop up headlamps and a removable targa roof meaning it's very very cool.
I've just checked out the website too as I would very much be interested in trying out this car.
I've owned my 1987 VS for 32 years & they are beautiful little cars. It is great to see a sensible review that isn't Hammond d*cking about with it, thank you.
I got a 87 too!
A great video, thanks for producing it. Nice to see you last weekend at HuNut social event too.
My mum had one of these in the 80’s - A800RLG. Great little car.
I bought a 1976 x 1/9 in Italy. It got driven properly, everyday over 100 mph. Ran great, and love driving up to the ski resorts. You could take the top down and stay warm. My wife got pulled over in Miami, the cop had never seen one.
No surprise the electrics weren't cooperating, I've had the bad luck to be asked to sort out electrical issues on a number of X1/9s when they were still less than 10 years old and they were an utter nightmare to sort out.
Absolutely remarkable styling.
My little sister had a red one of these back in the day it was so much fun to drive !
Glad you are back Steph. Great job on the X Nineteen lol.
Great review, I had two of them, back in the day felt fun, but I drove one recently and really didnt like it. Funny how things move on and rose tinted glasses and all that.
Back in the mid-90s while studying in the UK, Ii had this co-student who had bought one for about 1K. However it had a serious engine fault so he bought a 2nd one, crashed one for about 500 to use spare parts. After some costly reparations he had it moving but again it did not do the job, so he bought a 3rd one that was barely moving. Eventually he was left with 3 Bertones, 1 moving (don't remember if it was the 1st or the 3rd) and still the 3rd gear would not clutch in so he was moving from 2nd to 4th... hehehe.... What a legend!
Love these cars. I had two of them, a 74 1.3 4spd, and an 87 1.5 5spd. Both were great in there own way. Obviously Bertone addressed the cars shortcomings, mainly fit and finish as well as the updated electrical system. I was surprised to see this car with a carburetor, as I though all we fuel injected after 82. I never understood why the rear spoiled was installed backwards on the Grand Finale. The spoiler should have downturned end caps, which I see are missing on this example. I understand why they were removed. Just look at the antenna for your answer. When installed properly, the rear wing will clear the antenna. As for the anti clockwise rotating tachometer, the answer is very simple. The steering wheel rim blocks part of the tach, so reversing the direction of rotation, leaves the upper band of the tach visible. I for one would rather see my redline that the low end of the tach. As for the window motors being slow, that is just their nature. Mine was like that too.
The Velegia digital clock was truly horrible in that it never kept good time, and for the most part, you see them doing exactly what this one is doing, namely flashing 0:00
Also of note, when designing this car, Fiat took the entire drivetrain from the front wheel drive 128, turned it 180 degrees and stuck it in the mid engine position!
Nice to see these great little cars pop up on RUclips now and then. Great job Steph!
Steph Thanks for another great video keep up the good work when you post a video I'll be watching
I had a 76 X 1/9 red with tan interior. It was always in for repairs, but when it was in the road I loved it….
The X 1/9 was one of my favorite cars growing up. I remember it was compared with the Triumph TR7 back in the day (The TR7 still being my dream car). I wonder, Steph, what you think about them having driven them both; which would you buy?
The X1/9 is way, way better.. in every respect, especially handling..!
I bicycle past what is probably my old 80-ish X1/9 at a Garage with lots of interesting projects, I think I traded mine for a Volvo Diesel wagon I could sleep in, then traded that to ex-Pro cyclist DMO for Tires & a Windbreaker, the Volvo got a V-8 and went home to Scandinavia to thrill the locals far from my West Texas O/O°
I love this fix it again tomorrow - my favourite looking Fiat, my mate Chris had one of these but he could not go out in it on his own, the roof clips were broken (common fault of the hard top version) so the passenger, me had to hold the roof on whilst driving.... great memories with this car.... it broke down a lot though..... it still looks great on the road though!
Brings back memory's i had a 1979 one in red with a momo steering wheel reg DMJ 365T
Some nice déja vu watching this one, as I drove a friend's 1984 Bertone X1/9 several times about 15 years ago. Great memories. I think the one featured here may have an aftermarket steering wheel, unless that spec changed by the G plate, as I remember it being a 4-spoke horizontal bar with aluminum centre in my friend's car.
The later cars from 1987 had that black leather 3 spoke steering wheel.
My father bought one in the mid '90s. (1300 model, UK spec)
Performance increase with a FAZA fast road cam and carb off a 1600 Lancia.
My sister now has it so still in the family.
It goes well but use those revs. The red line is around well above the marked point and restricted by the carbs.
A nimble fun car to drive. My Esprit seems a big brute of a car by comparison.
A good book on the x/19 is FAZA Fiat X1/9 128 Strada Race World by Al Cosentino
A US tuner of Fiat. The car goes much better with FAZA cam and bigger carb. The cams were ground so you didn't need to adjust shims and the carb used the same bolt pattern. Just needed to grind the bore out a little.
Steph one little detail l picked up was that the rev counter goes from right to left that would drive me to distraction how did you find it
Welcome back Steph!
Thanks lovely ❤️
There were several X1/9's at the Italien Car Day at the British Motor Museum yesterday.
Good to see another video Steph.
Lovely little cars. Is the rear spoiler on the correct way round? It looks backwards.
The spoiler is missing its end caps, it should be wider than that (they used to catch the aerial when you lifted the boot lid)
The Grand Finale kit was fitted by the dealer and they all had different ideas about which way round they went.
I remember driving a 1300 X19 in the 1980’s which was owned by my brother in law. Great fun car but his example had the ‘WORST’ brakes I’ve ever experienced, they were scarily non existent which was probably due to the lack of a brake servo. I only found this out whilst braking down hill towards a junction….. happy days 😳
YAY! It's Steph!
Excellent car, dare i say it the italian MR2 or is it the other way round?
The current popular conversion for the X1/9 in the U.S. is to install the Honda 2.4L i-VTEC in place of the FIAT motor. I don't know if this is the full Honda drivetrain, or an adapter kit to mate this engine with the original drive unit. I currently own a Honda CR-V with this powertrain. It would make the X1/9 extremely quick. The X1/9 weighs half a tonne less than the CR-V. It would also more than double the horsepower of the FIAT unit. FYI
As a kid I had a light blue Matchbox version of the FIAT model of this
Hey Steph,a green Mercedes T1 308d you tested last year around May had a Banksy-esque drawing on the dashboard.Since you mentioned the guy's name and that he was camera shy, can I ask you is the owner of the van the famous Banksy?
I'm 6'2" and 280 lbm. The windshield frame literally only comes up to my eyes. Bummer that I can't fit one of these.
MK1 X1/9 had the same engine and gearbox as the Fiat 128 Rally and Coupe SL 1300 apart from minor differences in carburetor, exhaust manifold and gearbox ratios.
Nice little Car. I drove it first in 1979. Greatings from Germany.
Wonderful, wonderful car ! I wonder how much chassis welding was done on this example and it WILL have needed to be done..
Our family bought a Fiat 128 coupe from the Snaileyville area's only Fiat dealership. Remember having a squizz at a X-1/9 on the showroom floor...
Another great review Steph! i had two of these back in the 1980s, the second being a Gran Finale like the one you tested here. They were everyday cars and the mid engine setup meant you had to be very careful in wet and icey conditions. They were over engineered because originally they were meant to be fitted with a Ferrari engine, but the fuel crisis in the 1970s put an end to that. I hated the Weber auto choke setup so i converted mine to manual choke and fitted an overide for the electric fan as the engine tended to get rather warm when you were stuck in traffic. You missed the best part Steph - you didn't take the roof off!
Ferarri engine? NEVER! I can only assume you're getting confused with the Lancia Montecarlo (which was originally going to be Fiat badged) and even that wasn't going to get a Ferrari engine, just the (loosely related) Fiat 130 V6).
They're the sportscar version of a Fiat 128 and the chassis code bears this out, with 1500 engined cars using the 138 code (Strada/Ritmo providing the driveline).
The over engineering was to comply with the proposed "Ralf Nader" crash regs in the USA, 50mph frontal, side, rear and rollover tests. The USA backed down on the frontal impact test as no American manufacturer thought they could comply.
I had a 75. AWESOME car when it wasn't in the shop. And the 60-70hp engine felt more like 200hp in that small Lightweight car
Looks lovely but I’m sure the rear boot spoiler is the wrong way round…..?
Offered in the US in both Fiat and Bertone marques at one time and another. We thought it was quite modern…the ads called”the shape of things to come.” It was!
Do like Fiat's of the 70's . An X1/9 rather lovely indeed. That italian soundtrack bursting into life.
I had a 1981 example throughout university. I like italian cars but thiis one was old school. Poor headlamps, overheating engine (mid engine and so vulnerable to poor timing/cooling), firewall between engine and rear boot rusted away. Blown head gasket. Ironically, it only ever broke down when the aftermarket 'luminition' electronic ignition failed. However, it was rough as hell on mechanical points based ignition. I think the later models were fuel injected and in the US they shove Mazda 2 litre engines in them. Good fun when you are student though and fairly rigid with the targa roof fitted. I would have one again for nostalgia's sake.
I can never be negative about a Fiat because my Granda had 3 Fiats, my Mum's first car was a 127 which was fabulous and I have had 2 1980s Pandas which were amazing. My Brother is now recommissioning my Granda's 1975 Fiat 127 Special.
As for being vertically challenged my Wife is 5 feet tall and I am 5 foot 4 so you fit right between us Steph.
I really hope that you loved the super rare X19.
NOT ENOUGH REVS! The marked redline is for the USA spec engine and the performance was much better if you ignored it. I owned several and although the XR2i could in theory out accelerate it, in the real world, the IcsUnoNove could actually put down it's power and leave them for dead.
This really looks like an early Fiero....wow. How come I did not see that back in the day ?
I miss mine. Kept it for 7 years.
There was one of these on bangers and cash the other day. Not a lot of following for them so the one on the show didn't fetch a lot of money at auction
Steph - You forget to say that the roof pops off in seconds and stows under the bonnet
Great review Steph definitely not one of the usual suspects
Still looks awesome.I would have one in a heartbeat.....cash permitting of course!
The big bumpers really “ugly up” the beautiful design of these cars. I’m here in the USA and remember saying to myself “that car is a beautiful woman… with a huge pimple it her forehead”.
Reminds me of a scaled down version of a triumph tr7
that red flashing light is for the seatbelt and that car will handle like a go cart
Well done. I like it.
I had a 74 Fiat x1/9 it was a great little car, but being the first year all parts according to the dealer came from Italy... Had to trade in after a couple years because aluminum block engine warped...Next car was Porsche 914 more power but very similar...
Best driving car I've ever owned that didn't have a Quattro badge on it..!! Wish to God I'd not got rid even with house move and new baby etc, should've kept it.. Sublime drive from these driven hard..
Might want to get that gearbox serviced, mine was perfect when I owned one
@@golden.lights.twinkle2329 famous last words 'how hard can it be' 😀😀
Love these little cars, but I did see one blow a head gasket during a school excursion once which almost guaranteed that I’d never buy a Fiat. It’s funny how car brand prejudices develop. Fitting power steering? These cars are so small and light I can’t imagine someone complaining about no power steering.
Somebody would complain. People love complaining 😂😂😂😂😂
I was working at a fiat dealer at the time and we sold the last ever new x1/9 in Britain
What’s a treat!
You've gotta pop that targa top off to really experience these cars!
THIS is beauty!!!!
thank you
Bertone and PininFarina car horns - best to thumb the spokes rather than push the centre boss of the steering wheel.
Could be the same car for all I know , It looks just the same but we had a regular customer years ago with one , when I worked in a Garage he was the president of the Fiat X1/9 owners club here in the UK at the time .
The X1/9 is fifty years old next year, yes the car was first on sale in 1972. Think you should of tried taking the roof off even more fun.
Bought one of these in 1998 for £290 was a great car but you couldn't give them away then.