Surely every enthusiast has some degree of a hankering for a small, agile and smile-inducing sportscar. The best part of it is, it doesn’t even have to cost you a fortune.
After attending the Festival of the unexceptional, all of us here at ViaRETRO got more than just a little excited about owning something truly ordinary – one of yesteryear’s daily workhorse heroes. Admitted, our latest Prime Find of the Weeks have been influenced by it too. But let’s be honest – while saloons, hatchbacks and estates are both charming, historically significant, and instigators of our nostalgic memories, it still takes a sportscar to quicken our heart rate.
I’m currently back home in Denmark visiting family and old friends, and invariably found myself trawling the Danish classifieds. That’s when I came across a real sportscar. Mid-engined. Italian. Designed by Bertone. Wedge. Pop-up headlights. Offering wind-in-hair-motoring. Big on smiles. And best of all, it’s not going to break the bank.
It gets better still: Only four months ago, Claus wrote an article crowning the ingenious little Fiat X1/9 as the next big thing. Rather than me rambling on and basically just repeating what Claus has already told us, you can simply reread his article here: The Next Big Fiat: X1/9
The particular X1/9 I’ve stumbled upon here in Denmark is clad in a fabulously striking 70’s turquoise colour which perfectly suits the crisp wedge design. It’s even better being a ’78 car (the last year for the first series), as it thereby has the slim and much more elegant bumpers. That of course fuels the whole debate of whether the early or the late X1/9’s are the ones to go for. Purists of design will always stick to the simple and unadorned look of those early cars. Those preferring a bit of performance will opt for the latter with the bigger 1.5-litre engine. However, it would appear that we can both have our cake and eat it! While collectors will throw their arms in the air and mourn the lack of matching numbers, all of that obviously doesn’t matter much when you’re enjoying this little bundle of fun out on the road. With the original engine and transmission sacrificed for a 1.5-litre engine and a 5-speed gearbox from a later car, this X1/9 has both style and pace. Here are a few pictures borrowed from the advert:
The Fiat X1/9 lives in northwest Denmark where the current owner has owned the car for all of 24 years since 1996. He had it restored in 1998, but with a new third member of the family, it’s now time to move it on. He’s looking for DKK 58,000 which currently equates to approximately Euro 7,800 or £ 6,900. Alternatively, he’s open to a trade with an interesting 4-door classic. Who knows, he might even be looking for something unexceptional…?
For the full advert, you’ll need this link: 1978 Fiat X1/9
With our Saturday instalment of Prime Find of the Week, we’re offering our services to the classic car community, by passing on our favourite classic car for sale from the week that passed. This top-tip might help a first-time-buyer to own his first classic, or it could even be the perfect motivation for a multiple-classic-car-owner to expand his garage with something different. We’ll let us inspire by anything from a cheap project to a stunning concours exotic, and hope that you will do the same.
Just remember – Any Classic is Better than No Classic! We obviously invite our readers to help prospective buyers with your views and maybe even experiences of any given model we feature. Further to that, if you stumble across a classic which you feel we ought to feature as Prime Find of the Week, then please send us a link to primefindoftheweek@viaretro.co.uk