My Fiat X1/9

[alex]

OK - before I get flamed for posting about a 'POS' I want to point out that I'm responding to a moderator post from pdisme asking about this car and I didn't want to side track that thread where I'm asking questions about buying a Countach. (see http://www.talklambo.com/showthread.php?t=1443)

(So I'll be defensive to start with and then get on with the rest.)

First, the Fiat X1/9 was designed by Bertone who also designed the Countach and did them both about the same time. Second, my X1/9 is an autocross car and there are no Lambos of any model which can compete with my X1/9 on an autocross course -- I'm avaible anytime to prove it but you can accept that as a fact. You've gotta have the right tool for the job and the X1/9 is the tool for this sport. If we were on a big road track then things swing more toward a modern Lambo.

Don't get me wrong, I love Lamborghini and will be an owner soon.

Here's the car earlier this year at the San Diego national tour where my car came in 2nd behind the 911 Turbo and ahead of the Ferrari 360 but that was the first time I drove it with the new motor and it wasn't working very well yet.

http://www.socalx.com/x19/gallery/albums/userpics/10061/normal_20070318-SDNatTour-%283%29-smal.jpg

It weighs 1650 lbs. and makes more than 250 hp. as per my rules in X-Prepared (SCCA Solo) racing. XP is the unlimited, run what you brung, class and I run in both the Los Angeles and San Diego regions.

Let me know if you'd ever like to come out and run your Lambo on the track.

[pdisme]

Cars that are raced cannot be POS. :) We love race cars here, many of the board members have tracked their cars, including me. I know very little about autocross but honestly I have never had much interest in trying it; unless someone tells me it gives you the same rush that you get from taking corners at high speeds on road courses, but I think autocross is generally slower pace and tighter, more technical turns. I assume your car is RWD? Do you ever road race it? You're in the northwest right?

I'd never heard of your car, that's why I was curious about it. I like to get people talking about racing, then we end up with less garage queens. :)

[gday]

First, the Fiat X1/9 was designed by Bertone who also designed the Countach and did them both about the same time.Specifically, the X1/9 and Countach were designed by Marcello Gandini who worked for Nuccio Bertone at the Bertone Design Studio.

And yes, I owned a 1.3l X1/9 back in the late 70s. It taught me many things about cars. Enjoyed doing a complete tear down and rebuild of the little beast. Given my current Lambos, I think I'm a closet Gandini fan. ;)

-mick

[Matt]

Cars that are raced cannot be POS.

This car is raced...

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4088/296350083l8pf.jpg

[alex]

I think autocross is generally slower pace and tighter, more technical turns. I assume your car is RWD? Do you ever road race it? You're in the northwest right?

I'd never heard of your car, that's why I was curious about it. I like to get people talking about racing, then we end up with less garage queens. :)

Fiat is the parent company of Ferrari and they stopped importing them in '87. Bertone actually put his name on the car after '83 so it was actually a Bertone X1/9 from then on.

Road Race vs. Autocross...

I really like both. Road racing is fun because of the high speeds and wheel to wheel part. The problem with wheel to wheel is that there are so many idiots out there that it's scarry to take a nice car out on the track.

In road racing you are going much faster but are much slower inside the car. With autocross you are throwing the car all around and your hands never stop moving but the speeds are much slower. Higher speeds are certainly a thrill but so are g-forces. My little car can pull 1.8Gs while my Ferrari will see more G's stopping than it does in a corner. The 2 sports are very different and they are both fun.

Autocross is obviously cheaper and much safer because the worst thing you can do is spin and hit a rubber cone while you can flip doing road racing.

BTW, I'm in SoCal.


Here's a video of me driving a course in my X1/9 -- does that seem like a rush?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB2P-RaAI7Q

(too bright that day and camera was crappy but you get the point)

[pdisme]

This car is raced...

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4088/296350083l8pf.jpg

No, that car was RAPED, not RACED.

[alex]

Cars that are raced cannot be POS. :) We love race cars here, many of the board members have tracked their cars, including me. I know very little about autocross but honestly I have never had much interest in trying it; unless someone tells me it gives you the same rush that you get from taking corners at high speeds on road courses, but I think autocross is generally slower pace and tighter, more technical turns. I assume your car is RWD? Do you ever road race it? You're in the northwest right?

I'd never heard of your car, that's why I was curious about it. I like to get people talking about racing, then we end up with less garage queens. :)

This car is raced...




LOL! Now that's funny....

I think he'll need to revise the statement.

[pdisme]

Yeah, that video segment looks great. How did you do the PIP, do you use a chasecam with the screen splitter or do you actually have two videos you merged? I'd love to do something like that.

I hear what you're saying, my race coach's most common saying while we're talking about how to deal with a specific turn is steady hands. :) The Radical carries huge speed through corners so if you're not steady, bad things can happen really quickly.

I might have to give autocross a try one of these days although not sure which car I'd use.

What kind of Ferrari do you have?

[alex]

Yeah, that video segment looks great. How did you do the PIP, do you use a chasecam with the screen splitter or do you actually have two videos you merged? I'd love to do something like that.

I know Randy Chase well because we run at the same events and he hosts the timing and scoring for my region -- can't say enough good things about him and his products.

The PIP is using one of the ChaseCam boxes but the cameras and the recorder are not his -- otherwise the quality would be significantly better. I built my set-up before I knew about his stuff and before he had a solid state recorder. I'm meaning to switch to his system but have too many other things to worry about so that's fallen on the back burner.

[Redline RPM]

Cool car!! I have always liked the X1/9. Never got one though; a 914 came along instead. I bet the X1/9 is great on the AutoX course as it has nearly a perfect front/rear balance.

I did an AutoX in an old Mini Cooper and it was a blast. I found it much more difficult than wheel to wheel racing. You are right about it being NON-STOP action from the time you start until the finish line. While there is not a lot of shifting, there is a ton of steering, throttle, and brake input required. I then sat shotgun in a prepared late-model Mustang GT; incredible what it was able to do.

[YellowMurci]

just read an article about them in this months automobile mag!

[Pantera]

This car is raced...

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4088/296350083l8pf.jpg

If its a Civic it automatchly qualifys itself as a POS regardless of how fast it goes.