Fiat X19 | Vintage Car | Demonstration | Drive in | 1977

Thames televisions 'Drive In' reporter Tony Bastable demonstrates the sporty Fiat X19.
First shown: 27/04/1977
If you would like to license a clip from this video please e mail:
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Quote: VT1419
16MM film available

[@triumphtiger1436]

Love the Thames intro, reminds me of my childhood

[@MrLC1965]

Iconic intro. So seventies

[@MMM18092]

I saw it for the first time a few months ago on KZbin. Love it!

[@tedolphbundler724]

@@MrLC1965 The future looked bright back then. What happened?

[@emgee6026]

I love how they used to just thrash it on some old wasteland like they've just stolen it.

[@damos_cars]

Thames TV pioneering joy riding and drifting around recreation grounds since 1977. Absolutely brilliant.

[@elmoomle4565]

Introduced in early '70s...4 wheel independent suspension, disc brakes all around, mid engine, retractable headlights, targa top, and 'bertone' design....a pure 'sports car'...tremendous fun all while respecting the posted speed limits. ha!

[@MrDavey2010]

I had one of these. A lot of fun! One of the best cars I’ve ever owned.

[@gishfan7007]

You can just hear the quality of those body panels 😯

[@davidmg1925]

@Aspie Mt69 I was trying to find the correct analagy. That will do fine. (maybe lid on dustbin or is that a bit harsh)

[@TherymasterWidnes]

That test drive looks like it took place on a battlefield!

[@Allan9966]

"Like a pair of well matched shotguns" ...... there's a phrase you don't hear much now!

[@Puppy-lt5ur]

Very Alan Partridge!

[@ianedmonds9191]

@@Puppy-lt5ur Very 1970s- 80s public school boy influenced journalism. Thank god that has changed.

[@walterkersting1362]

Pity if your shotguns don’t match....

[@teecee3918]

Accidental Partridge

[@MrDavey2010]

Ian Edmonds je ne comprendez pas

[@BobMartinsback]

Astonishingly modern look for a car from 40 years ago.

[@04dram04]

I think the most modern looking car from 1977 is the porsche 928. it looks like it could be made in 1999

[@grahamariss2111]

I agree, looks good today, but one thing I noticed seeing one a couple of days ago, whilst it looked big and cumbersome back in the 70s and 80s it now looks very compact compared with current cars.

[@BobMartinsback]

Yes, in comparison, today's cars look like they've been on steroids. I had my eyes opened some months back when I stopped at crossroad lights and noticed on the other side of the crossing an old / classic Mini in one lane... and pulled up beside it in the other lane was a current Mini Countryman - it was truly a laugh out loud moment.

[@grahamariss2111]

GaffStraid Yes I was looking at a four door mini, its so wide and long, would love to see it next to a Maxi because foot print is immense. Having said that they are not alone, look at the big Volvo of the ups, and they were a big car by any measure, but a 760 estate is little bigger than a V40 and the V90 looks 50% bigger again.

[@BobMartinsback]

Look at the common or garden domestic garage. Common practice was for householders to choose to use it for storing all the household clutter, while the family car stood out on the driveway in all elements. For many now, it isn't a matter of choice, the family car simply won't fit though the garage door, or when it can do by folding the mirrors, it isn't viable to open the doors within it. Is the UK alone in having a standard garage door size that only accommodates the narrowest of cars?

[@michaelbayer5887]

... i was HUNGRY for this car - and i got it. The middle motor fantastic - never problems in winter - ideal balance in snow and ice. WOW. MY LOVE.

[@raz_nick4048]

Glad you are enjoying your x19 I too love my mid engine car a 3800sc fiero but the x19 is definitely the most beautiful affordable mid engine car out of the three options MR2 and fiero being the others

[@michaelbayer5887]

@@raz_nick4048 Fiat is Fiat and Italien.

[@MrDavey2010]

I agree with you. Just a fun fun fun car. I loved mine.

[@michaelbayer5887]

@@MrDavey2010 ... Yes - big Love till funeral in car graveyard and Last free Air.

[@esssexboy]

Great review by the late great Tony Barstable. Rip Tony never forgotten

[@jonntischnabel]

Love the way he just rags it round the field covering all the parked cars in gravel 😭😂😂😂

[@davidfos84]

Tony Bastable was the quintessential car host of his day. He had a really good presenting style that would probably have still worked in a much later era, had he been given the chance he would have fitted well on 90s Top Gear. Shame he died so young.

[@Leonards-leopard]

He died in 2007 at the age of 62

[@GSimpsonOAM]

My Dad bought one identical to the one in the video when he retired in the mid 90's. We fitted a fast road FAZA cam and carb off 1600 Lancia. He sold it to my sister who still enjoys taking it out.

[@andyt8216]

I want one. Love the 70s green and seat design too. A bit like the Fiat Coupé of 1993, Fiat could once be appealing in pre Panda / endless 500 derivative days.

[@camwat5193]

I had one of these, in the same metallic green too. Was actually fairly reliable, but parts were an arm and a leg and the mid-engine configuration meant maintenance access was a pain and subsequently expensive. Interesting the handling and balance of the car was praised - I thought it was quite poor and the back lost grip very easily which can be seen in the video. That did however make it fun and surprisingly easy to drift for a mid-engine rwd with a short wheel base. Of course they were well known to rust and mine did too, but a word of praise where it is due; The targa top with storage under the front was absolutely brilliant. A simple but very effective design which was a quantum leap forward from the scruffy ragtops of the time. The MR2 knocked spots off these eventually but the Fiat was launched years beforehand and you’ve got to give them credit for that. Not the greatest car but hey, who cares. Great memories.

[@coletzr]

The suspension geometry meant the handling was weird until you figured it out. It power-understeered and had a snap oversteer on lift-off like a performance FWD car. The centralisation of mass meant that this took place very quickly - I had reflexes like a cat after driving mine for a few months.

[@andynixon2820]

Tony bastable . Proper bloke .

[@chrishall4342]

Pure 70s gold love the little fiat 👍

[@martytdd1606]

Love this shade of green with the black graphic. Those wheels must have looked quite modern for this era.

[@joseph7988]

I love those little pop up headlights.

[@scotia4429]

Sat in one once as a lanky 17yr Old (6’2”) , I couldn’t get out without crawling all over the pavement.

[@franzchong5889]

I remembered Car Australia November 88's review when it became a Bertone against the Toyota MR2.The taller driver had no problems with the Japanese Car but they couldn't fit the Italian and all kinds of compromises were made.To be fair against it's newer rival the X1/9 was almost at the end of it's life even with upgrades over the years and it was expensive,We were talking close to Celica/Integra or just above EXA 1.8 or Honda CRX money or even any number of mostly French/Italian/Japanese Hot Hatches of the day dollar wise new or if you didn't mind second hand then a BMW E30 series Cabriolet 318i or 323i 1983-1985 was the default option of the day as well.

[@BanjoLuke1]

It took that space-age early-70s wedge look to the very edge. Early 70s graphics too, on the first UK models, with bizarre, boxy black strips on the flank. They also finished them (early ones) on some very bright "trendy" colours. This is the car you imagined was in the garage of every Holland Park mews cottage... but wasn't. It was the son/daughter of the excellent 850 Spider and was almost as excellent. Amusing that the reviewer was slightly sniffy about performance. Both the 850 and the X1/9 did it with low mass, low CofG, smart weight distribution and good handling. These were not cars for getting smartly away from the lights or ripping up the autobahn.... Lovely cars and a nice little slice of TV nostalgia.

[@70Kenny]

My uncle bought a Fiat X/19 brand new in Seattle, Washington, USA in 1977. I was six years old at the time, but I remember how much he loved it. He didn’t have it for long. I asked about that Fiat some years ago, and he said it was “a neat little car and fun to drive--when it worked.” His X/19 went back to the dealer for warranty work so often in the year that he owned it, that he decided to cut his losses and just trade it in.

[@petercurl1225]

There is a suggestion, all be it a mild suggestion, that there may have been an issue with rust. Not that anyone bothered to mention it, repeatedly.

[@Cpt.Sailor]

this car is really interesting it's like you can see the 70's morphing into the 80s

[@04dram04]

ahahaha he's test driving it in a field?

[@solankayum]

04dram04 bit of rallycross perhaps :D

[@michaeltaylor8835]

04dram04 probably no mot

[@RoadCone411]

I bet that field is a housing estate now

[@sammygirlie345]

That was a test drive out of police camera action lol

[@nikamota]

Always dreamed of owning one of these one day when I was a wee man,its a cool wee thing,pity most of them disintegrated 😕

[@raymondlonghurst4655]

Great little car

[@MrDavey2010]

I had one of these. Loved it!

[@prinzeugen12]

I always liked the shape, but never owned one. May I ask you two questions? Was the car susceptible to rust? What was the general build quality like?

[@MrDavey2010]

Prinz Eugen With pleasure. I can’t remember about rust being a problem. The build quality was actually pretty good. It was very manoeuvrable and a real joy to drive.

[@prinzeugen12]

@@MrDavey2010 Thank you for your quick reply, sir. Greetings from Germany and stay healthy!

[@apj341]

Wanted one of these but had to stick with my 128 3p because I had to ferry around my mom and my little sister back in the day. My Fiat mechanic, who I saw often back then, had lots of X1/9s in his parking lot when I'd drop off my car for repairs and he told me that the two cars used many of the same parts. Still can't get an X1/9 because I have twin daughters.

[@hulkhatepunybanner]

OMG! The test drive in some abandoned field in the center of a neighborhood. Perfect for drifting?

[@musoseven8218]

Always wanted an X19, none left by the time I bought my MK1 T Bar MR2, the Fiats just rotted away in the UK. Listening to the door and bonnets shut, it sounded very tin like, the MR2 had more quality. I'd still like an X19 though!

[@elbownesdam4024]

Awwww the little Union Jack badge -how cute 😏

[@richardprice7763]

Looked like a chase scene from The Sweeney.....

[@davidmg1925]

:-)

[@therealbettyswollocks]

Tony ragging it as usual.

[@glpilpi6209]

A friend was still running a W reg one in the early 90s but it was garaged and only went on short trips . Didn't have any rust . They were very small inside . There weren't that many around even before they became collector's items.

[@Porsche996driver]

My 5th grade teacher Mr Clark had one. He looked like a linebacker. Coolest teacher ever. Very cool cars ha.

[@johns3822]

Went in one 30 years ago! 😳 Did go round corners well

[@bosede-nage8467]

I remember trying to get into one of these, I had to get on the ground , feed my legs in whilst walking with my hands to move in...then it took 10 minutes to get out....thought it would take the fire brigade!

[@annother3350]

Bo exaggeration there

[@enhancesoutheast5964]

PSA... FROM AN EX FIAT MECHANIC.. Due to a combination of vile original electrical component quality, rusty earths and age these cars can burst into flames without warning. I saw one spontaneously combust at a set of traffic lights in Kinsale (Ireland).. From running car to ash in about twenty minutes.. Spectacular..! IF you buy one replace the wiring.. The looms are simple.. Compared to todays cars..

[@erikhertzer8434]

I expected to see Benny Hill after that Thames TV intro...

[@neilwalsh4058]

'Any hot Escort would beat it away from the lights' Why didn't he compare it against a 1300cc Escort? Probably because in 1977 he wasn't allowed to say..... 'the X1/9 would spank the cart sprung Ford with its Anglia derived pushrod all iron lump'

[@yossarian6799]

I remember the excitement when we got the X1/9 as a "special import" (no import tariff) in South Africa, meaning any oke with a decent salary could afford one. Seems most were painted metallic green. And no rust away from the coast.

[@migz_e46]

Ahhh we have one here in JHB. Painted Rosso Corsa with black leather interior

[@lazer5582]

i briefly owned one of these and swopped it for a Matra Simca,known for the 3 seats in the front.Spent more time broken than it did on the road,wished i kept the Fiat.

[@alphatrion100]

Beautifull design

[@georgejacob3162]

2:00. Those bags matches the seats!

[@Buelligan88]

What the hell kind of test track is that? 2:20?

[@nickwilczynski3684]

Buelligan88 I was thinking that!

[@andydinwoodie1497]

Pub carpark

[@seed_drill7135]

I had a coworker that had the Bertone version (FIAT itself had left America, but they still brought these in rebadged as Bertone's). It took him close to a year to get a needed drivetrain part from Italy.

[@googleusergp]

FIAT=Fix It Again Tony.

[@mikiex]

Tony, the Legend

[@dannyrobinson9725]

Love the way he drives it about a car boot sale car park!!

[@regplasma7906]

Under 5k on ebay for an X19.I still think they look great.

[@DSGNflorian]

The X19 still looks great, especially in an unapologetic colo(u)r like this saturated metallic green, a refreshing contrast to most of today's automotive offerings which seem to only come in dreary variations of grey, white or black. A splash of chromatic joy was sorely needed for these Thames TV snippets, as the majority of their car reports were recorded in rather agrarian environs. Dirt roads and drizzly weather gave the "new" cars in these features the very shabby look of 10-year old used cars...

[@bigglesflysagain1749]

Acquisition to accompany the queen sized bed and good stereo in the apartment....post divorce...and I was smiling for many a mile in my new 1976 , brown 'buzz about'.........sure the plastic radiator bottle sprang a leak and I finally had to give it to a mechanic 'cause I could not afford to pay repairs on a blown engine....but OHHHH..those 4 years of ownership......grand stuff...... and YES, one could get up to some shenanigans in the passenger side...yoga helps....but IT could be done....and I am smiling NOW, in memoriam ! R.I.P. , my cool X1/9 !!!!

[@tommyd.743]

Owned both, an X1/9 and a Spitfire from the same era. The Fiat was by far the best.

[@tommyd.743]

@Jody Owen How odd, I also had a spider, an early version 124, a 71' if I recall (learned how to wrench on that car). After she turned to rust I upgraded to the Spitfire (77'). Drove her as my daily driver for five years (even through Ohio winters lol). When the Spit finally got tired and too cumbersome to own, I started to search for an X1/9. My wife located a guy in the southern part of the state who closed his Fiat dealership when they quit exporting here. He kept two X1/9's and through them in a barn thinking they would gain in value as collectables. However when Bertoni took over the car a few years later and resumed sales here, he decided to sell. I purchased one of them at a price commiserate to its age and mileage. It had 2000 miles on the odometer and still had the plastic on the seats! Most fun I ever had in a car. Unfortunately I lost it to a traffic mishap a couple years later. Quit driving sports cars for some time after that on my wife's advice (kids and all), until the day her brother the Nissan salesman came by with a used first gen 300Z....the rest is history. Currently am retired and have a 350Z sitting in my garage. Once you get it in your system it never really leaves I guess.

[@mamadouaziza2536]

The ones from the late 1980s had good rust proofing and if you lived in a dry climate you didn't need to worry. The car handled very well but it was not a fast car by any means and it was built tough!!

[@LOTPOR0402]

Design wise this was in a different league to what mg/triumph were offering at the time

[@gregorytimmons4777]

Mark cbay Exactly in the same league styling wise as the TR7.

[@sportshatch]

Gregory Timmons But neither design were particularly well received at the time. I had an X/19 and I liked it ( when it ran). But most people thought it a little odd.

[@neutronalchemist3241]

@@gregorytimmons4777 The TR7 arrived four years after the X1/9. Like the MR2 and the Fiero it had been pretty evidently inspired by it.

[@chriswilde7246]

I had one, diamond White with all the stripes and wide wheels. Once the roof was off, it was a totally different car.. Not a bad runner at all, from that to a series 3 Jaguar, that was a big jump...

[@frazzleface753]

RLX 718R was last taxed in 1988.

[@paulhackett1313]

Just what I expected,ok for a seventies car.

[@edmondocerza4292]

I like how Brits rank on Italian cars of the 70s like if their junk cars were any better. Princess, Allegro to name a few.

[@davidhayes4814]

Such a cool little car. Almost. Precursor to the MX5 which arrived just over a decade later. Sure it rusted but everything did in those days. Little power, little weight, great handling, low price .....nearly a magic formula. Pity the Golf GTI arrived to castrate it for less than 10% more cash. Damn those Germans.

[@ggolds5]

Growing up in West Hartford, Connecticut, our next door neighbor was a Fiat car salesman. He brought home a new 74 X1/9 - first year. When he pulled in the driveway smoke was coming out of the trunk. It turns out, there was a rubber mat at the bottom of the rear luggage area behind the engine and OVER the muffler (floor). The muffler got so hot it melted the mat so when he got home the mat was nothing but molten rubber at the bottom of the trunk. Fiat had so poorly designed so many features in the car that they hadn't even tested the car with the rubber mat in place until it was sent to dealers and left dealer lots. The car rusted badly and fast. Broke down very often, but was oddly safe!. SAFE?. Yes, kind of. They showed in one TV commercial the "cage" it was built around. A tractor trailer rear ending an X1/9 standing still at 60mph. The little car accordioned up to the mid pillar roof bar and never intruded on the passenger compartment. OF course the persons head would have taken a severe jolt at that speed and likely snapped his neck, but, the cockpit remained in tack. Coolest car ever made.

[@salvatorep.1685]

Toyota Mr2 mk1 is inspired to Fiat X1/9

[@ValeryLevchenkoTurin]

Salvatore P. Inspired? They virtually stole the whole design!

[@Slacksfifth]

@@ValeryLevchenkoTurin Typical of japanese and korean cars to steal designs; from the established.

[@zahemi914]

@@Slacksfifth may be so, but you forgot to mention JDM adds on the 'reliablity' factor into it...

[@TEDdotcom]

@Valery Levchenko” oh you mean LITERALLY stole the whole design...

[@alunhoskins4513]

Speaking as an ‘Italian car’ fan and owner of many over the years, Toyota added 2 important things to their design; build quality (by the standard of the day) and reliability. X19 was much prettier but let down by....well, quite a few things.

[@poppyneese1811]

Love the Spider, but I remember seeing this car the first time, it was like seeing a spaceship, it was shocking! Still looks pretty good. I’d still choose a MG or Triumph, not the one that was advertised as the shape of things to come.

[@michaelwalton9528]

test drive on a cow field... absolute class...did Tony do magpie

[@barnaboy101]

Was that filmed at Kempton Park?

[@johnmiller9024]

A classic 70s brown striped interior. Love it

[@keithe8449]

My 1977 S reg mini also had similar striped seats

[@johnstairs]

Love the clanging of the doors and boot lid. Still cannot get my head around the location where the fuck is that!!

[@godwindracing6056]

“Designed by one of the world’s leading stylist” - do you mean Marcello Gandini of Bertone...famous for the Lamborghini supercar trilogy

[@hutchcraftcp]

Great fun to drive but like others have said, rust was the biggest issue.

[@garychilds1130]

And the spear tire is behind the driver seat held in place by a long bolt so drive carefully when you don't have the wheel in place

[@TT_1221]

Little beauty. He wasn't impressed by the 110 mph max speed! How fast did he need it to be!

[@neutronalchemist3241]

He was comparing it with other mid-engined sportscars of the time, but the X1/9 was not a supercar, it was mid engined for weight balance, but was intended from the start to be a very practical roadster (infact this review correctly pointed out the unmatched luggage space) for everyday driving.

[@paulwhite2533]

@2;45 an aston martin v8?

[@davidstrohl]

We had one of those when I was a boy. My nostalgia of it was destroyed last year when I drove one again. Terribly underpowered, but still fun to drive. The cars owner told me a story I knew well from my childhood. It was always a Fix It Again Tony vehicle. £3298? Overpriced even then.

[@The101Point1]

A bright green car with James May brown interior

[@user-rc1ke1ef3t]

Good looking car, knew someone who dropped an Uno turbo motor in it, went like stink,

[@martinparker6536]

yeah they should of done a turbo version using that engine, however MR2 with 3sgte engine blows it away........had one 210bhp !

[@martinparker6536]

EHHH ?

[@jillianthomson7935]

What the heck - off roading in an X1/9?? I don't treat mine like that.

[@Rockythefishman]

I think you can even see it rusting in that video !

[@suffolksettler5106]

I loved my x1/9 but being a 1980 1500 in 1990 it was a little bit mmm challenged. It had rust in so many places and a really fudged gearbox but to be honest it was so much fun I could forgive it. Even had the timing belt break and only took a replacement belt to get back on road. Was going to restore it but got engaged and sold it before I got married. Once sold I had the police round to say it had been stolen and crashed into a shop window (v5 not updated hence contacting me) - most unlikely ram raid weapon in the history of crime but hey that was Cheltenham

[@LOTPOR0402]

No different to what the brits were making then

[@raymondlonghurst4655]

Yes nearly as much as fords of the time rusted

[@GustavMeyrink]

If you want rust I've got two words for you: British Leyland

[@AlexiaVon]

Why is he ripping it through a field???? Wouldn't a road be better for a road test not a playing field.

[@QuadMochaMatti]

Did the gentleman drive away at speed posthaste whilst the detachable roof panel lay against the side of the Fiat, or did a stealthy, fleet-footed, off-camera assistant prevent an otherwise fully-assured catastrophe?

[@franzchong5889]

at least it had a place to put things.which is something the very last of the toyota mr2's never had.

[@kristianvitanyi5992]

Not exactly the top gear test track, is it?

[@oliveroneill1388]

Love to drive one . Never did

[@RickP2012]

It's like watching Alan Partridge.

[@Hazwaste63]

Was that a tank testing ground?

[@jimbond8877]

superbe jouet pour adulte

[@eltonwelsby787]

They always remind me of the triumph TR7

[@e46M3_DakarYellow]

Test drive on a field?

[@steveooooo4423]

A little beauty

[@100forks]

If only Italian cars did not rust so badly because there would be so many more for people to enjoy today. I bought a used Lancia HPE, 35 years ago. I loved the car. A little over a year later, the top rusted off the thing and I had to scrap it.

[@GSimpsonOAM]

The later HPEs were galvanised which helped the rust issue which was exaggerated a bit by the press. All cars in those days suffered rust until the protection methods improved. I had a supercharged model and had it for 13 years. Solid reliable car. When I sold it, it was 25 years old and had done 320,000km. Was still going strong.

[@sammyt3514]

One of the best looking cars of all times imo; too bad the reliability/build quality were not up to snuff.

[@edwardszzz]

Was it better than the triumph TR7?

[@leenevin8451]

Is that a TR7?

[@darrenwilson8042]

always liked them - always shied away coz of the propensity to rust

[@benlogicfactsshapiro]

I never knew Fiat could make a pretty car.

[@RolandElliottFirstG]

I Nearly bought one new except for one big problem, there was no head room for me, i am quite tall and i had to twist my head sideways to sit in it.

[@martinparker6536]

and you have to be an Orangutan to drive one lol

[@monstersince]

kays mate is rebuilding a lime green X19 i hope its not a surprise for my upcoming birthday. mx5 1.8s please

[@payamyazdi7672]

I used to have a 1987 Toyota MR2 which was a fun and reliable car.i don't know about the Fiat thou

[@hulkhatepunybanner]

X1/9: Fun and not so reliable.

[@TEDdotcom]

Fix It Again Tony X1/9

[@therealbettyswollocks]

Tony ragging it around a field. Doesn’t get better.

[@andrewsmactips]

Creak clank rattle groan. The sounds of the '70s.

[@anthonyfell77]

Why's he understeering round a playing field?

[@ndangelo]

0:39 Belisimo quality

[@aaronbays4]

Man this car got seriously bastardized by US bumper regulations. Also the Japanese might not always be first to the market with a new idea like this Fiat, but they tend to copy it and absolutely perfect it(Toyota MR2, total gem of a car IMO)