Types of X1/9 owners

BrianM said:
I was a 2. Had an very original Green '74. I was the second owner and even the paint was original. Beautiful car but just too darn slow. I could not bring myself to mod such an original car so I sold it 10 yrs. ago to the president of the Michigan Fiat club I think. I wonder if He's still on this forum and still has the car?
View attachment 57308
But the X kept calling to me. I've owned four. So I got another one that is not so original and I'm going to be a 3, and mod it up to my liking.

View attachment 57307

Now, Honda or full electric???
Click to expand...
I'm planning to go full electric with mine, but I'm still just in the planning phase.
 
Bryce-o-rama said:
EV West?
Click to expand...
I contacted EV West about 5 years ago when I was still debating how to get my car back on the road. They thought the X1/9 would be a good candidate for EV conversion and were currently doing a 79 Fiat Spider. They said that the first step would be to send them a transaxle so they could make an adapter plate. They were not offering any high power conversions at the time but much has changed in the world since then. I just took a quick look at their web site and their offerings have expanded dramatically. How about a 420 hp electric motor for your X?
 
carl said:
I assume in the not too distant future that every car forum will have an "EV Conversion" topic heading.
Click to expand...
I think it will eventually be common. Particularly for vehicles where the engine is not the most interesting feature of the car. My expectation is that if an LS swap is considered "cool"to do to a given car, electric probably will be too.
dllubin said:
How about a 420 hp electric motor for your X?
Click to expand...
I was initially thinking a Chevy Spark EV with CCS (fast charging) would be a great donor vehicle. 140hp is just under 2x that of the stock 1.5L SOHC engine and 350-400 lb-ft of torque is 4-5x.

I started thinking the Chevy Bolt (200hp, 266lb-ft) also made sense until the battery recall. Maybe a tree will fall on one after it gets the recall repair.

Either of those options should result in performance that compares favorably to a Tesla Roaster, Lotus Elise, or Porsche Boxter.

420hp would be ludicrously fun in something the size of an X1/9. If I could get 100 miles of range from a motor like that with the amount of batteries I could shoehorn into the car, I would consider doing something that wild.

Regardless of donor parts choice, I will need to figure out a "valet mode". My son wants to work on the X1/9 with me, and in 9 years will be asking me to take it out for a spin.
 
carl said:
How much weight does the typical EV suite add to an X?
Click to expand...
Really depends on the type of battery and how many you use, along with the weight of any systems you're deleting.

Curb weight of the US spec 2018 Fiat 500e is 2,980lb while a well equipped (non-Abarth) 500 is 2,512lb. The Chevy Spark vs Spark EV is also about 400-500lb different.

On older cars many of the major systems (engine, trans, diff) are cast iron, which if fully replaced could reduce the weight difference between a stock and converted classic car.
 
Last edited:
carl said:
How much weight does the typical EV suite add to an X?
Click to expand...
One point of reference is the Fiat 500e with an EPA rated range of 84 miles. Several sources quote the weight of the battery pack at 600 pounds. The electric motor is probably around 100 pounds (my guess). The "transmission" isn't much more than a differential, so it shouldn't weigh much.
 
I would say that I am between 2 and 3.
One of my goals are to make the car as reliable as possible and to make diagnostic and maintenance easier.

Then make it more to my liking (Like 74 Euro bumper etc..).

I do my best not to have a breakdown, so a lot of preventive maintenance ... maybe too much!:rolleyes:
 
Yves said:
I would say that I am between 2 and 3.
One of my goals are to make the car as reliable as possible and to make diagnostic and maintenance easier.

Then make it more to my liking (Like 74 Euro bumper etc..).

I do my best not to have a breakdown, so a lot of preventive maintenance ... maybe too much!:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Yves, I would say that, like many others, you started as a 2 and you are now a 3. A hiperf camshaft, coil-overs and euro bumpers are clearly #3 items. But like many other owners, you tend to do things that could be reverted, so the car could still be original.
 
DanielForest said:
Yves, I would say that, like many others, you started as a 2 and you are now a 3. A hiperf camshaft, coil-overs and euro bumpers are clearly #3 items. But like many other owners, you tend to do things that could be reverted, so the car could still be original.
Click to expand...
Daniel.
I agree with you ... 3. Time pass rapidly and I forget what I have change on the car. :rolleyes:
 
New to this group, is there a category where you gain yours free, it came in 20 boxes, body is a shell needing some work, and you just love to try new things? Volvo's are my love but I have always wanted a two seater like this. Won't mod. Like to put it back to working condition and drive it all two months of summer here in ND. : ) Looking forward to my "kit Car."
 
ObelixPAF said:
New to this group, is there a category where you gain yours free, it came in 20 boxes, body is a shell needing some work, and you just love to try new things? Volvo's are my love but I have always wanted a two seater like this. Won't mod. Like to put it back to working condition and drive it all two months of summer here in ND. : ) Looking forward to my "kit Car."
Click to expand...
Welcome to the group. Your story reminds me of a friend of mine from high school that bought a stolen 61 Corvette that was recovered by the insurance company in the mid 60s.. The body panels were mostly on the chassis, but the engine/trans, were out of the car and their were about 20 large boxes of Corvette parts. We actually got it back together in a few months and it turned out to be a nice ride.
 
ObelixPAF said:
New to this group, is there a category where you gain yours free, it came in 20 boxes, body is a shell needing some work, and you just love to try new things? Volvo's are my love but I have always wanted a two seater like this. Won't mod. Like to put it back to working condition and drive it all two months of summer here in ND. : ) Looking forward to my "kit Car."
Click to expand...
Well there is a category for it now! Welcome to the group, sounds like you have a lot of fun and cursing in your immediate future. This group has been super helpful to my project so far and you will have the same support.
 
ObelixPAF said:
New to this group, is there a category where you gain yours free, it came in 20 boxes, body is a shell needing some work, and you just love to try new things? Volvo's are my love but I have always wanted a two seater like this. Won't mod. Like to put it back to working condition and drive it all two months of summer here in ND. : ) Looking forward to my "kit Car."
Click to expand...
I have bought 2 cars without ever even driving that model before the purchase. A '55 Austin Healey took me year to get it on the road, and a Lotus Europa. Neither was as "sporty" as my 2013 Mazda Miata. If you have not driven a stock X, expect to accelerate very slow, but turn very fast. :)
 
ObelixPAF said:
New to this group, is there a category where you gain yours free, it came in 20 boxes, body is a shell needing some work, and you just love to try new things? Volvo's are my love but I have always wanted a two seater like this. Won't mod. Like to put it back to working condition and drive it all two months of summer here in ND. : ) Looking forward to my "kit Car."
Click to expand...
I was with you until "won't mod".

Mine looked like this when I got it.

index.php

Doesn't yet look much different in the garage.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top