HONDA K20 TURBO SWAPPED FIAT X1/9!!

Yesterday I was attending a private test day at Santa Pod Raceway organised by Yam Yam Racing & Team Extreme Racing on behalf of Eurodragster.com where there was a real mixture of quick street & drag cars taking part. Plenty more videos to come from the day so make sure you're subscribed!
The car of the day for me was this awesome little 1987 Fiat X1/9 owned by Chris Fell powered by a turbocharged Honda K20A2 that's making 560HP at the flywheel and 490HP at the wheels. In a car that weighs in at 850KG that's just mental!!
The cars not built for straight lines either Chris often uses it on the street and has taken part in the hillclimb at Retro Rides with plans on doing a few track days in it too.
Spec -
1987 Fiat X1/9
Turbocharged Honda K20A2
560HP at the Flywheel, 490HP at the wheels.
28 psi of Boost
Forged Rods & Pistons
Charge Cooled Setup
Owen Developments Turbo
Quaife Sequential Gearbox and LSD
Nankang AR1 Road Legal Semi Slicks
You can also find me on...
Facebook - Mk1Kieran
Instagram - Mk1Kieran
Twitter - Mk1Kieran
Outro Music -
Lakey Inspired - Island
/ lakeyinspired

[@Pickchore]

Lovely car, well built, looks good and a rarity nowadays.

[@mk1kieran]

It sure is!

[@matthewchandler2647]

OMG! Thank you for posting! I’m about to start this exact build! Bought a mint car from an estate in SoCal with zero rust. Plan is a K20 with forced induction, though it will be built for the canyons 😉

[@gregbrindley1581]

Now that's an X19 I would like to own!

[@weightlossresultscoach7082]

I've had two of these over the years. Lovely little cars with great handling.

[@mk1kieran]

Just don't see them around! This is one of the nicest examples of the few I have seen though

[@markbowden7238]

I currently have three end of production X19's for sale in Dorset UK including one dry stored for 28 years. It's great to see a K20 swapped X in black with such a cool plate ✋👍

[@skylinefan4420]

Still available?

[@markbowden7238]

@@skylinefan4420 please can you state briefly what you are looking for and what you intend to use the car for? I've got various projects, I might have one that's suitable, I will reply promptly.

[@skylinefan4420]

@@markbowden7238 thankyou very much for your reply! I'm considering building an x1/9 time attack car but I have no idea what sort of budget I will need to have, I've seen prices varying wildly but essentially I'd be needing a rust free rolling shell as I plan to do a k20c swap myself and have a custom roll cage fabricated, if you could give me an idea of what something like that would cost I would appreciate it alot

[@markbowden7238]

@@skylinefan4420 hello, nice to hear back from you. I've been writing a blog about one of my X19 projects @ RMS Motoring Forum / Members Cars / The Ultimate X. Please have a read because there's tons of information about many of the issues you're talking about. Ball park figure for a K20 swapped X, done properly - 50K. I'm on a budget half the size and decided to spend 10k on the engine, details also on the blog. Currently I'd recommend that you invest about the same and do a 200bhp NA Fiat 8V sohc 1900. This is a hybrid version of the final iteration of the Fiat 128 engine, using parts from the Punto / Tipo / Stilo. The K20 swap idea originated in the states, but I'd say look to Italy for inspiration. Feel free to write again. Happy reading in the meantime! Mark. Happy reading.

[@zTheBigFishz]

I just took delivery of a K swapped X1/9 - 87 Bertone - built by the Midwest Bayless folks in Columbus, OH. Mine has a stock JDM ITR motor (~45k miles on the clock) with only about 200whp at 8600rpm. It is a fantastic car...the car in the video is psycho as a 10 second car, that is pretty impressive with what appears to be slow 60ft times. The VTEC cross over is intoxicating. Mine was dropped to about 5200rpm so that it is always on when shifting aggressively.

[@charleschristian5628]

That swap couldn’t have been easy. I bet there is a lot of knuckle skin inside that engine bay. Nice build and fast as hell omg 😱

[@mk1kieran]

The owner told me that it comes as a kit from the States so it all bolts straight in

[@davidburke709]

Midwest Bayless has a conversion for about 3500 US. I have been considering the swap too as my X1/9 has the 1300cc motor and the 4-speed. It handles great, but it would be fun to spook some of those hotshot Mopar boners.

[@williamgrimes2014]

@@mk1kieran sweet!

[@chrisharding5783]

Wow. A blast from my childhood. Corroded very quickly. Really nice well engineered example.

[@mk1kieran]

Sure is a beautiful example 👌🏻

[@raisingjunior6389]

Amazing, love the concept and execution. It's really fast too :)

[@duncanwatson1980]

Gotta love an x-19

[@suffolkngood]

Now , THAT is a car I really want ! I had 2, one with a lancia HPE engine in the same colour. It was quick until I banged it into 1st at about 90 !! Not a nice day !

[@mk1kieran]

Ouch 😬

[@turboslugfiero]

As said below; slow R/T. And 1st/2nd change seems to be difficult? However, super well done car and really fast😉👍

[@PierreDuToit-to7mb]

Few a them in South Africa used as drag cars and all use K20 or K24 Turbo engines running mid 9s on the 1/4mile.

[@jeffhubbard5660]

Beautiful build. Not seen one in ages.....

[@mk1kieran]

Yeah me neither, this was immaculate!

[@TheDoosh79]

Because they all rusted away years ago.

[@wyawn]

Looks awesome. Would you benefit from a taller first gear?

[@charlesdemay4192]

Oh man I just had headers, free flow exhaust and air cleaner on my X1/9. But I put NICE RIMS AND and 185/60-13s on mine and it was like driving a go-cart. My 3/4 scale FERRARI, just didn't have the extra POWER that would have gotten me in trouble and or the lost of my driver license. 🤔😮😉😣😎

[@mathewross3398]

I have an X19, handles amazingly .... but slow AF... K swap you say!

[@childish_humour762]

Bro i love your vids

[@mk1kieran]

Thank you!

[@nikolalubura]

Start with 2nd gear, if the transmission can withstand. You lose too much at the start, the K20A N / A engine in x1 / 9 goes 11. ?????, you should go well below 10 sec. What gearbox do you have?

[@CarsofSwedenlive]

very nice

[@williamgrimes2014]

Love it. Ive got my own recently and I was looking for some inspiration. Are those the stock hubs?

[@Luqman2112]

damm im looking to buy one where u get urs

[@djflashlinx5150]

Needs launch control? seems to be struggling a bit off the line.

[@craigruddlesdin9561]

I think that Chris Sutton built that I remember seeing it while working on his brothers car in the garage

[@mk1kieran]

I think Chris done the exhaust fab

[@fredolson70]

Nice👍

[@mk1kieran]

Thanks ✌

[@madpadi]

Really bad with reaction but a quick car used to have one back in the day!

[@realMaverickBuckley]

Hes trying to save the axles and gearbox known to be weak in MR configuration. Also your reaction time isn't part of your E/T so you can spend 3 seconds after the light goes green and still run the same time as if you have a 0.115 RT.

[@madpadi]

@@realMaverickBuckley ok awesome car tho Cheers!👍

[@ritanieuwenhuis5835]

nice done but why no Italiaans engine there are so much nice engines also very good

[@robertrinna2950]

V tec just kicked in half way down the track.should had put an Italian engine in it

[@mescko]

A waste to take such a light nimble sports car down a dragstrip...a waste. The last place I want to take my MR2 is a straight line.

[@mk1kieran]

It’s predominantly used on the track and street, he was just seeing what it ran in the 1/4.

[@mescko]

@@mk1kieran Fair enough, in the case of my MR2 I don't really care. Lap time, yeah, I care. It's certainly a wicked little beast.

[@scotto132]

My dad just bought a 79 x19 and got a civic with a k20 in it to do just this. Any advice?