Junkyard Find: 1978 Fiat X1/9
We had an orange ’78 X1/9 Junkyard Find yesterday, so let’s stay in the Microsoft Windows Hot Dog Stand color range and follow up that Fiat with another ’78. This car is also a Denver find, though not at the same junkyard as the orange car.
Yes, Fiat USA advertised the X1/9 on television. Then they split the country a bit later, leaving these cars to be marketed as Bertones by Malcolm “Yugo King” Bricklin.
Can’t open the trunk? Mr. Smooth took matters into his own hands here.
This one has the look of a car that hasn’t run since Reagan was in the White House, but the engine appears unmolested.
Critters have made a comfy-looking nest inside.
I think an X1/9 would make a good first project car for a teenager these days— it’s a cool old sports car that’s fun to drive, parts are easy to find, and an Alfa 164 engine swap makes them very quick.
Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Autoblog, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars and Capital One.
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Before contemplating some of the modifications discussed above, please refer to this cautionary, if fictitious, incident: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JATO_Rocket_Car
You know what Murilee needs to find now? A Fiero. I still see a decent number NOT in junkyards, but surely there are plenty that have ended up there.