Legendary designer Marcello Gandini may be best-known as the father of the Lamborghini Miura, but he also penned this nippy little sports car, the Fiat X1/9. If you detect some Lancia Stratos proportions in it, your eyes are not lying to you, as the Stratos was also designed by the famed Bertone designer.
The Fiat X1/9 was a rear-wheel-drive, two-seater, mid-engined coupe built by Fiat between 1972 and 1982 and by Bertone between 1982 and 1989. Powered by a four-cylinder 1.5-liter gasoline engine sourced from the Fiat 128 producing 85-horses, the X1/9 was praised at the time for its excellent handling and lightweight removable hardtop.
The monocoque bodies were initially built by Bertone in Turin and shipped to Fiat’s Lingotto plant for final assembly. However, in 1982,production was transferred to Bertone, which explains why this 1983 model features the brand’s badge.
Having covered only 2,380 miles (3,830 kilometers) since its initial registration in 1983, this Bertone X1/9 was bought by the seller’s father in 1994 from the car’s first owner, with the odometer curiously showing just 751 miles (1,208 km) at the time. The car has been SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) for the past eight years and stored in a warm dry garage.
The description says it shows no signs of any corrosion, partly due to the original Zeebart protection that was applied when new and the 10 liters of Waxoil that it benefited from in 1994.
The car will be auctioned by Silverstone Auctions on April 12 during ‘The Restoration Show Sale’ at NEC in Birmingham, UK. The company estimates it will fetch between £8,000 and £10,000 (€9,555 – €11,943).
By Dan Mihalascu
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