Description
"UPDATE: Price reduced and photos of invoices added showing respray, wheel refurb and other work carried out last year."
Up for sale is my 1990 Bertone x1/ 9 Gran Finale which I have owned for 11 years.
I am asking £6, 950 which is open to reasonable and sensible offers. The car is based near Ashford in Kent. Viewing is recommended and can be done on Thursdays or weekends by appointment.
I am losing storage for this car and is now parked on my driveway under a cover. Ideally I want it to go to another enthusiast who can continue to look after it. I don’t want it to sit outside all winter.
Highlights:
- 3 owners from new
- 57331 miles (will go up slightly)
- MOT until 2nd July 2026
- Resprayed this year with less than 100 miles since bodywork was completed in June - it has come out very nice and looks sharp
- Engine service carried out in June of this year - filter from Eurosport
- Featured in Fiat x1/ 9 Buyers Guide in May issue of Practical Classics in 2001
I bought my 1990 Gran Finale in June of 2014 after spotting it for sale on a street in London. I had previously looked at a Fiat 850 and was close to making a deal when I spied the x1/ 9 from the top deck of a bus. I hadn’t seen one in the flesh for a very long time so I had to go back and check it out. The next time I went by I got off the bus and had a look round the car. To my surprise it was for sale so I took some photos and called the owner. Later that week, after some haggling, I had acquired my very first Fiat. I have owned it ever since. For me it is one of the best handling cars I’ve ever owned and is such a blast on twisty back roads. The only car that comes close handling wise for me is the Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio. I will miss this x1/ 9, I really will but its not getting the use it deserves so it is time for it to go. Recent works in 2025:
- Respray in Mica Blue
- Roof resprayed
- Alloy wheels refurbished
- New centre caps - these I had 3D printed years ago before replacement caps were available. They are a very strong hard plastic and should last a long time. Another spare set comes with the car.
- New bonnet release cable
- New speedo cable (upper section)
- New Hella Spot Lights with covers (one of the old ones fitted by a previous owner was cracked so I swapped them for a new set)
- New oil pressure switch (engine has very good oil pressure btw)
- New rubber fuel cover plate for engine bay from Eurosport
- Starter Motor stripped and cleaned - the starter had been sticking occasionally, so it was removed for inspection. It had probably never been off the car, so it was quite dirty inside. It was cleaned and lubricated and now fires up without issue.
Overall this x1/ 9 was very solid as it had been wax oiled heavily, probably from new. I believe this helped save the car. It did have some rust which was mainly confined to the inner drip channel of the nose cone, which was minor. The car used to have mud flaps which of course lead to rust at the bottoms of the arches. This was done. The passenger side sill ends needed some repair, along with the engine bay boot lid around the latch pin. I did have the door skins replaced in 2015 but they did a bad job on the drivers side which started to bubble again on the leading edge (thanks Italian specialist in London), so this was fixed properly this year. To be honest this car did not have much rust at all to start with and it was just bits on some of the edges that were starting to look scruffy. Plus the various shades of blue that had been painted on it over the decades, which was why I decided to do the respray this year. The bones of this x1/ 9 were very good to start with and still are.
Other work completed in my ownership is as follows:
- Steering wheel swap for 13” Momo - I am 6 ft 1 and found driving with the original wheel very very uncomfortable. Swapping to this Momo was essential for me and in my opinion it works great and adds to the go kart feel on the road. If you don’t like it you can swap it out…
- DG Rally Brake Reservoir and new brake hose from reservoir - this transformed the brakes which are really nice to use
- New brake pedal rubbers from Eurosport
- New Gear stick lollipop/ bush kit from Eurosport - changes gear nicely after this work
- New brake pads - still not fully bedded in so the anti chatter shims are currently off
- Belt renewed in 2023
- New K&N filter - this swap was done before 2001 as seen in the magazine photos
- Fuel lines renewed in engine bay
- Engine bay clutch slave cylinder replaced
Spares included:
- Original steering wheel
- Another Targa roof
- Stainless steel expansion tank
- Another air cleaner (original style)
- A selection of bits and pieces from previous owners
- It does have the original battery cover - the near side plastic lug has a crack so I’ve kept it off the car
- And also included is one genuine x1/ 9 luggage bag… it is not perfect but it is nice to have it with the car
Interior:
I had hoped to redo the leather interior which was swapped from a VS by a previous owner. It was cleaned and treated back in 2015 but this has not lasted. There is a split in the drivers seat base and other general wear. The passengers side seat is better and could be swapped round. Henk in Holland is selling a new set of black leather VS covers on his website. But I have run out of funds to buy these and get it done. With the seats done it would really complete the interior. My ultimate plan was to redo the seats in a nice tan/ biscuit colour which I think would look great with the Mica Blue.
Oh and yes there is no radio as I pulled the one that was fitted and used the blanking plate that came with the car. For me the engine is the only tune I want to hear in this car.
So there we have it. Drop me a message if you are interested. Thanks!
