Junkyard Find: 1980 Fiat X1/9

In 1980, Fiat shoppers had the choice of two affordable sports cars: the 124 Sport Spider (examples of which remain quite common in wrecking yards, and the X1/9. The mid-engined X1/9 featured 128 running gear and was a lot more fun to drive than its 66-horsepower (for US-market models in 1980) engine would suggest. The message of this TV ad seems to suggest that Fiat learned everything it needed to know about building cars from its successful racing cars of the 1920s, and the claim that the X1/9 gets the best mileage of any two-seat sports car in America doesn't sound so compelling when you consider the competition. The X1/9 was once reasonably plentiful on American roads, but most examples disappeared before the turn of the century. You will see the occasional X1/9 in self-service junkyards these days, but not in anywhere near the numbers of the Sport Spider. It looks like somebody started to work on the body of this car, then gave up. Is this an air-conditioning compressor? I'm sure the owner's manual advised drivers to use AC only on long downhill grades. from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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