Login Register Sign up for the GRM e-newsletter

Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Momi's X1/9
  • Rupunzell

    Aug. 20, 2008 9:28 a.m. Rupunzell New Reader

    An interview with Momi about his X1/9. http://www.network54.com/Forum/12159/message/1219205321/An+interview%252C+a+car+an...

    He states what are the most important aspect of any performance car, the chassis and brakes. There is no solid foundation for a performance car if the chassis and brakes are poor to begin with. One can always add power. Like the Wright Brothers who figured how to make powered flight happen, it was pretty much a problem of control, not power. This is a very basic item many car folks don't appreciate or understand well which I suspect is why most car folks focus on the engine and looks then forget the rest.

    And, a video of what a "cheap heap FIAT/Bertone x1/9" is capable of doing when this chassis is allowed to be what it could be: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4039536226454557146&q=ISRAEL%2527S+FAS...

    FIAT did everything in it's power to make sure this did not happen to the X1/9. Since the birth of the X, it has been opposed by part of FIAT management and viewed as a car they never wanted to build. What FIAT management at the time wanted was a 128 based two seater FWD "sports car". Bertone had other ideas, the X1/9 was born right after Bertone's design team finished the Lambo Mirua and Mr. Bertone believed mid-engine sports cars are the future. His hope was to use the X as an example of just what could be done in a low cost, production two seater sports car. What Bertone wanted was in direct conflict with FIAT management and FIAT refused to support any further development of the X which resulted in the car as many know today. Momi's X1/9 is an extreme example of what this car could have been if FIAT management choose to develop what was designed into the car since it's birth. To this day, most car folks still view the X as a "rusty cheap heap" and not worth of spending time, energy or resources on, yet, the X1/9 along with the Lotus Europa were the two most significant mid-engine cars ever put into production and their influence on modern mid-engine car design to this day. The current media is guilty of not recognizing the significance of what these two designs have contributed to automotive history.

  • m4ff3w

    Aug. 20, 2008 10:15 a.m. m4ff3w Dork

    His car is just beyond evil.

  • racerdave600

    Aug. 20, 2008 10:17 a.m. racerdave600 Reader

    I've owned a dozen or so X1/9s, and agree totally with his comments. In my mind, it is the underrated car of all time. Also most people don't realize the MR2 is almost a direct copy of the X1/9 suspension wise, although there are a few differences.

    To this day, the most impressive car I've ever driven is Hoelscher's old DSP X1/9, and I've driven a ton of cars from the mundane to the exotic. The car was simply amazing. It made Porsches, Corvettes and BMWs feel like lathargic, bloated pigs, which of course they aren't.

  • Jensenman

    Aug. 20, 2008 10:36 a.m. Jensenman UltimaDork

    I really liked my Exxies except for the lack of power. So in order to correct that, there's something evil cooking in the J-man's pantheon of projects.

  • Travis_K

    Aug. 20, 2008 5:09 p.m. Travis_K New Reader

    Jensenman wrote:

    I really liked my Exxies except for the lack of interior room. />

    Fixed. I wish I could fit in one, but im 6'4, and its not going to happen (I have tried).

  • Aug. 20, 2008 5:44 p.m. SVreX UltraDork

    Jensenman wrote:

    I really liked my Exxies except for the lack of power. So in order to correct that, there's something evil cooking in the J-man's pantheon of projects.

    Oooh!, oooh!, oooh! Mistah Kotahr, Mistah Kotahr!

    Your pantheon is currently my lawn art.

  • fiat22turbo

    Aug. 20, 2008 6:33 p.m. fiat22turbo SuperDork

    Travis_K wrote:

    Jensenman wrote:

    I really liked my Exxies except for the lack of interior room. />

    Fixed. I wish I could fit in one, but im 6'4, and its not going to happen (I have tried).

    There are tricks to help with this. A stock X-1/9 is hard, but with a better seat, moved further back, smaller steering wheel and some adjusting on the angle of the steering column (takes about a day or so to get all of this done, many already have.

    X1/9 interior modifications for BIG & TALL guys...

    Or a Lancia Monte Carlo (Fiat X-1/20) might be an alternative as they are a little bigger and have the Dual Cam motors in them.

    Stefan

  • Jensenman

    Aug. 20, 2008 8:45 p.m. Jensenman UltimaDork

    At 6 foot, I actually fit in one pretty well. I always thought they had much better interior ergos than the average Italian car; I never liked the 'school bus' wheel position of the 124's.

    The Lancia Scorpion always intrigued me. I never did get a chance to try one on for size.

  • Travis_K

    Aug. 21, 2008 10:09 a.m. Travis_K New Reader

    I sat in a Scorpion too once, it actually has less interior room than the X1/9, by quite a bit. The only way I could in an X1/9 is if there was a way to move the seat down about 2 inches, becasue otherwise the lip where the removable roof panel sits is right where the back of my head is.

  • Jensenman

    Aug. 21, 2008 2:54 p.m. Jensenman UltimaDork

    SVreX wrote:

    Jensenman wrote:

    I really liked my Exxies except for the lack of power. So in order to correct that, there's something evil cooking in the J-man's pantheon of projects.

    Oooh!, oooh!, oooh! Mistah Kotahr, Mistah Kotahr!

    Your pantheon is currently my lawn art.

    Your lawn art is only part of my pantheon. There's somethin' else in the pipeline.

  • fiat22turbo

    Aug. 21, 2008 11:54 p.m. fiat22turbo SuperDork

    Travis_K wrote:

    I sat in a Scorpion too once, it actually has less interior room than the X1/9, by quite a bit. The only way I could in an X1/9 is if there was a way to move the seat down about 2 inches, becasue otherwise the lip where the removable roof panel sits is right where the back of my head is.

    otherwise known as a racing seat with some NASA memory foam for a seat bottom.

  • Rupunzell

    Aug. 22, 2008 12:02 a.m. Rupunzell New Reader

    Give a gifted and talented car guy like S. Hoelscher an excellent chassis as a foundation and he wins too many times in DSP with the X1/9. SCCA decided to move the X1/9 into a class where is will not be competitive under any condition. basically, SCCA wants to stop anyone from winning in an X1/9.

    What does it say about SCCA their politics and agenda?

  • gamby

    Aug. 22, 2008 12:08 a.m. gamby UltraDork

    That X1/9 is gorgeous and simply alarming.

    I've seen that Israel clip before, but it's a blast to watch again. Some serious cars over there that I'd never expect to see.

    I'm a typical American who only sees Israel as a war-zone/hell-hole.

  • gamby

    Aug. 22, 2008 12:13 a.m. gamby UltraDork

    BTW--unless I glanced over it--

    So is he actually using a Fiat block in that thing???

    There weren't enough details about what that engine consists of besides a turbo.

  • m4ff3w

    Aug. 22, 2008 9:08 a.m. m4ff3w Dork

    gamby wrote:

    BTW--unless I glanced over it--

    So is he actually using a Fiat block in that thing???

    There weren't enough details about what that engine consists of besides a turbo.

    It has the Fiat/Lancia twin cam. Not the SOHC block that normally resides in there, but Fiat none-the-less.

  • dculberson

    Aug. 22, 2008 9:36 a.m. dculberson New Reader

    gamby wrote:

    I'm a typical American who only sees Israel as a war-zone/hell-hole.

    The thing is, even in Israel you're more likely to die in a car accident than in a terrorist attack. Yes, they're more common than here, but it's still not the number one killer. It's not nearly as bad as you think from reading / watching the news here.

    Also, I just wanted to point out the following quote from the article:

    "Since then I must have added some $140,000 to it, and this is not the end yet."

    Umm... okay.

  • Aug. 22, 2008 11:18 a.m. SVreX UltraDork

    Jensenman wrote:

    SVreX wrote:

    Jensenman wrote:

    I really liked my Exxies except for the lack of power. So in order to correct that, there's something evil cooking in the J-man's pantheon of projects.

    Oooh!, oooh!, oooh! Mistah Kotahr, Mistah Kotahr!

    Your pantheon is currently my lawn art.

    Your lawn art is only part of my pantheon. There's somethin' else in the pipeline.

    Good. I'd expect no less from you.

    My lawn art also now contains the heartbeat of your pantheon.

  • mad_machine

    Aug. 22, 2008 8:51 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

    m4ff3w wrote:

    It has the Fiat/Lancia twin cam. Not the SOHC block that normally resides in there, but Fiat none-the-less.

    I would think it is the 16valve engine out of the Fiat Coupe' or Lancia Delta Integrale. The head itself will bolt right onto the standard 1800 and 2000 132 series blocks we got here in the US..and actually do better on that block than the one they were designed for due to a lack of balance shafts in them.

 

You'll need to log in to post.