New future owner of an X 1/9 in Madrid Spain

B

Bertin

Low Mileage
Hi all,
Please wellcome me into this excellent forum. I'm from Madrid Spain.

I'm in the process of buying a spanish registered 1985 Fiat X 1/9 1.5 (Bertone built as it is from 1985 and since it has a bertone and not fiat badge in front..hehe..) Due to the covid situation here in Spain, I'm buying the car without a test drive since the car is 400 kms from my home and we are all confined.

I know it's a bit if a gamble but I'm getting it for a really low price. The owner is a retired car mechanic that has had the car for a few years. It is an "historic numberplate car"...this means that it passes MOT every 3 or 4 years, does not have to pass emission tests, and does not pay any yearly road taxes, etc. It has gone through a special evaluation that costs around 1000 EUR to be catalogued as "historic". The owner said it's without rust, that the engine runs fine and that he has improved several things like brakes and suspension....and the only thing needed is a new paint job.

The car has black interior and black leather seats. Hopefully next week he will send me some better/fresh pictures and car documents...obviously I'm keeping my money in my pocket until I receive more information from him.

Below is a picture of the car.

Now to my questions...is this two tone painting original? I mean was it painted like this from the factory? In that case, is it red underneath the gray?
Not sure I like the 2 tone...better red altogether.

The wheels are not that pretty either...are these original? I guess they are 13x6 wheels. What was the biggest wheel dimensions mounted by the factory ?

I like the minilite design or a cromodora cd36 melber? I've seen here locally on sale from a salvage x 1/9 but they are 13x5,5 inch and with different sizes 165/70 R13 and 205/65 R13...not sure why this car was with different tire dimensions front and back (broader).
Screenshot_20210110-192420_Opera.jpg


Thanks for your support !
 
Car exterior and interior are both original. That two tone was a standard Bertone livery--I agree with you I like the solid colors better, but the two tone Bertone isn't horrible by any means.

Not a great picture but that interior looks decent. Looks to be original.

The wheels though look to be from a Ritmo Abarth but not quite. Either they are and some parts are painted to obscure their actual shape, or they came from a different Fiat...or maybe even a Fiat-era Seat since you're in Spain.


I've been trying to look at Ibizas, Rondas, Fiat Ritmos, Cinquecentos, Unos, Pandas, Chromas etc....even Autobianchis and I can't find a wheel exactly like that. Maybe they are aftermarket but I've never seen them before.
 
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And to answer your other question, no, I don't think there is red peint underneath the charcoal one. But if you choose to repaint the car in red, it should be easy since the frunk, engine and rear trunk compartment are probably already painted in red originally.

Other question about the size is the largest factory wheel on the x19 was 13x 5.5. Going to any period correct wheel will not diminish the car value. But fitting more recent fwd wheels will.

Wider tires in the rear is a common thing on x1/9. Larger tires would rub in the fenders in the front. 205/60-13 in the rear and 185/60-13 in the front could be seen on many cars. 13" tires are difficult to find in North America, at least, hi-performance ones. I think the situation is easier in Europe.

The seats are real leather (at least the portion touching your body)like the door panels. They are in great shape since most of the x19 seats got ripped.

From the picture, the car look solid. Apart from the paintjob, it may also need repair to the headlamp motor. When you seen them with the pod in the raise position, it is usually not a sign the owner like them better this way. It's just that one or both are not raising or retracting. Usually, a simple diode need to be replaced, but it is easier said than done.

Welcome aboard.
 
Thank you guys for your answers and comments. No , the dent on the door is NOT original...😄😄😄

Regarding the wheels for the X 1/9, I borrowed this picture from the Greek x forum:

Unfortunately, my future cars wheels are not on this chart....hence not original...as Daniel says...probably from another Fiat or even Seat...The original wheel I like most is the one marked in red by me in the chart. Seems these are called "cromodora cd36"...A local seller have them listed for 650 EUR here in Spain. Minilite's (my second favorite choise, although seen them mounted on many x's) are not original....

20210111_102350.jpg
 
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That is just a picture of various Cromodora wheels--some stock Fiat, some sold in the aftermarket.

The wheel you circled, known as the Cromodora Daytona, is done in four 4x98 versions. The CD31 is 13x5.5. There is a CD120 that is 13x6 and very rare. They also did a CD88 in 13x6.5. These are all the 13" variants. In 14" they did a 14x6 called the CD50 which were an option for Alfa Romeo Alfetta based cars, but obviously also fit 4x98 Fiats as well.
 
Looks like a nice original car Bertin. I have an '85/86 two tone taupe/black. My car was painted entirely in the top color before the side color was applied. Dan has an '85/86 and mentioned his light blue/blue two tone Bertone is similar. I would suspect all the colors were done like that including red/grey.

I would suggest checking the car thoroughly for corrosion before purchase. It cannot be properly assessed in photos in my opinion. Practically everything else can be fixed fairly easily by comparison.
 
Thanks for the info. Ill be looking for the cromodora cd31 's then..those are the ones I like best.

Yes, rust might be a problem but according to the owner there is none...fingers xxxx...hehe
 
Hi again,
I saw 4 wheels Stilauto Grifo 5 in 13x5 4x98 sold here locally for just 200 EUR but needs surface refurbishing.
Do you think they fit the x? Should the ET be within a range? I think these have et 27...

I think these will be nice on the x, or?
$_59.JPG
 
Some people would say that there is no rust, when there is more rust than even MOt inspection could pass. Be carefull. Bottom part of the doors looks suspicious

7F97F1CF-A871-42A7-A93E-743AEC320FBE.png
 
I also think 5" is a little bit narrow, at least if going for 185/60 13 tires. With such tires 5,5" is good but 6" is even better.
 
Thanks for the rust tip...still waiting for more pictures from the owner...but definitivly something to check.

Regarding 5 vs 5,5 inch...yes, more narrow wheel..but 5 inch was standard for the x for some cromodora wheel models.
See below.

Screenshot_20210111-195933_Opera.jpg
 
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ghostdancing said:
stock tires size for the early X is 145X70..pretty narrow tires were standard fitments back in the day..
Click to expand...
Actually, the stock tire size for 74-78 is 145SR13 or 145HR13. That size, translated to modern size methodology is 145/80R13.
145/70R13 is 2 sizes undersize in diameter and load carrying capacity compared to the standard 145R13 size.
 
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