1975 FAZA Fiat - Seattle sighting (dial up warning)

W

wombat

The World Wide Wombat
... this picks up from the "Seattle X sighting" regarding a FAZA Fiat.

I met with Chris (the owner) and checked over the car, taking some extra photos, in adiditon to the 3 taken in Nov 2008.

Chris (the owner) provided some additional information, which was previously posted in the original thread "Seattle X sighting".

**************************
ABARTH RALLYE REPLICA – Based on 1975 Fiat X1/9

MOTOR
1500cc block
Venola short skirt pistons-10.2/1 compression ratio
Cylinder head flowed, ported, relieved
Camshaft by Top End Performance- Hi lift moderate overlap ¾ ++
Valve train matched, balanced
Flowed intake manifold with (2) Weber 40 DCOE sidedraft carbs
PBS exhaust header with freeflow muffler
Balanced crankshaft
Light flywheel, racing clutch
Oil radiator
Four row Mercedes Benz cooling radiator
MSD electronic ignition

RESULT:165HP @ 8000 RPM (dyno chart shows same)

HULL
Fender flares, front air dam, rear deck Kamm spoiler
OZ racing wheels 13”
Modified suspension with Eclipse springs and KYB shocks
YOKO AVS Intermediate tires A60, rear 205mm, front 185mm
New interior with racing seats
Abarth steering wheel

HISTORY
10 years at Concourso Italiano Monterrey-winner La Doulce Vita award
Driven to Mexico and all western states
storage for the last five years

***************************************

The visual inspection - looks good all round. The flares, tires and the Kamm tail give this X a great street look that has been previously commented on in the "Seattle X sighting" thread.

Yes, needs work for sure - clutch, water pump, tires, some interior trim work and a few other minor items; Chris doesn't have the workshop\garage anymore. We talked some more on that subject.

Engine started up easily and idles well. The hydraulic clutch won't engage correctly - likely the slave cyclinder requires replacement. The water pump squeals at idle;

With a bit of attention and fiddling this would indeed be a great road car and reminder of a race series that never came about. Chris mentioned that this is Fiat is one of 4 brought across to the US for a race series that never eventuated; this FAZA will 'abandoned' in Daytona FL. Where are the other 3 cars, I sit and wonder? Speculation on my behalf if Al Cosentino saw any of these FAZA prepared Fiats?

And the 'bluroad' plate? Look at a road map. The roads marked in blue are not freeways; these are the proverbial backroads.

Photos below:

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DSCN2609.jpg


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DSCN2613.jpg


regards
chrisE
81 X
 
Sorry but...

I don't buy the whole "Fiat racer from Italy" thing, just looks like a 75 with a previous owner who loved the FAZA catalog. Faza front and rear fender flares, and a Faza-style glass rear decklid (although the only ones I have seen said FORZA FAZA moulded into the rear spoiler).

The VIN says its a very early 75, but its been messed with a bunch. Has a 78 instrument cluster probably cause the original fogged up, etc. Cool MSD ignition, nice hole cut in the trunk, 78 stainless tank, etc. Apparently the 5 years of storage wreaked havoc on the new interior? Don't get me started on 165 horsepower dynographs. **COUGHullsh*t***

If the body is solid, its a great starting point, and the carbs are worth a penny or two. Correct period wide OZ wheels are a nice touch as well.

-M
 
No idea

I have no knowledge of the car prior to its appearance in FSW... we're just passing the seller's stated info along... I do like the car in any case, although seeing wombat's pics it does look a fair bit rougher than I had initially hoped/anticipated from the ad/specs... looks well worth cleaning up though...

Wombat did you see any rust on her anywhere?
 
hahahahaha

As Ryan said in the FSW thread on this..., "Well, just sell the Civic!" :whistle:

Thats what I would have to do, and I'm not doing that man, I just bought the thing 3 weeks ago!

(... but don't think I didn't kick around the idea! :shh:)

No there is no way I'm in for this one, or any one, for a while...

Someone else will have to go haggle with Chris J, even if Rose would 'let' me, my wallet's saying 'no' :sigh:
 
Perhaps that header was added later in life but I do know one thing from conversations with Al back in the day. He would never ever allow any PBS part on a car associated with FAZA. Looks like it would be a neat project though if had for the right price.
 
Don`t think there was ever Going to be a Faza race series...

Because if so,Al should have known,he owns FAZA whic is a USA based Co as everyone knows.Back in its days Faza was first based in Conn,NY and later Daytona FL.When he closed conn,NY he then decided to start moving everything to CA.........So i don`t see the part of this car been brought from Italy race ready.Plus Al doesn`t even mention an X1/9 race series in his books if i remember well.
Everything to have a nice car is there as evidenced in its past glorious 2004 carshow pics.But it definately needs a lot today.Paint,interiors,refreshing mechanicals etc.Don`t get me wrong i do like it a lot......I`m a Faza guy!!!........:headbang::italia:
 
FAZA X1/9s and Stradale...

There was only one REAL Stradale that made it to the US. It is currently the only one in existence at Al's house in LA. The plan was to build 500 Abarth twin cam X1/9s. The plan was scrapped after it was determined by Fiat to not promote the X1/9 in racing as they lost money on each one sold. They decided to promote the Stratos and 131 instead. the Stradale that Al has made it to the US before this decision was final and it came without an engine. Paul Newman was going to drive the X in the 24 hours at Daytona race. The Stradale X1/9s that everyone sees on Al's catalog are all repos. There is only one real deal. there was never a FAZA race series for X1/9.

Look on page 122 in the SOHC race world. The X1/9 there looks just like this one with the same wheels. Any chance it may be the same one? No snorkel or FAZA logo but it could be the same car.
 
Brett,it can be,but the only one who can say is the actual owner....

If he knows of course.The Faza logo can be easily sanded down off the fiberglass(spoiler and the snorkel came with it too) so no biggie there.Maybe Al sold this car to someone in CA when he was already living there running his business in the early 80`s.
Or he`s just another enthusiast,like me,and bought the flares and wheels from Al.............Who knows,but definately something i would like to know for sure.....:italia:
 
I can tell you right now how come the seller has not sold the car yet...

He treats every buyer like a Jerk. I called him and in the middle of asking him some basic questions he blurts out "SO WHATS YOUR OFFER?"

I get the feeling that the seller is still in love with the car but is bitter because his wife is forcing him to sell. Just my .02....:jedi:
 
harsh

A couple of folks comments on this thread have surprised me a bit in their bluntness. Anyway he was polite to me? but I emailed, not phoned. I am guessing he must have been polite to wombat since he came in with a report and pics and wasn't acting particularly upset... (wombat?)

Maybe the guy is just getting frustrated with the prospect of having to let it go for whatever reason? I've gone through X separation anxiety too... I dont know man...
 
Hey mac, you could be right...

As Brett said, it does look an awful lot like the car in the FAZA book. Wouldn't we all sound silly dissing this car when it may be one of the original Al C. cars (the first he built with his own hands trying to convince Fiat they needed to ship him 499 more) that just needs some re-sorting....

I just get frustrated when overzealous and usually uninformed owners make a car out to be what it isn't (more often than not). It paints the rest of the X owners with a truth stretching brush.

Someone nail this car, let's see if it's got race car paint under its current color!

-M
 
... rust n stuff

... no obviously visible signs of rust were present, but without pulling up carpet and the like, I can only comment that for a 30 year old X it was looking pretty good. I would assume there is some rust, probably in the usual places, but nothing dramatic as in "aha! look at this hole."

ChrisJ was very polite and we had quite the conversation on X's; ChrisJ has not and did not represent the X as anything but a 1975 Fiat with the FAZA good bits, with an explanation of how he came into ownership and the X history as presented to him.

He's the gentleman faced with that dilemma of selling a certain something that is not understood in terms of endearment, as the X languishes without a garage or storage to attend to the maladies and maintain the X in the fashion it should be.

If it is indeed the X as pictured on page 122 (as mentioned) then this is indeed a picture of history. If Al Cosentino wasn't in currently a bad state of health, any argument would then be dealt with summarily in Al's gruff but friendly to the point of a wink polite manner. Always one for a chat.

ChrisJ has given me 3 dynochart pages from the engineering company Top-End Performance, dated 02-24-1993. An extract:

93.69 cubic inches
1527 cc
10.17:1 C/R

Projected performance recorded
3000 rpm - 7500 rpm in 500 rpm increments ...
extracts:
3000 rpm - 51.1 brk hp ...
5000 rpm - 110 brk hp ...
7500 rpm - 165 brk hp ...
The graph out put shows torque and hp crossing at approx 5300 rpm.
Torque peaks at approx 6000 rpm at a shade over 122 ft\lb
The bhp climbs steadily from 3000 rpm to 7500 rpm, but it is still climbing ... max usable rpm was deemed as 8000rpm.

Wonder what this could do with a 5 speed?

I can be induced to scan the 3 pages and post as images ... but you gonna have to wait a few days as I am 'dumped' in Dallas for the next 4 days without a scanner.

Hope this addresses a few questions; maybe start a few more.

regard
chrisE
81 X
 
Hi Chris,

good thing you cleared up the Faza thing, since the car is definitely a US model, not a euro model as evidenced by the bumper tubes.

It would of course be very cool if it was one of the cars pictured in the old books. Even if not, it is definitely a cool "old school" X1/9.

The motor sounds interesting, please post the graphs.

Thanks, Ulix
 
JJ,i`ve seen your ebay auctions and you are also harsh on people

asking simple questions on your cars........He did to you what you to do to others,"cut the crap and shoot me an offer if not get out of here attitude".
Give the guy a chance to bragg about his car too,he`s the one who owns it.......nothing personal,just an observation:):)
 
Not sure....

If I'm looking at the right picture on the Craiglist thing, but what I saw has no resemblance to the FAZA Stradale. THIS is what the FAZA Stradale looked like, this is from Consentino's Florida thing before
he became, with all due respect, a ranting conspiracy theorist.

This one was/is the real deal, fuel cell in the front. It looks like the Abarth Prototipo fender flairs were just converted into injection molded plastic thingies for easier attachment. I wish someone would do this and offer it in a kit, periscope optional.

The term FAZA is rather loosely bandied about by those not in the know. It could be as little as a cam or a whole slew of his aftermarket things. I have a FAZA cam in my '79 but I don't refer to it as a FAZA or anything like that, someone might suspect me of being a conspiracy theorist.

I've always wondered about the wheels on the stradale, if they were one-off's or what, they look suspiciously like Gottis.

Be careful talking like that to JJ, he'll type you a list of all the cars he's owned.....HA!

Stradale205.jpg


Stradale204.jpg


Stradale203.jpg


Stradale201.jpg
 
That is the one and only...

Real Stradale. All of the others are fake, repos or knock offs. The one I was referring to was in the book.
BRett
 
The Stradale originally came with Abarth CD30`s..

there`s a small pic somewhere in the book wherer it shows the Stradale arriving at his palce in Daytona after being trailered from the shipping port.Plus another pic of the car beiing driven on the streets in Italy with the CD30`s........:italia:
 
The one in the streets...

was NOT the Stradalie, it was one of the Prototipos (prototypes). There were at least 4 of the prototipos made for competition. The Stradale was the street version of the competition car. It was meant to be the road going version of Abarth's X1/9 before they pulled the plug and destroyed all of the body parts.
BRett
 
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