Fiat X19 vs Ferrari 308

On youtube there are some X1/9's that are crazy fast. Anybody know what's in them? They show some races with very fast cars, and the X1/9's just pull away! That wasn't my X1/9

 

Problem is that parts falling off at speed are harder to recover. I found it helpful to drive slowly.

I remember that ad. Problem is putting the Pininfarina-penned Ferrari 308 behind the Bertone X1/9 is almost an advert for Pininfarina.

I thought my silver Fiat X1/9 ('81) was a cool little car when I had it in high school, but then I saw a brand new red 308 GTS QV in the parking lot, and that was that...

 

My first car was a 75 X, bought when I was a senior in high school. My other friends had Trans Ams, Cameros, and other muscle cars. Not too long ago I found one of these friends on Facebook and he admitted that even he, a Camero driver, thought my X was the coolest car at our high school.

I took my X on long trips and plenty of winding roads. It was a car that made me smile whenever I looked at it. It most definitely kick-started my love of Italian autos.

Interestingly enough, that car is also directly responsible for me becoming a DIYer. The dealerships were notorious for incompetent service, and after a botched job on a front wheel bearing, I mustered the courage to try my next repair myself. Once I started maintaining it, I found it be be very reliable. The fact that I have saved tens of thousands of dollars over the past few decades doing my own work is a direct result of the incompetent dealership in my home town.

"Cleverly designed" sums up my view of this car pretty well. It felt roomy for such a small car, had two usable trunks with a surprising amount of storage space, mid-engined design, and a stowable top that fit over one's luggage. As long as one could enjoy it the way it was designed, it was a great car and very well balanced. It was the most fun-per-dollar of any car I've owned.

 

I would say I wish, but on the other hand, the Swedish owner of this F308 converted MC admitted it is no fun driving a Montecarlo past 200 km/h (125 mph). Mine is my Chique car, the only car I can drive to some serious event:
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Are you sure that's an oil cooler and not an oil sprayer? She does sound pretty good, though. BTW, you practically drove right by my house...I'm surprised I've never seen your car out about around here.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tYHNSqQkvo


beev

 

Hey come by and check out the collection. I live only a block from where the Video was shot...

I will send you a PM..


Now I must say MarkJ I really like that avatar photo of yours...hmmmmmmmmmm I wonder who could have a taken such an amazing picture?????

 

Mark J keeps dodging my question.....

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-_dVRFk31k&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

 

I had a Fiat X-1/9 in the early 80's living in San Diego. I chased a 308 in La Jolla once and he smoked me only because of the straights. But it was OK, and I think he knew it too. I loved my X-1/9 and dreamed it was a 308 from the day I got it. The X-1/9 gave me a taste of something better, something worth going after. It took 28 years but I made it happen. 83 QV owner. Maybe someday I will buy an 81 X-1/9 again and park her next to her bigger sister.

 

Not taking anything away from the F355, but I'll bet I know who is having more fun in that vid.

 

I bet I know which one is faster.... With 240 Honda ponies and 1800 lbs. It should be obvious....

 

beev

cool S2 esprit... any pics to post up of her?

i wish mine S3 was a S2

cheers

HF

 

Brian - your post dates back a long time but could you tell me the s/n of the 308 GT4. The example looks rather unusual and interesting.

 

holy cow, I've often daydreamed about a Honda V-Tec motor in an X1/9, or the back of my '86 CRX. Wonder how they hooked up the gear shift linkage.

He's certainly not afraid to open her up on a pretty dangerous road:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy50rbSz7ZY&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL[/ame]

Saw this awesome, all original (period aftermarket alloys) X1/9 at Reina's Italian car show a few weeks ago.

+1
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Good friend of mine had a Fiat X-19 in the mid 80's. It looked cool but was anemic at best in the power dept.

 

That's going to have an effect on this little car. I'm about to get mine out of the shop. I'm thinking of messing with everybody's head by putting the new badge on it.

The little X is set to make a comeback because of the return of Fiat to a Dodge/Chrysler dealer near you. I know where to get projects cheap, really cheap, some of them run.

If anyone wants a little heads up, let me know. I don't sell them or parts. Midwest Bayless in Ohio is the best place, Matt Brannon is tops. He actually has a program where he transplants the Honday K20 or B16 into the X1/9, effectively making it a modern car. Combine that with wider tires, coil overs, and you've got a car in the Elise range for 5-10 grand. These cars have always had a cult following, but it's about to be more visible.

Enjoyed reading all the comments. I've owned four, and will always have one. But the holy grail for me is the 308. Not much comparison really. Even the design was Gandini qua Bertone, way angular.

 

Yea Dont drink and post...

 

I've owned both, IMHO the X1-9 is like a 'training' version of the 308; everything is just scaled down, but while power is obviously less, it certainly isn't 50%. You can have great LEGAL fun in the Fiat.

 

Here is mine for sale.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/?cmd=ViewItem&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649&item=230676800259&sspagename=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT

 

308: 3.0 liters, eight cylinders.
X1/9: 1.5 liters, four cylinders.
One of the better inside jokes I've seen was a vanity plate on an X1/9: 154 GTSi

However, the X1/9 is disproportionately down on power - 75 HP on a stockish motor with a few Euro bits bolted on, versus 200ish and a flatter torque curve for the two-valve injected US 308. Some of that is different levels of tuning in stock trim, some of that may be the inherent limitations of the reverse-flow Fiat SOHC head, some of that is certainly arrested development (no 4v head, no DOHC head), and some of that is balanced by the Fiat's lighter weight.

+154

Yep, practically the only time that I get to take the 308 to full-throttle redline in daily driving is freeway on ramps. The X1/9 is nimble and flingable in a way that the 308 isn't, the engine warms up faster, the turning circle is smaller.... but there is none of the feline grace and suppleness of the 308 at speed, none of that feeling that the speed limit is a cage and the car could do so much more if it were allowed to run free.

They're both great cars, oozing personality and demanding much from their owners and drivers, but they're very different executions of the same notion of what driving should be about.

 

On the Honda B16 and Acura K20 you have to get the manual tranz that had the cable (came in 92-76 Integras or something close to that). The cable allows proper routing into the "tunnel" between the seats in the X. Or...other transmissions can be used.

With the tunability of the K20's, like supercharging, you get build a real supercar, and the suspension is always up to the task with even minimal modification. That's the best thing about the X, the suspension, even though the frame is heavy. It was specifically designed for crash force dispersion and was one of only two cars to pass initial Federal crash standards.

Some people say the X is a small Ferrari, but other say the 308 is a big X. I hope to verify that for myself one day. I will.

 

Reviving a long dormant thread.

If anyone ever fancied picking up a 'new' Fiat X1/9, you should check this out:
Like New - 1985 Bertone X1/9 - 6,700 miles!! (midwest-bayless.com)

I saw this car in person last week, and it is as close to Showroom as you will ever likely find today (and it is priced accordingly).

Matt, the seller, is a stand-up guy, and you should not be worried about dealing with him.

Standard disclaimers, I am not affiliated with this car, etc., etc.

DM

P.S. - This is the same seller: Midwest-Bayless Fiat X1/9: 220 horses worth of Vitamin K | Hagerty Media

P.P.S. - Obligatory pictures of my own X1/9, which I bought new and owned for 37 years:
Photobucket

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Comparing this car to a Ferrari is absurd.