• Recent comprehensive restoration completed in 2020
• Rebuilt engine and gearbox
• Chassis fully stripped, acid-dipped and repainted
• Every common X1/9 problem has been rectified
The Background
The Fiat X1/9 was designed by Marcello Gandini of famed design house Bertone in 1969, eventually making production in 1972 as a replacement for the Fiat 850 Spider.
Engineered to be a fun and accessible sportscar, the X1/9 is the only mid-engined rear-wheel drive vehicle ever to be produced by the Italian marque.
Later models, such as this one, featured an 85bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine and a five-speed gearbox, as well as improved electrical systems and exterior enhancements.
First registered in London in 1987, this lovingly restored example of the Fiat X1/9 was exported to the Isle of Man in 1990, returning to mainland Britain in 2001. Since then, it has passed through the hands of three Northern England-based owners to the current custodian in 2013.
Bought as a project for him and his son, the owner has recently completed a 7-year restoration process including rebuilding the engine and gearbox as well as acid-stripping the chassis before rustproofing and fully repainting the entire car. The project was fully completed in January 2020 and it has covered around 250 miles since, with the owner wishing to reclaim the garage space as a reluctant reason for sale.
Receipts for some of the most significant new parts and work carried out during the restoration process is available for the new owner, including a £2,260 invoice for the full chassis acid dip treatment.
Included in the sale is a full X1/9 workshop manual, sourced from the United States, perfect for enthusiast owners who enjoy tinkering with cars themselves. There’s also an X1/9 Haynes manual (for earlier models) and a tatty but original vehicle handbook.
The V5 log book in the owner’s name is also present, and various receipts for items such as the new carburettor, rear suspension struts, hubs and other items complete the file.
The fabulously presented interior is mostly original to the car, with the exception of the seats which have been professionally upholstered to match the style of the originals. The dashboard has no cracks or sun damage and the door cards are all in very good condition, as is the centre console, handbrake, switchgear and dials. The heater works as it should and the inside gets nice and warm.
The entire interior carpet was also replaced during the project, and looks brand-new. Out of personal preference, the owner has not fitted a stereo, preferring instead to insert a leather cover where it would normally sit. However, all of the speakers and wires remain in the car, and should the new owner wish to fit a head unit, it would not be a big task.
All of the glass is in perfect condition (with the windscreen having been replaced) and the electric windows work as they should thanks to cleaned and regreased regulators.
The only potential downsides of the inside are a gear knob that has been changed to a non-original item and some general wear to the steering wheel, as shown in the pictures.
During the restoration, the monocoque chassis was completely stripped back through heat and acid-dipping treatment before being epoxy coated in order to fully rustproof it. Dinitrol products were injected into all of the nooks and crannies to protect this car for many years to come.
After being returned to the owner, he carried out the painting process himself after taking over a year to sand down and prepare the chassis and panels. Epoxy primer was applied by hand as well as a base coat and a coat of stone chip, and it was finally finished in a sumptuous shade of Midnight Blue using MIPA 2K 2 pack paint for a tough and durable finish.
New door rubbers have been fitted, while the exterior plastic and rubber trim has cleaned up very nicely. Together with the new coat of gorgeous blue paint, the car looks rather younger than its 34 years.
The owner notes that the paint job is not 100% perfect with some areas that could benefit from an additional cut and buff by a professional paint specialist. There are a couple of tiny dents on the passenger side of the bonnet that barely show up in the photographs, as well as a couple of scratches where the passenger door is catching on the door shuts (pictured).
As far as the owner is concerned, there are no mechanical issues with this car at all, owing to the amount of work that went into the restoration.
For example, the engine had a rebuild in 2016 with new bearings, piston rings and seals fitted and has only covered around 250 miles since. Items such as the timing belt, timing belt tensioner, exhaust manifold, water pump and alternator were also replaced.
The head was sent away to be professionally cleaned and renewed, with valves, valve springs and gaskets replaced. Now the engine bay itself presents in absolutely spotless condition and a proper heatshield has been fitted to correctly protect the cargo area.
As the automatic choke is known to fail on X1/9s of this era, it has been replaced with a manual choke (located between the seats) and an uprated carburettor that makes starting and idling significantly more reliable.
Because Italian electrical systems are known to be problematic, all of the wiring for this X1/9 has been replaced, with a modern electronic ignition system also installed.
Driving this X1/9 can be described as a complete joy simply because of the number of parts that have been replaced or renewed. The owner has managed to unlock the true potential of what is a fabulous little chassis by fitting new gas suspension struts and uprated springs that mean the car sits 35mm lower.
The lively 1.5-litre engine idles beautifully and pulls extremely well when accelerating, and the rebuilt gearbox (complete with new clutch, master cylinder and slave cylinder) operates smoothly with no untoward noises. A new brake master cylinder has been fitted along with an upgraded brake fluid reservoir. New brake lines, calipers, discs and pads all round mean it stops as well as it goes, too.
This is a fantastic low mileage example of the desirable and rare late-model Fiat X1/9 that has been totally restored to a very high standard.
The fact that it runs and drives as good as it looks is testament to the years of painstaking love and attention afforded to this tremendous car by the current owner.
With so many new mechanical parts fitted and the car fully rustproofed and repainted, this is a magnificent opportunity to purchase a mechanically and cosmetically sorted classic with all of the potential pitfalls of X1/9 ownership already taken care of.
Notice to bidders
Although every care is taken to ensure this listing is as factual and transparent as possible, all details within the listing are subject to the information provided to us by the seller. Car & Classic does not take responsibility for any information missing from the listing. Please ensure you are satisfied with the vehicle description and all information provided before placing a bid.
As is normal for most auctions, this vehicle is sold as seen, and therefore the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. All bids are legally binding once placed. Any winning bidder who withdraws from a sale, is subject to our bidders fee charge. Please see our FAQs and T&C's for further information. Viewings of vehicles are encouraged, but entirely at the seller's discretion.
Please see our FAQ's here and our Terms & Conditions here
Consulta le nostre FAQ
qui
e i nostri Termini e condizioni
qui
Il modo più sicuro per acquistare un'auto d'epoca online
Il sistema di pagamento sicuro di Car & Classic protegge acquirenti e venditori. Al termine dell'asta, l'offerente vincente trasferisce il pagamento su un conto vincolato di terzi. Una volta completato il trasferimento del veicolo, entrambe le parti confermano di essere soddisfatte della vendita e il denaro viene rilasciato al venditore.
Maggiori informazioni su come acquistare con noi
1987 Fiat X1/9 Bertone
Come funzionano le offerte massime
Il processo di offerta massima ti permette di fare offerte senza preoccupazioni.
Inserisci la tua offerta massima e il sistema farà offerte automaticamente per assicurarsi che tu sia il miglior offerente - fino all'ammontare da te stabilito come tetto massimo.
Anti-sniping
Car & Classic contrasta il fenomeno dello “sniping”, ovvero il fenomeno dei rilanci all'ultimo secondo per vincere l'asta.
Se viene fatta un'offerta nei 3 minuti prima della chiusura dell'asta, la scadenza di questa viene automaticamente estesa di 2 minuti per permettere agli altri offerenti di reagire e, se lo desiderano, di rilanciare.
Incrementi di offerta automatica
Se la sua offerta massima è uguale o inferiore al prezzo di riserva, la sua offerta massima sarà applicata per intero se lei è il miglior offerente.
Se siete il miglior offerente e fate un'offerta massima superiore a quella di riserva, la riserva verrà automaticamente inserita come prima offerta.
Una volta raggiunta la riserva, Car & Classic si assicurerà che tu sia il miglior offerente utilizzando solo gli incrementi di offerta indicati di seguito.
Vi terremo in testa fino alla vostra offerta massima O all'incremento più vicino alla vostra offerta massima, a condizione che la vostra offerta massima sia sufficiente a coprire il valore dell'incremento.
Ammontare dell'offerta
Incremento
Da £0 a £9,999
£100.00
Da £10,000 a £49,999
£250.00
Da £50,000 a £99,999
£500.00
£100,000 +
£1,000.00
Superamento immediato dell'offerta
Quando piazzi un'offerta massima e questa viene immediatamente superata, questo significa che un altro offerente ha impostato una soglia di offerta massima superiore alla tua.
Puoi fare nuovamente un'offerta o impostare una soglia più alta di offerta massima e il nostro sistema rilancerà fino alla nuova soglia, cercando di portarti a essere il miglior offerente.
Offerte massime di pari ammontare
Quando ci sono due offerte massime di pari ammontare, quella impostata per prima è quella che viene considerata “migliore offerta”.
Pre-autorizzazione
Potremmo trattenere un piccolo importo di pre-autorizzazione sulla tua carta fino alla fine dell'asta, quando quest'ultimo verrà poi stornato. Se vinci, verrà prelevata una caparra che verrà detratta dal pagamento del prezzo di vendita per il veicolo e non comporta costi aggiuntivi per te.
Cosa sono le Offerte pre-asta?
Offerte pre-asta significa che avete la possibilità di fare offerte prima dell'inizio ufficiale dell'asta.
Verrà comunicato se si è il miglior offerente o meno all'inizio dell'asta.
Problema con l'offerta
Le offerte sono contrattualmente vincolanti. Per tutelare l'utente, sono previste alcune regole nel caso in cui si ritenga che sia stato digitato in modo errato. Si prega di controllare e modificare quanto inserito.
