Hello all....
Thank you John for the kind words! It's a privilege to be able to assume caretaker responsibilities for Mia. She's really a lovely example and has been so well cared for, first by Chris and then by you. I will do my best to keep up the tradition. Mia will have a dedicated spot in a heated garage next to Louis, my other 83 X1/9 who was restored by Matt Brannon and colleagues at MWB in 2010-2011 after having been caught in the Nashville floods. Louis was the 12th X assembled under the Bertone logo, and Mia was #1577. With 2321 cars assembled in 1983, they surely weren't on the line together. But now they will have a chance to share the same home and roads here in the intermountain west. Both these cars have had interesting histories, so we've been thinking about writing up a detailed provinience and perhaps an article for Ricambi magazine. Come spring here in Salt Lake City, Mia and Louis will be out on the mountain roads of the Wasatch front routinely. There's not a better driving experience in the western US than an X1/9 through Cottonwood canyon then along the back roads to Park City. Lots of twists and turns (like an alpine version of the dragon) with the occasional wide open straight away. Fair warning to all.....if I ever decide to part with Mia, John has first dibs. Mia is a special car, and those of us lucky enough to own fine examples like her are really just caretakers with an obligation to maintain and protect them for future enthusiasts (like John's son and mine). I know this has been a tough choice for John, and sometimes circumstances force us into things we don't want to do. I'm honored that he is willing to relinquish his car to my family, and I wish my new friend well as he gets his Audi back on the road.
