Ever buy something for your significant other and decide that particular item is so nice that you need one too? If so, was it a car? Reader Pat L. has delivered to us not one but two Fiat X1/9s that we presume were owned by the same couple. The first one is this 1981 Fiat X1/9 for sale on Craigslist in the Detroit suburb of Oxford, Michigan. This brown X1/9 is one of the last Fiat badged models before they became Bertones, and it is priced at a rather lofty $16,995. Is that a bit above market, or a sign that the seller doesn’t want to part with their brown baby sports car?
The story of this car is that the seller is transferring back to Germany and cannot keep the two Fiats they purchased. According to the seller, this car was purchased from an older couple who couldn’t get in and out of it anymore. Understandable, given how low to the ground these cars are. This older couple were the first owners. They cared for this car so well that seat covers were installed on day one. Those seats even have remnants of the original factory plastic still visible.
All signs point to this car being pampered beyond just seat covers. The odometer reads just 35,839 miles and every aspect of the car appears to be showroom fresh. There is no rust anywhere on the car either. That, for a Fiat, is no small feat. Add to that the fact that this car has been in the Detroit area for a significant portion of its life. Detroit winters are not known for being gentle with Italian sports cars of any make.
A look inside the car in the picture above is a testament to the originality and condition of this little Fiat. The seats are so perfect you can almost feel the hot vinyl against your legs on a summer day by just looking at them. Looking over the dash reveals zero imperfections such as the usual cracks and discoloration. Nestled in the dash is the original AM/FM radio with a cassette player. When was the last time you saw one of those? Do you still have cassettes for it?
A walk around the car reveals no glaring imperfections either. There are minor nitpicks, like the waviness in the rubber above the bumper. The very period-correct paint still has a good shine to it. By this time the country was thankfully coming out of the period when it was enraptured with all manner of baby excrement browns, avocado greens, and mustard-colored yellow paint on cars and kitchen appliances. This car does look good in brown. Part of the reason for that was that the styling of X1/9s was exceptionally well-done from the start.
The seller also assures us that the car is quite reliable and starts up on the first turn of the key. In all, this is a fantastic example of a really neat sports car. The condition is spectacular and the car has been well cared for. Purchasing a lesser example and restoring it would cost far more than the asking price. The only concern is the price is likely above market. Hopefully, the seller negotiates with someone who will take over as caretaker and this little Fiat will continue to be loved and enjoyed.
Do you feel the price is correct on this X1/9? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments.
This was the only car I’d had that you could drive in the rain with the roof off and not get a drop of rain on you.. Fun car, good memories.
Sure it’s expensive, but just try finding another one. These literally dissolved in salt states like Tang in a glass of water.
I agree with you 100% except I do remember my buddy had a Fiat 124 that he’d drop the top back while moving in the rain and we wouldn’t get wet, either! What an interesting detail about the Fiats!
The price may be a little high, but really not out of line for what it is IF it wasn’t brown. In the world of X aficionados, brown is usually a no-go. It ranks at the bottom of the desirability index so getting top dollar is always a struggle. If this was red/yellow/orange/blue it would have been gone in an instant, and likely for the ask. This one is very nice and will eventually find a buyer, but I think the seller will have to make a serious price concession if he really wants it gone.
What country had brown as its racing color?
Idaho? Yes, Idaho. Also known for brown potatoes.
In real estate its location, location….location. With cars, its color, color…colors. I couldn’t agree more.. Brown, greens and old man tan. no go.
I fondly remember picking up brown Fiats and brown Vw Rabbits for a song at the dealer Bay City Auto Auctions. Fix any dent, scuff the paint and off to “The Earl of Sheib” for a color change to red. A great little money maker back in the eighties. Its cheaper in the long run today to buy a well maintained car than rebuild one from a catalog.
There is no better way to find the color that best fits a car than to look at the brochure or even better at the owners manual. In X1/9’s case that was the metallic light blue with white interior. Over the years i confirmed that this was the best choice although the white interior deteriorated sooner that a brown one. Mine was the met. light blue with brown interior later turned to red leather inside, wooden steering wheel and wooden gear changer!
mine was
silver/black interior, and other than a seam on the drivers seat coming loose like it was never sewn, it was a fantastic car, but I foolishly sold it when offered way too much money [ but no where near what they are bringing today, unfortunately ]
Then again, ’70s earth-tone colors are kinda retro-chic among the Radwood crowd lately, brown wagons being particularly celebrated as icons of their bygone era.
As to why those colors were ever in vogue in the first place, you have to consider the historic context. Everyone was sick and tired of having their eyes gouged out daily by the day-glo/op-art/psychedelic vivid colors of the ’60s, so by the ’70s more naturalistic and neutral colors gained favor, such as various browns/tans, avocado/leafy greens, mustard/harvest golds, burnt oranges, etc.
As to unusual X1/9 colors, I always liked the metallic sorta-raspberry color they offered for a few years, a purplish-pinkish medium red.
I considered an $800 dark brown 1981 X1/9 in Cadillac a week ago but unfortunately, It was badly rusted. My 71,000-mile 1979 X1/9 cost $3900. Prices are getting obscene for what was a $10,000 new car.
$16,995! Wow!… Bought my last of three X1/9s about a decade and a half ago… ’86 with 24K original miles… drove like new. Paid $4200.00. Car prices have gone completely nutty…
I don’t know for the top flight condition I’d snatch it up if I could get in and out, unfortunately doubtful, severe arthritis. But boy in the day just say go. A brown racing skateboard is better than no skateboard. Kinda like it.
Believe it or not I had an Aunt that bought one of these brand new and traded in her 69 Mach 1 that was ordered in a special order paint color. It was a Ford color but it was a Thunderbird color. Her Husband did something even worse he had a 69 or 70 AMX that he traded in for a Oldsmobile Diesel Cutlass.