story by chris stutters • photos by david s. wallens
The original Fiat X1/9 seemingly had it all, from Buck Rogers styling and four-wheel-independent suspension to a tasty mid-engine layout and a removable targa top. It was sexy, Italian and built for sin.
Unfortunately, the car was also slow. Really slow.
Credit for that lack of speed goes to the …
Awesome project. I love everything about this car.
Want! 
Thanks for posting this. I am hoping to find my copy of the original article. John was a friend of mine and unfortunately he was killed doing another passion of his - surfing! John built a cool car and was in the process of making it wilder when he passed. I heard the car went to Southern, Ca. I'm not sure what has happened to it.
That's right, I had heard that he passed. I did the photography for that one and lined up everything. He was a neat dude who built a very cool car.
He did build a cool car and to think it was his first build. He learned how to weld doing that car. In reply to David S. Wallens :
Cool car.
Bellissimo
RIP waterman. A girlfriend had one and I loved the little thing with 70hp. 270 would be silly fun. 2000 lbs is still light. I have stumbled into you tube vids of some Itallian hillclimb organization (I guess) where highly modified versions of these little things scream through villages on what look like Roman era roads.
I think I'm in love.
I loved that project when it was featured in 2007. Yeah, that article is ten.years.old.
Where does one go to buy 215/50/13 tires with a TWR higher than 50 these days?
I always loved the X1/9. Built a very crude and simple autocross racer in about 1980. This car reminds me of that. But with three times the HP. Pretty little baby Ferraris. Beautiful work. So sad about John's surfing accident mentioned above.
You are not kidding about how strong the X was. I parted one out and tried to cut up the shell, even being extremely rusty, It dulled every sawzall blade in I bought in a matter of minutes.
Yeah, I love this car too.
Years ago I started a project X19 stripping everything, seam welding all bottom sheet metal, building a rear subframe to install a mid engine 13B rotary. Car had fiberglass IMSA body including hood & deck lid. Never found time to finish the car and sold components. Always thought a mid engine 350HP FI solo car would be neat. Jerry (Bandit) Kieft
JerryKieft said:Years ago I started a project X19 stripping everything, seam welding all bottom sheet metal, building a rear subframe to install a mid engine 13B rotary. Car had fiberglass IMSA body including hood & deck lid. Never found time to finish the car and sold components. Always thought a mid engine 350HP FI solo car would be neat. Jerry (Bandit) Kieft
Dang. Don't have anything left do you?
I appreciate reposting the article again. Short of Momi's Integrale-based conversion in Israel, this has got to be one of the most wicked X1/9s created for street use. I had forgotten about the accident. And yes, I do believe the car is in Southern California.
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