WantAnX1/9
Stuck in gear, leaking fluids, fire in progress...
328 and X 1/9...I'm jealous!
Why did you buy an X 1/9?
- Thread starter WantAnX1/9
- Start date
328 and X 1/9...I'm jealous!
nichol01
True Classic
I was first introduced to the X/19 back in 1985 I was 18 years old. All of the cool guys were into muscle cars and ripping up rear tires.
I had a 69 Mercury Cougar at the time. Out one night hanging with my friends a buddy of mine pulls up in a 1984 gold X. his dad just purchased it. It seemed so small next to our American muscle. I said to him ''why would you want to drive something like that''. He said ''lets go for a ride''. That drive is forever etched into my mind. We took turns at what seemed like neck breaking speeds. Any car that I was familiar with at the time would have been rolled as fast as he was taking turns. I never forgot it.
Then while living in the Bay area California 1989. i bought my first X it was an 1983 Bertone VS. It was two tone white on top and black on the bottom with red interior. That was a great car. I never had one issue with it in the three years I had it. I sold it when I needed something more practical at the time.
I never forgot that feeling I had while driving an X. I then got married had three kids. I would regularly go on E-bay and see what X's were available. Although not bringing much money they were still out of my price range. My wife would often come by the computer and say ''what looking at Fiats again''. Then I saw a listing within 25 miles of me. A non runner for 12 years but garage kept. Got it for 825.00 at least I could afford that. I have had it for 2 1/2 years now. Making good progress. new floors, interior, engine rebuild and on. running real good now and puts a big smile on my face every time I drive it.
I had a 69 Mercury Cougar at the time. Out one night hanging with my friends a buddy of mine pulls up in a 1984 gold X. his dad just purchased it. It seemed so small next to our American muscle. I said to him ''why would you want to drive something like that''. He said ''lets go for a ride''. That drive is forever etched into my mind. We took turns at what seemed like neck breaking speeds. Any car that I was familiar with at the time would have been rolled as fast as he was taking turns. I never forgot it.
Then while living in the Bay area California 1989. i bought my first X it was an 1983 Bertone VS. It was two tone white on top and black on the bottom with red interior. That was a great car. I never had one issue with it in the three years I had it. I sold it when I needed something more practical at the time.
I never forgot that feeling I had while driving an X. I then got married had three kids. I would regularly go on E-bay and see what X's were available. Although not bringing much money they were still out of my price range. My wife would often come by the computer and say ''what looking at Fiats again''. Then I saw a listing within 25 miles of me. A non runner for 12 years but garage kept. Got it for 825.00 at least I could afford that. I have had it for 2 1/2 years now. Making good progress. new floors, interior, engine rebuild and on. running real good now and puts a big smile on my face every time I drive it.
WantAnX1/9
Stuck in gear, leaking fluids, fire in progress...
Making your dream come true, Nichol01!
Dan Sarandrea (Phila)
Waitin' On Parts...
First car was a '73 Mazda RX-3 station wagon (Racing Beat intake to fit a small 4bbl Holley, Addco sway bars F&R and turbine cast aluminum wheels with Uniroyal Rallye 240 tires---that thing flew!) and it took me thru 4 years of undergrad. Seals let go and it overheated and that was that.
Was going to grad school in Kalamazoo so looked for something 4WD. '73 Jeep Commando with an AMC ("All Mistakes Combined") 304 and a somewhat rare for 4WD TurboHydramatic 400 automatic trans. Good runner, good UHaul trailer tower, rusty driver's floorpan that I fixed with angle iron, hand hammered aluminum replacement sheetmetal pan and a million pop rivets. But while I was at Army OCS is Georgia my brother took it to the Jersey Shore, went on the beach, got stuck and the tide came in -- RIP Jeep.
Out of OCS, headed to Ft. Knox, 2LT with a steady income and many years of C/D and R/T subscriptions is now lookin' for a sports car! Bought a new 1981 X (black with tan interior) and off to Ft. Riley.....towing a UHaul!! Maybe the only X1/9 ever with a UHaul trailer hitch
Enjoyed the car for three years, but not the best choice for cross country driving on leave and dealer service 2-1/2 hrs away in Wichita. Got trolled by a Gate-Town cop with a ticket once, Ogden KS, for no tail lights (blown fuse). My battalion commander was NOT HAPPY that one of his LTs came up on the police blotter, that's for sure!!! LOL
Loved the car to death, but once I realized it was not the best choice for my circumstances, traded it at the Mazda dealer for a 626, which I later took to West Germany. The whole time in FRG I was kicking myself for not having the X in Europe
Fast forward to 2007, I get an itch and think, hey, do X1/9s even exist anymore because I hadn't seen one on the road in years. Landed here at Xweb and "the rest is history."
Was going to grad school in Kalamazoo so looked for something 4WD. '73 Jeep Commando with an AMC ("All Mistakes Combined") 304 and a somewhat rare for 4WD TurboHydramatic 400 automatic trans. Good runner, good UHaul trailer tower, rusty driver's floorpan that I fixed with angle iron, hand hammered aluminum replacement sheetmetal pan and a million pop rivets. But while I was at Army OCS is Georgia my brother took it to the Jersey Shore, went on the beach, got stuck and the tide came in -- RIP Jeep.
Out of OCS, headed to Ft. Knox, 2LT with a steady income and many years of C/D and R/T subscriptions is now lookin' for a sports car! Bought a new 1981 X (black with tan interior) and off to Ft. Riley.....towing a UHaul!! Maybe the only X1/9 ever with a UHaul trailer hitch
Enjoyed the car for three years, but not the best choice for cross country driving on leave and dealer service 2-1/2 hrs away in Wichita. Got trolled by a Gate-Town cop with a ticket once, Ogden KS, for no tail lights (blown fuse). My battalion commander was NOT HAPPY that one of his LTs came up on the police blotter, that's for sure!!! LOLLoved the car to death, but once I realized it was not the best choice for my circumstances, traded it at the Mazda dealer for a 626, which I later took to West Germany. The whole time in FRG I was kicking myself for not having the X in Europe
Fast forward to 2007, I get an itch and think, hey, do X1/9s even exist anymore because I hadn't seen one on the road in years. Landed here at Xweb and "the rest is history."
In my youth, I would read Car and driver and Road and track reviews. I saw all the cars I could never afford, but occasionally there was a review of an affordable sports car. I would read those reviews over and over and eventually pin the review to my bedroom wall. The X was one of those cars. I would look at it daily on the wall and figure someday I could get one. That day came in my senior year of college (1981). I had been working full time for 2 years and saved up the purchase price. I went to the local Fiat/VW dealer and found a ice blue metallic 1980 that had been the "demonstrator" for the dealership. I bought it without a test drive, which surprised the salesman. Then he figured it out, I couldn't get the car out of its parking spot since I had never driven a stick. He laughed his ass off and called the other salesman over, then came out and took me to the back lot for a tutorial. So that was memorable.
Somewhere in my parent's huge pile of photos is one picture of that car. I have no idea where. I drove it for a few years and then wanted something a little bigger. Always regretted that decision. Like many stories here, I got married, had kids, had a mortgage, etc and years of practical cars. In 2003 I told my wife that I may be experiencing the midlife crisis I had always made fun of. The kids were young adults, the house was paid for and I was feeling depressed a lot. I asked if I could have a mid life crisis, she said that would be fine as long as it was inexpensive and didn't involve other women.
I started looking for a hobby car. I had owned 2 1969 Mustangs in college, so I thought that would be a cool car. Then I looked at how much a nice 69 'Stang would cost. Hmmm... remembering my wife's guidelines, I figured it might be safer to bring home another woman. Then I remembered the X and wondered if there were even any around anymore. You certainly didn't see them on the road here in STL. Through the magic of the innerwebz, I found a one owner 78 in Atascedero, CA on Hemmings. Here are the pictures from the ad:
I was hooked again. $2500 for the car and $900 to get it back to STL on a truck. My wife approved. Fortunately, my sister lives in Burbank and was able to round up a stick driving buddy to get the car back to Burbank and eventually onto the truck. Here are the pictures of their adventure and finally the car on her street waiting for pickup:
The seller and I talked a lot as we completed the deal and as the car made its way to me. The day before my sister picked the car up, he told me he had 2 tops for the car and would send them both as he had no use for the second top anymore. I said "Thanks!". When it got here the stock targa was in the frunk and this top was on the car:
I had no idea what that clear top was, but it was kinda cool. I took it off the car and put it in the back of my wife's van. Anywho... I got in the X at the delivery terminal and it fired up fairly easily. I drove it home with a huge smile on my face as all the memories came flooding back. It was a good day. I still have this 78 and I have also bought and sold a few others over the years. I love the X1/9. I hope to have one (at least one) for a very long time. I wish I could find that one picture of my first 1980.
He laughed his ass off and called the other salesman over, then came out and took me to the back lot for a tutorial. So that was memorable. Somewhere in my parent's huge pile of photos is one picture of that car. I have no idea where. I drove it for a few years and then wanted something a little bigger. Always regretted that decision. Like many stories here, I got married, had kids, had a mortgage, etc and years of practical cars. In 2003 I told my wife that I may be experiencing the midlife crisis I had always made fun of. The kids were young adults, the house was paid for and I was feeling depressed a lot. I asked if I could have a mid life crisis, she said that would be fine as long as it was inexpensive and didn't involve other women.
I started looking for a hobby car. I had owned 2 1969 Mustangs in college, so I thought that would be a cool car. Then I looked at how much a nice 69 'Stang would cost. Hmmm... remembering my wife's guidelines, I figured it might be safer to bring home another woman. Then I remembered the X and wondered if there were even any around anymore. You certainly didn't see them on the road here in STL. Through the magic of the innerwebz, I found a one owner 78 in Atascedero, CA on Hemmings. Here are the pictures from the ad:
I was hooked again. $2500 for the car and $900 to get it back to STL on a truck. My wife approved. Fortunately, my sister lives in Burbank and was able to round up a stick driving buddy to get the car back to Burbank and eventually onto the truck. Here are the pictures of their adventure and finally the car on her street waiting for pickup:
The seller and I talked a lot as we completed the deal and as the car made its way to me. The day before my sister picked the car up, he told me he had 2 tops for the car and would send them both as he had no use for the second top anymore. I said "Thanks!". When it got here the stock targa was in the frunk and this top was on the car:
I had no idea what that clear top was, but it was kinda cool. I took it off the car and put it in the back of my wife's van. Anywho... I got in the X at the delivery terminal and it fired up fairly easily. I drove it home with a huge smile on my face as all the memories came flooding back. It was a good day. I still have this 78 and I have also bought and sold a few others over the years. I love the X1/9. I hope to have one (at least one) for a very long time. I wish I could find that one picture of my first 1980.
WantAnX1/9
Stuck in gear, leaking fluids, fire in progress...
In my youth, I would read Car and driver and Road and track reviews. I saw all the cars I could never afford, but occasionally there was a review of an affordable sports car. I would read those reviews over and over and eventually pin the review to my bedroom wall. The X was one of those cars. I would look at it daily on the wall and figure someday I could get one. That day came in my senior year of college (1981). I had been working full time for 2 years and saved up the purchase price. I went to the local Fiat/VW dealer and found a ice blue metallic 1980 that had been the "demonstrator" for the dealership. I bought it without a test drive, which surprised the salesman. Then he figured it out, I couldn't get the car out of its parking spot since I had never driven a stick.
Somewhere in my parent's huge pile of photos is one picture of that car. I have no idea where. I drove it for a few years and then wanted something a little bigger. Always regretted that decision. Like many stories here, I got married, had kids, had a mortgage, etc and years of practical cars. In 2003 I told my wife that I may be experiencing the midlife crisis I had always made fun of. The kids were young adults, the house was paid for and I was feeling depressed a lot. I asked if I could have a mid life crisis, she said that would be fine as long as it was inexpensive and didn't involve other women.
I started looking for a hobby car. I had owned 2 1969 Mustangs in college, so I thought that would be a cool car. Then I looked at how much a nice 69 'Stang would cost. Hmmm... remembering my wife's guidelines, I figured it might be safer to bring home another woman. Then I remembered the X and wondered if there were even any around anymore. You certainly didn't see them on the road here in STL. Through the magic of the innerwebz, I found a one owner 78 in Atascedero, CA on Hemmings. Here are the pictures from the ad:
View attachment 24206 View attachment 24207 View attachment 24208 View attachment 24209 View attachment 24210 View attachment 24211
I was hooked again. $2500 for the car and $900 to get it back to STL on a truck. My wife approved. Fortunately, my sister lives in Burbank and was able to round up a stick driving buddy to get the car back to Burbank and eventually onto the truck. Here are the pictures of their adventure and finally the car on her street waiting for pickup:
View attachment 24216 View attachment 24217 View attachment 24212 View attachment 24213 View attachment 24214 View attachment 24215
The seller and I talked a lot as we completed the deal and as the car made its way to me. The day before my sister picked the car up, he told me he had 2 tops for the car and would send them both as he had no use for the second top anymore. I said "Thanks!". When it got here the stock targa was in the frunk and this top was on the car:
View attachment 24218
I had no idea what that clear top was, but it was kinda cool. I took it off the car and put it in the back of my wife's van. Anywho... I got in the X at the delivery terminal and it fired up fairly easily. I drove it home with a huge smile on my face as all the memories came flooding back. It was a good day. I still have this 78 and I have also bought and sold a few others over the years. I love the X1/9. I hope to have one (at least one) for a very long time. I wish I could find that one picture of my first 1980.
Great story.
The clear top is cool. I wonder what company made it back in the day?
The company was called "Saratoga" and made tops for a few targa style cars. I think Greg has the definitive collection of Saratoga tops. Here are a couple pictures of the top on my 78.
Tavalin
Florida Mike (again)
The reason I bought Gary’s X1/9 I think most here know.
It was 2015, I think. A friend of mine at work just inherited a Corvette and was having issues with the estate. He brought his X1/9 from Naples, Italy and couldn’t get the water pump installed. The X was just sitting in his garage collecting dust. He had offers for the X but knew they were going to sell the parts off of it. He didn’t want that and ask how much I had and I said “500”. He said come and pick it up.
My son Gary fell completely in love with it and that is why I keep it too.
So I purchased Gary’s X1/9 because it was 500 dollars. I was actually looking for a muscle car to restore but the X1/9 fell into my lap. Been a love hate relationship ever since.
Mike
It was 2015, I think. A friend of mine at work just inherited a Corvette and was having issues with the estate. He brought his X1/9 from Naples, Italy and couldn’t get the water pump installed. The X was just sitting in his garage collecting dust. He had offers for the X but knew they were going to sell the parts off of it. He didn’t want that and ask how much I had and I said “500”. He said come and pick it up.
My son Gary fell completely in love with it and that is why I keep it too.
So I purchased Gary’s X1/9 because it was 500 dollars. I was actually looking for a muscle car to restore but the X1/9 fell into my lap. Been a love hate relationship ever since.
Mike
DanielForest
True Classic
The year was 1984. I was not looking at X1/9's. Not at all. I saw one at the Montréal annual car show, and it didn't impressed me. I was Young and sometimes had to sleep in my car. Heck! The Fiat seats couldn't even fold back enough for a nap!
I bought a brand new Honda CBX that year. Drove it to my brother's house. He was racing motocross for a long time. So we took our bikes for a "teaching" ride. Well, in the first corner, I saw him taking the curve properly, leaning toward the ground. So, the next curve, I decided to do the same. But I was a little frightened, so I lean toward the ground but I pushed the bike outside... in the gravel, in the middle of a curve, driving close to 60 mph. I did the only thing I could think of, braking. But I used the wrong handle, and gave gas. Bike went spinning in the air and I missed a telephone pole by only a few inches. I get up for a minute before I falled down, in shock. It took me a couple of weeks, sleeping all day long before I could get back home. Bike was totalled.
I have pics of myself, a few days after the accident, half awake, in a LaZ-boy, looking in autotrader for a convertible car. I liked the feeling of no top, but I needed 4 wheels!
I went to watch for a Triumph Spitfire. I ran way from it. Everything was incredibly shaking. Then, I found an X1/9 for cheap. Not running, but it had 4 wheels. It was a 1974, looking good but really bad rust repair, I would not buy it again, but I loved the hi-tech spécifications: 4 wheels disc brake, OHC mid-engine, targa top. I was hooked. I probably bought 20 more of them since then, most just for parts, but a few (4 or 5) for driving.
That's the story... in short.
I bought a brand new Honda CBX that year. Drove it to my brother's house. He was racing motocross for a long time. So we took our bikes for a "teaching" ride. Well, in the first corner, I saw him taking the curve properly, leaning toward the ground. So, the next curve, I decided to do the same. But I was a little frightened, so I lean toward the ground but I pushed the bike outside... in the gravel, in the middle of a curve, driving close to 60 mph. I did the only thing I could think of, braking. But I used the wrong handle, and gave gas. Bike went spinning in the air and I missed a telephone pole by only a few inches. I get up for a minute before I falled down, in shock. It took me a couple of weeks, sleeping all day long before I could get back home. Bike was totalled.
I have pics of myself, a few days after the accident, half awake, in a LaZ-boy, looking in autotrader for a convertible car. I liked the feeling of no top, but I needed 4 wheels!
I went to watch for a Triumph Spitfire. I ran way from it. Everything was incredibly shaking. Then, I found an X1/9 for cheap. Not running, but it had 4 wheels. It was a 1974, looking good but really bad rust repair, I would not buy it again, but I loved the hi-tech spécifications: 4 wheels disc brake, OHC mid-engine, targa top. I was hooked. I probably bought 20 more of them since then, most just for parts, but a few (4 or 5) for driving.
That's the story... in short.
Last edited by a moderator:
WantAnX1/9
Stuck in gear, leaking fluids, fire in progress...
Now that is a deal! I love the 5 spoke wheels in the top image.
Even if I could afford a Ferrari, Id still have an X, too
Likewise. An X is just as exotic as any Ferrari or Lamborghini. I would love to have a Jalpa, but I would still keep my X.
Cratecruncher
True Classic
It's been quite fun reading everyone's chance encounters. I was about 13 when I walked past a new looking Triumph TR7. I liked that wedge shape and decided that day I would have one AND build a wedge-shaped garage for it just like in the commercial someday. It really was my "shape of things to come". Well, at 16 I started the hunt and test drove one that had been badly mistreated to the point it was falling apart. I didn't have quite as much money as the salesman wanted so I asked him to hold it for me for a week. "Sure buddy" he said. A week later I came to pick up the car and of course it was long gone. All I can say is thank goodness! I noticed that other wedge shape car while studying the classifieds and discovered the X1/9 was a better car. I bought a metallic blue '79 with butterscotch interior for $5,500 in 1981. Almost a brand new car but it had a rust spot at the base of the driver side windshield pillar I hadn't noticed while test driving at night. I remember the girls thought it was exotic.
Greg (in Conn)
Bertone curator - X driver
Commercial break.
Because there's nothing else like it in the world..and anything like the price..
and likely, there never will be.
Because there's nothing else like it in the world..and anything like the price..
and likely, there never will be.
Fiataccompli
Chris Granju
This is an interesting thread to read. I came into the X1/9 world slowly. Growing up with a dad who had moved to the US from France as an adult, having some sort of European second car in the family (first car was a station wagon) was normal, so the funky nuances, odors, etc. of European cars have always been a sort of comfort thing for me (maybe in the same way that the smell of diesel exhaust always reminds me of the long trips visiting family in France as a kid...go figure). So, I guess I never really subscribed to a real prejudice one way or the other about Fiats in general, but my own observation of X1/9s was that they presented as cool, but rather trashy sports cars. I should elaborate. What I mean is that I don't recall ever really seeing a "nice" X1/9 until the mid 1990s shortly after I had a 124 Spider (that, btw, WAS trashy) and met my now-old-friend Brett M who already owned his wonderful RHD X1/9. Prior to that, what I always recall seeing was Xs with a headlight up & one down, big rust spots or primer, strange & awkward rear camber problems and generally scruffy cars. Clearly I was living in the wrong part of the world, I realize. At the same time, my impression of other Fiats was really no better, but I had always liked the 124 Spider and having had a friend in high school with one, I ended up getting one thinking it would be a fun $800 car that I would drive until one day I'd be compelled to remove the license plate & leave it abandoned on the side of the road. Instead, what I learned quickly was what I had glossed over massively before...even if poorly maintained & rarely given the proper respect in this country, these were really great driving cars that had hearty & well-designed drivetrains matched with beautiful and oddly ironic bodywork (Pininfarina & Bertone design on cars that at the time could be acquired routinely for prices well below $1500...that's a strange concept when you think about it). So, after a period of seriously enjoying & learning everything there is to know about Fiat twin cams, I fell into a state of serious Fiat enthusiasm. Somewhere along the way, I started a business with a friend doing online Italian car parts & periodically rehabbing (not restoring...just fully assessing & creating solid projects) Fiats. In the process, we were sourcing new parts & buying NOS inventories...the usual stuff (and funny to think it was before Ebay would have been a platform for something like that & at the time I think I was yelled out of Bayless's storefront for suggesting they consider the Internet as a venue for selling car parts). We also had a semi-formal arrangement for the business in that my partner was as much of an X1/9 fan as I was a 124 fan, so each of us had "dibs" on whatever parts we came across for our respective preferences. And, of course, we had the usual banter where he would refer to the 124 Spider as a "chick car" and I would make up something disparaging to say about X1/9s. The nice thing about this experience was that I had to learn a lot about how these cars are put together and generally learn the tricks & nuances that make Fiat ownership fun. A few years into this (late 90s, I guess) I came across a one-owner '81 X1/9 for sale locally & I bought it. (still remember about a month later my at-the-time wife called me at work one day & said, "I went down to the basement to do laundry & I saw this car down there, it says X one nineth on the back...is this yours?" Oops). I started acquiring the "right" parts for that car to make it nice, but ultimately life & other projects sidelined it to become a non-runner time capsule (unmolested 110k mile car with no rust...not bad) that I was lucky enough to sell at a minor profit (who says Italian cars aren't good investments) to fund the purchase of two ridiculously nice 124 Sports in 2007. By this time, the parts business & anything associated was long defunct and I still had a huge stash of NOS X1/9 parts from god-knows-where that I spent a bit of time selling off on Ebay as I was somewhat trading mass of Fiat parts for road racing bicycle parts. A series of harsh life experiences interspersed with a slowly increasing number of points of joy & recovery found me maybe 3-4 years ago thinking all of sudden, "hey, I know the Fiat twin cams & yeah I love them...but I want to have a play with some SOHC cars." Go figure. So, in rather short order, I found a slightly derelict (and very glitterily painted) '85 Bertone in town, shortly afterward got wonderfully lucky to pick up Carl's 128 wagon and then (must be the circle of life) my old business partner & I worked out a deal for me to get his rather hot rodded '79 X1/9 that was mostly his "ultimate" X1/9 rebuilt circa 2000 with the best stuff snagged from our inventory + some extras...European head, hot cam, header, custom coilovers, blah blah blah, but also about 2-3' of flood damage and another 4-5 years of sitting in the corner of a shop...the perfect rescue! Anyway, the wonderful end of this rambling bore of a story is that after all that time, residual knowledge is finally being applied and I am thoroughly enjoying my X1/9s. I never thought of them as a "baby" anything, nor as anything other than a wonderfully designed car that feels perfect to drive and is forever impossible to believe an early 1970s design (I mean, it does not feel like an early '70s anything).
WantAnX1/9
Stuck in gear, leaking fluids, fire in progress...
Outstanding! What a time to be alive!
Gerald Pels
Low Mileage
What a fun and interesting thread. I grew up in New Jersey and always enjoyed cars and loved sports cars. My first car which I bought somewhere around 1974-75 was a 1967 MG Midget. It cost a whopping $200.00 and even came with a spare Austin Healy Sprite that was quite handsome on blocks in my parents drive way. When I went away to college, there was no reason to keep it, so it was sadly sold ( with the parts car). During my college years I didn't have a car, and made do. When it came time for grad school, I was needing to move half way across the country and needed a car that had some space to haul my belongingness to my new "home." A 2-seat convertible would not work, but I wanted something interesting and settled on a FIAT 124 Sedan. It handled really well but it just wasn't very sporty (at least to me). So while I was at school, I sold it and replaced it with a 1975 FIAT x1/9 that had caught on fire, which was found in a junk yard . The price was right. Between my brother, me and my newly wed wife we brought the car back to life. I kept it throughout school and at my first job for about 7 years. For years, my wife and I drove it across the country from the Philly area to Nashville to Houston and all points in between. When I finally sold it in 1987, we had probably put on over 100,000 miles. It was a good fun little car, that my wife and I always had good memories of. Move ahead 36 or so years, and despite having had a number of really fun cars, I decided to look for another x1/9. My wife was supportive, despite our garage housing another older car and a couple of older motorcycles. It took a long time, but we finally found a nice x1/9 in Oregon of all places and had it hauled home. Over the last couple of years, it has been brought back to life and is just about where we want it.
It brought back good memories and was always (hard to believe) very reliable, so why not?!
It brought back good memories and was always (hard to believe) very reliable, so why not?!