Here’s how the Fiat X1/9 was Italy’s first cheap mid-engine sports car

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In this episode I provide the history of the Fiat X1/9, a two-seater mid-engine coupe with a removable hardtop, which was originally designed by coachbuilder Bertone. Originally designed with the North American market in mind, it missed an important regulation soon after its release by requiring large unsightly bumpers to conform to the U.S. requirements for 5-mile-an-hour crash worthiness. Although sales were good for the first few years, by 1982, Fiat's overall sales had dropped enough to force them out of the North American market, however Bertone took over production and worked with Malcom Bricklin to continue imports. However sales kept declining enough that the X1/9 was discontinued by 1989. I also explain in this episode how it got the unusual name of X1/9.

[@skipast75]

That was a triumph TR7 in the fall guy… you can tell by the shape of the pop up headlights.

[@aston-martin-internationalist]

First thoughts, exactly. TR7.

[@kevindalton2285]

Thank you! Epic fail

[@jamesreckling6697]

Looked like a TR7 to me.

[@lanceharrington4475]

Definitely a TR7 or TR8 by the headlight shape.

[@garydale3233]

TR seven ….

[@stevec821]

Looking at the car that crashes in the Fall Guy, to me it looks more like a Triumph TR7 than a Fiat X19 due to it being front engine, rear drive & the pop ups are a strange triangular shape rather than square 👍🏻

[@wilw9607]

Yup! TR-7.

[@sebastiend.5335]

Indeed it seems to be!

[@mankind8088]

TR7 ALL DAY ALL DAY

[@lash9400]

Can spot the mug of a Tr7 a mile off.

[@allenwayne2033]

Yep, spotted that immediately.

[@bryana1942]

I know a mechanic, who specializes in Italian cars, who has an X1/9 in his garage. I’ve even seen it run! Always liked them myself.

[@ninocaruso6850]

That wasn't a Fiat X1/9 they crashed, it was a Triumph TR7

[@electropunk42]

Came here to say this. I owned a TR-7... unfortunately.

[@RJLightning68]

@@electropunk42 what was owning a TR7 like???

[@tucker8594]

A friend had one when I was in high school...loved cruising around in it, a totally fun car.

[@khylerin70]

The X1/9 was under rated. What it lacked in power it made up for in handling. It felt fast when it wasn't sometimes because it was like a rollerskate. 😂😂

[@wmalden]

As a high school senior in 1974, I lusted after this car. I ended up with a 1974 Civic instead.

[@PRH123]

74 civic was an awesome car too...!

[@nutandboltguy3720]

74-78 was carburated 1.3 w/4spd, 79 was carburated 1.5 w/5spd, 80-89 was EFI w/5spd

[@gregorycarroll6121]

Mine is a 1980 and is carbureted. It was built in March 1980. The cutover to fuel injection was sometime after that.

[@davidh7339]

1:30 - That looks more like a Triumph TR7.

[@marshallr4797]

I had an orange ‘75 model in high school-neat car.

[@AFExploration]

1.46 you made a comment about the fall guy car flipping over being a X1/9 but im sure its a Triumph TR7, keep up the great content though 👍

[@TheJetJONES]

Fun fact: The X1/9 and the 128 had the same platform, but: The 128 was FWD, while the X1/9 was RWD

[@SonicBoone56]

So Toyota copied Fiat to make the MR2.

[@pervertt]

Visually, this car has aged very well. It still looks fresh and distinctive in a world of me-too shapes.

[@TassieLorenzo]

Interesting! How about subsequent sporty FIATs like the FIAT Coupe (designed by Chris Bangle of BMW fame) and FIAT Barchetta?

[@melxb]

i agree it looks sick

[@jefferysmith3930]

Ahhh….Fall Guy. Definitely a Triumph. They did several of those tarted up cheaper car swaps as I recall. And the classic 70’s-80’s bail out of the car about to crash sequence

[@manthony225]

They trashed a 65 or 66 Mustang as a replacement for the Mustang II on Charlie's Angels😮

[@ncampopiano]

Triumph TR7

[@valengreymoon5623]

1:45 That's a Triumph TR-7.

[@homernoy]

Yup. I noticed that immediately.

[@damieg82]

Agreed... easy mistake to make I suppose, but it's definitely a Triumph

[@chewybunz]

Very informative! It's Lahn-cha, by the way.

[@brassmonkey7566]

I remember being amazed by how tiny they were compared to every thing else on the road at the time. Late 70s early 80s gas was .99 cents per gallon and the cars were still Large!

[@dotlaj]

Yes they are tiny but still have a place for luggage.

[@Iamthestig42069]

Bertone, mid engine, small wheelbase. It’s a budget lancia Stratos.

[@natesteiner5460]

They smashed and flipped a TR7! X1/9 didn't have a muffler under the floor.

[@padroooo]

Thanks Pat, a great documentary of the Fiat X1/9. I was in Italy for two weeks in the mid 80's. Gas was going for over $4 a gallon the and I noticed Fiat was king in Italy.

[@goofyleo3869]

It was $8/gal in the 90's and I didn't see ONE X1/9 or Ferrari when I was there.😐

[@leonardocilento786]

Price of the gas in Europe is usually waaaaay higher than in the u.s. s That's why small economy cars are preferred overall

[@DinsdalePiranha67]

I know a guy who at one time owned THREE X1/9's - two for the street, the third for racing with SCCA. He also had a Lancia Scorpion. Guess he had it bad for cheap mid-engined Italian cars...

[@QuincyPittmon]

Funny you posted this episode. I was thinking about this car the other day. And go figure, I was out driving and a very clean, red X1/9 pulled up next to me. I didn't get a chance to ask the driver the year, but I'm guessing '79 or so based on the bumpers. It was in excellent condition. I was surprised, I hadn't seen one in at least a decade or two. I always loved these when I was a kid. I'd see them around town from time to time. Same goes for the Porsche 914. Although the Porsche/VW has held it's value a bit better.

[@NeilSnapePhotography]

When I was in high school I had a brochure of a green X1/9. Later I happened upon a green one exactly like the brochure in excellent condition. I bought it, put on low profile mags, P7 Pirelli tires etc. Lots of repetitive repairs ! It was slow, but the weight balance was so good! On coastal roads from Vancouver to San Francisco it was a lot of fun living on the edge of danger. Truly painted don the road.

[@staric4863]

The car in the stunt in this Lee Major's serie is a Triumph TR7.

[@the_greenwood551]

Yeah the car in The Fall Guy was a Triumph TR7, also interesting you didn't use that episode from the MythBusters were they crush a Fiat X1/9.

[@catjudo1]

I would argue that Malcolm Bricklin was more famous for bringing Subaru to North America. As for the X1/9, of course it would rust away. At the beginning of the video they're driving it across a salt flat! Finally, I would love to find a modern Fiat 124 Spyder with a blown engine... so I could put the Miata's powerplant into it instead. Gorgeous looks with a reliable powerplant. Best of both worlds.

[@giantgeoff]

Fiat tried that ,. It was called the Lancia Scorpion.

[@ouijabored45]

i believe the car they wrecked at 1:32 was actually a triumph tr7, judging by how the pop-ups end slightly before the bumper

[@johnstapler5956]

I've always loved those cars. I think they're gorgeous. Thanks.

[@dedeborya9015]

that red flipped car looks more triumph than fiat ....

[@Johnsmitty1971]

I loved going to full service gas stations with mine. Quite few attendants walked around the whole car trying to find the fill cap. It was a fun car to drive.

[@curbowman]

This has been one of all-time favorite car of all times!! I used to see one here in Caracas, Venezuela, and it's amazing how small it really is. And yet, it was (and maybe still is) much more safe in a colission than most bigger cars.

[@puebespuebes8589]

Weight is the number 1 enemy

[@g1sokool669]

Bought a new one in 1974. I have never owned a car that was as much fun to drive. I have never owned another car that was as unreliable as the X 1/9.

[@bikerroel5284]

I had a 1977 X 1/9 for 12 years. It was a great car, handled wonderfully in the snows of Montana, the city streets of DC, and the wet weather of the Netherlands. Unfortunately, the car did seem to come "pre-rusted" and 4 years in northern Europe didn't help with that issue. The engine had over 100K miles on it when the rails failed and the body bent when I jacked it up to replace the brakes. Sad ending to a great driving car.

[@djflashlinx5150]

Missed opportunity in regards to extending its US lifespan, need more power!!! Wasn't aware price had more than doubled in a decade. I personally owned a 74,75,79,82 X, a Fiero GT and now a 93 Mr2, addicted to the midships.

[@markbowden7238]

Very tuneable motors Lampredi dohc, sohc

[@slikrhodez3336]

"Triumph TR7! The shape of things to crash!"

[@BEasay]

😂😂

[@michaelogden5958]

I had a buddy in Waco, Texas with an X-1/9. It must have been a '74 model. He loved it. Frankly, I was never much of a fan of its looks, but I never told him that. 😇

[@timstrobel9220]

I loved when I was in high school and wanted one

[@williamegler8771]

Wouldn't it have been cheaper for the producers of The Fall Guy to wreck a Fiero than to put a Triumph TR7 body over a FIAT X1/9?

[@johnbee7729]

Ummmmm - the car in the clip looks more like a Triumph TR7

[@generaldissaray4109]

to be fair, when i was a kid in the 80's i had a matchbox x19 and tr7 and i always thought they looked super similar.

[@fritsvandenbroek2795]

I also had this Fiat X 1/9 for years Unfortunately, I am already 87. greetings from Holland.

[@Schumanized]

There are a couple here in 🇵🇷 still running. A black onr and a green one.

[@discerningmind]

Sorry, My Old Car, but you got the "Fall Guy" scene wrong. 1:19 You're right, that scene didn't smash-up a Fiero, but it wasn't an X-19 either. It was a Triumph TR-7. Back in the 70's there were three lower-priced wedge-shaped sports cars- Fiero, X-19, and TR-7.

[@jsembler1]

Very excellent Silver Streak clip at the end!

[@doug6191]

Mazda's 929 deserves a spotlight

[@johnmohanmusic]

I would love to see a video on the original Datsun 240Z!

[@misssummersalt]

I recently worked for a dealership in Australia which was selling the Abarth Prototipo. It's currently dressed in a bright orange paintwork which really shows off its massive scorpion tail-like air intake which stands tall right in the centre ABOVE the passenger cabin!

[@jennifermontgomery4521]

First! And also I want this car! Ive been binge watching you for 2 days now.

[@calvinthurston1441]

A buddy when I met him had 2. One was a mostly stock being restored and the other was a full fledged race car with a cage and fire extinguish system with custom fenders molded off some porsche. It was a thing of beauty but he had broken his legs in a motorcycle accident and couldn't drive it. His mom ended up selling it or scrapping it or somthing without telling him as it was in her backyard. Major bummer to lose both of them!

[@tirebiter1680]

FIAT was building the 128 , an affordable car with a the engine in the front and front wheel drive. The X1/9 was created by putting what was under the hood of a 128 behind the seats of an X1/9. Therefore it could be sold for a fraction of the price of other Italian mid-engined sports cars like Lamborghini's and Ferrari's. If you had a choice of a Toyota MR2 or an X1/9, you would buy the Mister 2.

[@louislepage5111]

Neat looking cars , unfortunately total rust buckets here in Ontario Canada 😊

[@woongah]

The Runabout also reminds me, a lot, the final Lancia Stratos

[@davidleecock7754]

Triumph TR7 got rolled, genius!

[@vidiupload4174]

Excellent video. The X1/9 was a nimble, great handling, good-looking car that was surprisingly safe, especially for its size. If you could adjust to the steering wheel distance and angle, the angular gauge cluster, and the four anemic hamsters running on the treadwheel in the engine compartment, you'd be very happy with it.

[@markbowden7238]

I did exactly that, went through everything, modified whatever needed : seat, steering wheel, driving position, controls, diff, motor, lights, suspension, everything.

[@hardankles3382]

Thank you!!!! Awesome video!!!!! Being in the Fiat Club I have many friends with these cars!!!!!

[@althunder4269]

The car getting rolled and wrecked looked like a TR7.

[@peregrinemccauley5010]

Owned four Fiat 850 ( 903 cc ) Sports Coupes . Superb handling and performance and probably one of the most beautiful cars ever made .

[@TheJetJONES]

8:52 Another Fun Fact: The Fiat X1/9 and the Yugo are distant relatives 🤣

[@Aptnumber9]

In a few episodes of DALLAS in the early 80s, Charlene Tilton's character "LUCY EWING" drove the Fiat X 1/9.

[@letsride2057]

X19 is a mid engine design with a muffler at the very rear running transversely. At 1:39 you can see a single muffler at almost mid car.

[@tinfoilhat1619]

So interesting! It would be cool if you can do cars that were used/popular in movies from the 80s.

[@CarlosGuzman-bq8fr]

Great episode 😂❤ loved it. I loved The fiat 850. Almost bought one. Fiat 1/9 is 😎 🆒️

[@Pillowbiter84]

Thanks for another great video for Saturday night.

[@kifhurlbut]

I saw what you did there, with the flames over the Fiero's engine compartment! 😂

[@michaelb.42112]

I loved these as a kid !

[@Bod8998]

That's a TR7 Actually that got smashed

[@reinatycoon3644]

Great video man. This car looks amazing imho such unique character to the car for sure. Too bad it was so underpowered. They should have put a 2 rotor engine in the car to keep the light weight but have more hp. Imagine if this thing had a 170hp or more naturally aspirated rotary engine with it's 2225 lbs weight. It would have been a affordable pocket rocket.

[@chuckwhitson654]

Definitely a tr-7 in fall guy. I rode to school every day in one as a kid

[@goofyleo3869]

And I KNOW you never saw over the dash! Hell; even the driver had trouble seeing the nose of the car. That hood just sloped away out of sight. Thank Christ for the pop-up headlights to let you know where the front ended when you had to parallel park.

[@frankbalazs8816]

I have a Beautiful 2002 Red Corvette targa top with 40k original miles!!! I STILL WANT A X 1/9 !!!❤

[@PRH123]

Used to see quite a lot of these in the late 70's and early 80's in high school, they were very popular in the suburban dc area. I think it was the onset of the high quality japanese sports cars that they couldnt compete with, just like the british sports cars, that disappeared around the same time.

[@aipo86t]

I wanted one so bad, but it didn't fit. I had to settle for a 128/3P.

[@djverhulst]

What we did in europe was swap out the poor quality italian made parts for German quality stuff from Bosch ,, other alternator, starter, distributor ignition, better plugs and wiring, then you would have had most of the problems, and scrapped that emission crap before the first service check even though we had less strict regulations than in the U.S.

[@tsbrownie]

Had 2 friends in school that had these. Both rusted out behind the rear window within 3 years.

[@hglimshire8356]

I had a 75 X 1/9. Great when it wasn't in the shop. Actually wish I still had it

[@Iskelderon]

That thing always looks like the Japanese improved it into the first generation MR2.

[@Bentsi2002]

I own a fiat 850 spider, tiny reliable car, so slow but fun.

[@grunkohlaktionar7474]

Please do an Episode on the Mitsubishi Diamante

[@BlackBeard-1680]

A cool car to do an episode on would be the Opel Manta, which was an import sold through GM Buick

[@johnnymula2305]

The car that was in the fall guy crash scene that blew up was a Triumph TR7.

[@thedeadstig123]

That car exploding was a triumph TR7......

[@dcanmore]

they trashed a Triumph TR7 in the Fall Guy clip.

[@gud6y]

Failed Attempt at Italian Transportation! Loved these though!

[@rjscott6116]

That was a tr7 buddy. A Triumph.

[@derekcolvin9944]

I came so close to buying this car in 1981 after I graduated high school but it was $2,000 more than the Mazda GLC I ended up purchasing

[@Afrocanuk]

If I had the choice, I'd choose an X-19 over a Fiero.

[@Checkmate1954]

I had a Brand New1973 Fiat 850 Sport Spider. Quick and fun.

[@dalesmth1]

I had three of these. A 73, 78, and and 86 that I bought new off the car lot in 91. Toward the end, they had a hard time getting rid of them.

[@jamesstuart3346]

Up here in the Canadian Rust Belt these cars lasted about one winter

[@danielboguse4249]

That's a TR7 and the radiator was up front. The side scoops directed air into the engine compartment.

[@timcarlos]

Since the radiator was located in the front of the vehicle, the cited scoops in the sides of the car didn't direct air at the radiator.

[@TEDdotcom]

Loved the episode. Always liked the X1/9. Learned a lot about its history. Didn’t know about the Bertone takeover. Thanks!

[@geminihi-fi7939]

I'm watching this because I just left a garage that had 3 in it all running fine.

[@OYisit]

On the Fall Guy chase scene they rolled and flashed a Triumph TR, just look for RWD underside shot.

[@supercarspotingbyronboudre4733]

Great Vid! I had a 74 silver X1/9 Loved it!

[@Jim-re3sr]

You know why i haven't seen an X19 on the highways in 40 years? It was a Fiat

[@krill6969]

Why is this unlisted.

[@MyOldCar]

This is not scheduled for public release until later this month. I provided an unlisted link to my brother (Dennis O'Meara) since he provided me some info to include in the video, so I wanted him to see it in case I got any info wrong. I will soon be switching it back to scheduled status (which will block it from view before the release date).

[@MarcVetovious]

You sure that wasn’t a TR 7 FHC in the fall guy?

[@wagonpassion4137]

I thought exactly the same

[@tolik5929]

I had two of those growing up . Absolue junk , but a ton of fun to drive . Could turn on a dime . You might be able to get it to 95mph , if you red lined it , and were goiing downhill . On the plus side , if you rolled it , it was VERY sturdy , having a built in roll cage ...................yes I am talking from experience .

[@marktuyet]

Had a 76' 128 . Started rusting about a week after I bought it.

[@anthony_rivera4735]

Please do a video on the Ford Explorer sport trac pickup