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Italy · Italian launch specification · November 1972; 1300 first series through 1978

Fiat X1/9 1300

The X1/9 brought a supercar-like mid-engine layout, wedge shape and pop-up lamps to a small, practical two-seat Fiat.

Mid-engine sports car
Commons identifies a 1973 Fiat X1/9. It represents the first 1300-era European body, one year later than the profile’s 1972 launch car; exact gearbox and mechanical specification are not inferred.
Exterior · Photo shows Commons identifies a 1973 Fiat X1/9. It represents the first 1300-era European body, one year later than the profile’s 1972 launch car; exact gearbox and mechanical specification are not inferred.. representative adjacent-year 1300-era X1/9
Fiat X 1-9 1973.jpg · Staffan Andersson · CC BY-SA 4.0
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A place in vehicle history

More than a set of wheels.

Marcello Gandini at Bertone developed the idea from the 1969 Autobianchi A112 Runabout concept. Fiat needed a successor to the 850 Spider and turned the wedge-shaped design into project X1/9—the internal code became the showroom name. The press drove the new car on Sicily's Madonie roads in November 1972. Its central engine, removable roof, four disc brakes and independent suspension gave ordinary buyers a taste of exotic-car engineering.

Look a little closer.

There are two luggage spaces: the front one stores the removable hard roof, while another boot sits behind the engine.

Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.

Safety shaped the open roof

Instead of a fully open spider body, the X1/9 used a removable roof panel and a strong fixed structure behind the occupants. Fiat's heritage history connects that Targa solution to late-1960s attention to rollover protection, especially for the American market.

Source: Stellantis Heritage · Fiat X1/9 ↗

Borrowed parts, completely changed balance

The 1,290-cc engine came from the front-engine, front-drive Fiat 128 family, as did the four-wheel disc brakes and independent suspension. Engineers rotated the package into the middle of the X1/9, creating a different weight distribution without needing an entirely new engine family.

Source: Stellantis Media · Fiat X1/9 at 50 ↗

Where these facts come from

Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.

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