Today we will tell you about a FIAT from the past that few will remember, but which made history. Here are the details.
The brand FIAT it exalted the enthusiasts of the past with models that were nothing short of exceptional, which are now far behind in time. To date, we have become accustomed to very different cars, especially under the management of the Stellantis groupwhich certainly imposed a much more similar line between the various brands that are part of it.
Do you think that on July 11th the new Panda will be revealed, which will have the same identical platform as the Citroën E-C3, with which it will share the maximum power of 113 horsepower and the autonomy of 320 km, nothing surprising considering that their powertrain will be shared. Furthermore, a range of latest generation electric vehicles is arriving in the future, but even in that case, they will not strictly be exclusive to the Turin company, because they will have a lot in common with other cars.
In the next lines, we will tell you about a FIAT that is astonishing to say the least and which belongs to a very distant era, in which there was great success in terms of sales and popularity. We’re not exaggerating by telling you that this car looks sort of small Ferrari, and was born in the years following the agreement between the Piedmontese brand and Cavallino. Here are all the details.
FIAT, let’s discover the history of the X1/9
The car we’re telling you about today It is the FIAT X1/9, a rear-engined Targa-type carwhich was produced between 1972 and 1989. The long duration of its production already makes us understand what a successful project it was, which was appreciated by everyone, in an era in which there was great attention to design and details, of which this car was truly chock-full.
Powering it was a short-stroke 4-cylinder inline Otto engine, placed in a rear-central position. The maximum power was 75 horsepower, with rear-wheel drive, and who had had a bike to test it, judged it to be a real jewel. Even though it was a car from over fifty years ago, he described it as very agile and light, as well as agile, and capable of performing well even on the most complicated surfaces. FIAT had created a real jewel, which was also tested by many drivers of the time, who were involved in rally competitions and also on the track.
In the video posted here, uploaded to the channel YouTube “FIAT Historic Centre“, we see the X1/9 during a test carried out by the great Giancarlo Baghetti, and we see him having a lot of fun behind the wheel. Some time, some designers had created renderings in which the X1/9 was shown in modern forms, almost as if to predict its return to the market. Objectively, it seems impossible to us for this to happen, and surely, if this name were ever to be used, it would be for a completely different car, perhaps an SUV or an electric. Unfortunately, the good times are gone, and we can only console ourselves with memories.
