Re: Fiat X1/9s (defensive non-Audi content)

[John Cunningham <johnc@together.net>]

amazing.  i was _also_ an 850 owner.  only met one other guy who had one.   i
had the either coveted or ridiculed, depending on your point of view, but
rare either way, '850 Racer'.  permanent bolted on hardtop.  sales pitch: all
of the inconvenience of a convertible and none of the fun!  it was supposed
to be sportier, more rigid, etc.  spent mucho time with warped cylinder
heads, axle replacements, electrical fun, etc. etc. and drove it all of once
or twice.

JC

Dwight Varnes wrote:

> tm2@earthlink.net wrote:
> > Had a 78 X19 about 15 years ago.  It was canary yellow with black trim
> > and a kick in the ass to drive.  It had good excelleration and cornered
> > like a go cart.  The only problem with it was it was a coffin on four
> > wheels.
>
> I would substantially disagree. Now, my Fiat 850 spider was a coffin on
> wheels. But the X1/9 was designed to withstand a never-used federal
> rollover test for convertibles (hence the targa design). These cars are
> incredibly strong, incredibly heavy (why they are so slow...well, that
> and 1298cc engines) and I've seen enough wrecked ones to not fear them.
> But, each person has a different 'fear' threshold I guess.
> --
> "Life is too short to drive boring cars."
>
> Dwight Varnes, insurance appraiser and car nut
> 1970 124 Spider (restored, mostly)
> 1986 Audi Coupe GT (bigger engine at machine shop)
> 1989 VW Jetta GLI 16v (the wife's ride, needs restored)
> 1984 Nissan 4x4 Pickup (rust never sleeps)
> 1965 Buick Skylark conv. (more fun than you'd think)

--

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John J Cunningham III           Project Leader / Technical Analyst
                                             Country Home Products
johnc@together.net                            (802) 877-1201 X1242
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