FIAT X1/9 DEALER VIDEO COMMERCIAL USA

[tiamarquez0]

This video went viral on Riga

[elskepode2]

i just turned 16 and this is my first car :D

[AirSoleNBluesNYaShoe]

In my town, there's this run-down place that always have a lot full of old run-down European cars, mostly Volkswagens. But one time i remember seeing this car in that lot for years. Didn't know what it was at the time, but it still looked like it was in great shape. I wish it was still there.

[sexyrexysexy]

My first car! Had 3 of them, the last one being a Bertone production model. Then some idiot pulled out and I went under his 4WD at 50kph. Thank god it is hollow up front!! i miss my Fiats. So much more fun than all the new boring crap. Lots of character!!

[bikerroel]

My 1977 went 90K miles before the rusted frame bent while I was servicing the brakes. It survived 4 years in the Netherlands, 4 years in DC and 3 years in Tucson. It was a great car, just didn't have enough power to get out of it's own way. Lots of simple maintenance, but never a major breakdown. Never left me on the road.

[TheSushiseeker]

Hands down the worst car I ever owned! 1980 -1/9 broke down on the way home from the dealer. After replacing two head gaskets, brakes, two ignition switches, alternator, voltage regulator and the electronic ignition module in the first two years, someone mercifully T-boned it in an intersection. I jumped out of that piece of crap and shook the guys hand!

[sexyrexysexy]

@TheSushiseeker It just didn't like you.

[exnemocpt]

Ho avuto 2 x1/9 e non ho mai avuto particolari problemi.

Da quello che leggo qui: o gli americani non hanno idea di come si tiene un' auto,

oppure i meccanici americani sono piuttosto scarsi.

[Capitancanguro1]

@exnemocpt I meccanici americani non agiustano le macchine Italiane bene, sono troppo invidiosi.

[danielpinasco]

Algún día tendré este auto



[Mr6292]

Car Design 10/10, Engine types used 10/10, Car Body Quality 1/10. In the UK many of the FIAT X19's rusted to pieces. Even this US commercial mentions the 'Limited Rust Warranty'. It was limited for a very good reason. Had this car been produced with a galvanised body, there would have been so many more great examples of it on the road. Perhaps if FIAT did a 'reissue' with a galvanised body, the X19 would make a comeback. It is certainly a classic among the many FIAT designs.

[CarCriticAssessor]

@Mr6292: Far simpler than that -- enter USA's Navy: Rust Bullet -- solves that problem!

[jpatt1000]

Just bought a 77 X1/9. With the 1300 and 61 and a half HP, I don't know about "performance without compromise" but it feels like a go-cart! I also have an 88 Fiero Formula, and after reading comparo reports for years, my judgement is....I like them both! Will post a video of the FIAT soon, but check out my channel for walkarounds of my other toys.

[rlmotionpictures]

My Dad told me about seeing fiats back in the US in the day & said he likes the old school ones better than the new ones out now.

[anassgame]

FIAT THE BEST ECO CARS EVER !

[boostfed6]

Seen one of these in the junk yard today, id love to own one.

[azureblues]

I saw one today, passed by me by while I was crusing in MR2. These Fiats are quite rare, i only smile as it passes by me, sharing mid engine layout.

[courttrev]

My first new car purchase was a '74 X1/9... wonderful fun! The nancyboys who badmouth them here were too stupid to realize you couldn't treat it like a Ford Pinto. All you had to do was change the timing belt and the oil, for crying out loud.

Now split my commute between a 2007 350Z and an "enhanced" 1981 X... the X ranks as one of the cars that gives more grins per mile than nearly any other.

[GRAHAMAUS]

Great car to drive. Terrible car to own.

[schicktd]

There's Death Traps and...Theres this car...I remember this wreck where a Fait X1/9

got T-boned by a '72 K5 Blazer...Nasty to say the least!

[GusBlues1006]

I had one too. 1974 same orange/red color as the one in the video. Awful awful car.  Worst car I have ever owned. Pushed it home more than I drove it. Terrible car.

[adobePC]

Cool.

[Tinytoni1990]

I have one too... In my garage... but undriven for 18 years :( DaaamN I wanna Drive that car!!

[russotragik]

Lancia Monte Carlo is better, cheaper and faster!

[whitbyjet65]

@russotragik It isn't better or cheaper. I owned one in the 80s & it was a terrible car.

[loufadoros20]

@russotragik and without brakes too :P

[courttrev]

@russotragik... I call bullsh*t on that. Owned both and the X had better handling, ride and was quicker. That 1.5 liter SOHC can be enhanced to well over 100 HP and the car is much lighter than a Lancia Scorpion.

[LittleLisk1]

my brother has a fiat x1/9 he restored the engine and its really fast now and it can smoke a MR2

[nomadnomad666999]

CAnt believe they mention "performance" so many times. This car has always been underpowerd.

[oldsoulyoungbody]

@nomadnomad666999 "performance without compromise. A 1.5 liter sohv engine" i've never laughed so hard in my life

[Z2theONA]

@nomadnomad666999

performance isn't just a measure of horsepower you know.

[nomadnomad666999]

@Z2theONA Well true, but for the US market performance = horsepower.

[SuperPilot78]

la cugina stretta della beta montecarlo

[robertcorleone1]

this track iis laguna seca :D

[spencerbrandsen]

DE SELBY.

[Rocky32084]

I had 2 of these they where well balanced great driving cars! Needed MUCH more motor but still a GREAT car! lil Ferarii:)

[edshift]

A friend of mine had one of these.

Not particularly fast but very fun round corners.

For more up-to-date thrills find a well sorted MR2.

Same vibe but more modern.

[okrabay]

what years did they make this model?

[finian4558]

...Mine runs like a charm. 77 model. Mk1. 1.3, 4speed, manual. $12k inclusive of shipping.

[finian4558]

...I have an X19 for sale.

[payntingdotcom]

I had a '79 X1/9. Greatest car I have ever driven. Would love to buy another. Like any '70s car, it had its quirks. But the engine was extremely strong. I drove it for 5 hours at 130 km/h non stop and it loved every minute of it. And it had four wheel disk brakes standard 25 years before other cars in that price range had them standard. It even had some fiber optics in the dash and some of the same dials used in the Lamborghini Countach as Bertone sourced their parts from the same supplier

[LeoMikey80]

I've had 4 Fiat's, 2 X1/9's and a 124 coupe, both were incredible cars to drive, i still own one of the X1/9's, a '79. I'm a mechanic, specializing in Italian cars. These cars are actually VERY reliable & well engineered, IF you understand them. The main problem is rust, keep the car as dry & clean as possible, Electrical problems are common: strip all the electrics and replace with modern components. Get a Chilton's repair book & learn how to do it yourself, You'll never get stranded.

[Northstar1969]

I had an X1/9

Lovely car but I watched it dissolve and disintigrate before my eyes everytime it rained ;-(

[mikecefaratti]

I've had one since 86 and will never lose it. Forza Fiat!

[Brda13]

This is great! The Fiat X1/9 is one of the more memorable used cars my father had when I was young. He had an orange X1/9 and a red 124 Spider (at separate times). I don't remember what years they were. My husband has a '69 Mustang and doesn't understand my excitement on the rare occasion when I see an X1/9 at a car show.

[myronx19]

The engine they show at 1:18 isn't from an X1/9!! Looks like a T/C to me!

[joness105639]

Amazing how one company (fiat) can make an awesome car (x1/9), and another ( triumph) can try to copy it and utterly fail in every possible way (TR7) and then a few years latter make lemonade from that lemon (TR8) only to go out completely a few years later.

[fgulla007]

How did you get these Videos??? I was a Fiat Dealer from the 60's till the end in the Early 80's

[Infinitrium]

You were an actual Fiat dealer? Neat! Tell me, were Fiats really as unreliable and trouble prone as everyone says they were?

[fgulla007]

The last models that were brought here had some issues...then the big problem was the Rust b/c the steel was from Russia and a cheap grade. But for Fiat that was how they left the U.S market, instead of weathering the storm they just decided to leave

[JohnDoeToU]

I had a '75 fiat x 1/9 for 6 years. It was the funnest car I have ever driven. The only problem was that it spent more time at the Dealer than in my driveway. I never walked out of a Fiat repair under $300.00... and that was in the late '70's, early '80's. Still a lot of fun though. My license plate was "SEXY X"!

[foucle]

Still so beautiful, so exotic—a car you wore rather than just drove. I had both the X1/9 and the 124 Spider. Only Italy could do cars like this: the flavor and style of Ferrari and Lambo without the price tag. Sure, they're flawed, but also great in a way that new stuff isn't.

[thiagofox04]

Ótimo carro.

[vetteluvnh]

Great vid. thanks for posting. Yes, I too had a '80 x19. Paid $600 for it. Not the fastest car in the world but I could dump the clutch and light the tires pretty good. It dripped gas from the fuel pump when running, so I just told people not to smoke around it. One of the cv shafts came loose and swung around like a slegdehammer and cracked the transmission casing. That was the end of that. But it was a fun car for the 3 months I had it!

[pipey4]

Loved my '75 to no end. Neighbours said they only recognized my legs after so much time spent under it making repairs. Had a ball and would (stupidly) buy another now that I am in mid-life and ready to relive my mispent youth lol. guess I would pay somebody else to fix it again tony.

[RJHerber]

I owned a 1980 red Fiat X1/9 just like in this ad. I got it used when I was 17. What a great car! The handling was amazing. Everything broke, clutch, fuel pump, timing belt. But it had 100k miles on it. After a few years I had to sell it. It just was too unreliable. Closest I'll ever come to a Ferrari.

[4justnow]

I decided to sell my yellow X 1-9! built 1974, orig. 20.000m! 1300cc engine, 75 hp. First owner! Until 1999 only italian milage. Since then garage and summertouring in the Netherlands. +31617580140.

[snoopy99990]

nice.sold for the same money in Australia as a HZ MONARO GTS 5 LITRE back in 1978.

[JoelDionysus]

I bought a 1974 Midnight Blue Fiat X1/9 in 1976 used. It was a awesome looking car and it handled great. It had an Ansa exhaust with four exhaust pipes, and the lady that sold it to me had installed a Pioneer SuperTuner in the dash. It was a fantastic looking car, but it frequently needed repair, and I finally sold it to someone that was going to make it into an SCCA racer. I wish I had it back now.

[purplexenno]

an amazing car, i had a turd brown with yellow/gold stripe. great car with strange options, T tops with air conditioning??? but so fun to drive. I got mine while still in high school, my grandfather cosigned and i worked in a pizza joint to pay for it (used). I still have very fond memories of that car.

[alexannjunior]

i used to have one of those for 8 years. i promished to myself when i can afford it, i ll buy one again

[RUSTYCAT97]

I remember the fiat adds.

I still have a 1984 with only 9100 miles on it.

Looks and drives like a brand new car.

[dbef0666]

This is the car that got me through college. So many adventures... so many memories. I absolutey love the fiat x1/9!

[leakywindoze]

First car I ever bought, back in '76 -- it was a '75 dealer showroom demo. A friend who knew that I loved the car, arranged for me to be at the filming of most of this ad (Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, CA.) Brings back lots of fond memories of the car and those times -- Thanks for posting!

[IRONCLICK]

My first car as well (in 1984). I saw a picture of it in an Italian magazine and had to have one. I was only 14 and had only a permit but my parents allowed it..sadly, as all Fiats do, it broke constantly..but the love for it didnt die. Wish I hadnt sold it when I got into Rx-7's a couple of years later.

[xjrdriver]

This was my first car back in 1985 and I loved it -- although 80% of the time it was in the shop. I remember it broke down on the way home from the dealership on the day my parents bought it for me. I finally gave up on her and traded her in for a Toyota MR2. However this was my first taste at a sports car.

[mimo2309]

That was my first car before 20 years. That wakes memories.

[airaudo]

Mine too! Glad you liked it!

[BattlefieldDoktor]

Great car! The spots of that time were so much different from today ... if they want to sell a car today they just advertise the design but not mentioning a lot about the technic

[samsarajade]

The music in this cracks me up, almost as much as the accent and tone of the voice over! Oh, and the diagrams! But for all that it still looks like a pretty cool car lol!