Fans' Fury In New X1/9 Engine Row

Outraged enthusiasts are petitioning Fiat to drop plans for a brand new version of the X1/9 sports car - because the engine will be fitted in the wrong place.

Auto Express Car Reviews

09th March 2005

Existing owners are unhappy with the proposed replacement - dubbed the X1/99 - from Italy's Instituto Europeo di Design (IED). It's a model we first pictured in issue 843, and is based on Fiat's existing Punto platform - which means it would be front-engined, unlike the mid-powered original. Now, wor-ried protesters are uniting against it.

Ian McIntosh writes for one of the largest English-speaking X1/9 enthusiast groups, and has launched an online petition. He explained: "Our primary goal is of course to encourage the manufacturer to build a modern evolution of the X1/9, but any production version must be mid-engined in order to live up to the 'spiritual successor' claim."

Despite its comparatively mundane underpinnings, the IED proposal has the latest sliding roof technology from Webasto and a practical 2+2 seating layout. This is a major advantage over the original, which was strictly for two people.