YES.

Let's see everyone's wedgie!!! :coolnana:

Here's my Wedgie and my Modern Wedgie.

Oh, and another thread hijack: http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54847

 

I never had a Fiat, but my first car was a 1984 Pontiac Fiero, so to me the Elise is very similar in feel but all around better.

The Elise seems quite a bit like the Fiero to me. Same layout, similar body construction, very similar layout of body panels, etc, very different though in terms of weight. Either way getting in an driving an Elise felt quite familiar.

 

BLASPHEMY :thwack:

 

Mine was a red/orange 86 Fiat. It was my college car. Loved the thing. My second one was a 1991 I think. That was then a Bertone, in red, black leather, electric windows, A/C, it ran perfect, not a lot of power out of an old designed 1.5 L. Sold it to a dude that had five of them.

 

To me the Lotus Elise seems like a properly powered X on steroids with better brakes and no rust issues.

My Bertone is an 85 -- it never broke down and I drove it hard. I got it in 87 with 5K miles. I put about 25K miles on it in 6 years of ownership. I kept it very clean running well on a college budget. Drove my wife away from our wedding in it! I stupidly sold it when I needed a sedan for my growing family. I sold it to a high school friend who drove it hard too, but got a little slack on caring for it as it aged. My mechanics were fantastic. Robert and Cindy have always taken great care me and my X-1/9. http://www.shadetreeenginetrics.com/

My high school friend actually gave the car back to me after putting another 80K miles on it. I was thrilled to have it back. It still runs great, just needs TLC to deal with deferred maintenance. It has been back in my hands for 3 years now and I am still working on it. Now that it is less than perfect I am adding lightness by tossing the heavy useless bits - A/C, bumpers, original wheels, deleted the trunk, lost the muffler, carpet, rear window glass, etc.

The Lotus Elise/Exige are much more expensive cars and are not dropping like rocks like the Fiat/Bertone. The drop made a newish Fiat a great value, It does give me hope that my kids will be able to have as much fun in their Elises (dad fantasy) as I did driving a road going go-kart street-racer when they get their licenses. Thankfully, I have a few years to prepare (and indoctrinate) for that milestone. Obviously, Ancient Wedgie has done a good job!

The X-1/9 is a keeper -- I won't be stupid enough to sell it twice.

P.S. I used to drive under the toll arms at the airport remote parking in my X more for fun than avoiding the fees, but the savings were an incentive. Haven't tried it in the Lotus yet.

 

P.S. I used to drive under the toll arms at the airport remote parking in my X more for fun than avoiding the fees, but the savings were an incentive. Haven't tried it in the Lotus yet.

The Elise will clear. I haven't actually done it, but I did give it a try when the lady at the window bet me it wouldn't make it.

 

I use to have a 73' Opel GT, green, kinda like Lambo's Ithaca Verde back during the college days. The hood has wheel bumps on each side like the Elise. Even has round rear lights. Body was immaculate but finding parts was a nightmare. Finally sold it to a guy who ended up crashing it. I regretted selling it and I wish I have a picture of it to show you guys :sad:.

 

I like the X1/9, but feel the Elise is much ahead of it's time, more so than the Fiat, even.

 

I think the same thing, the Elise/Exige is a modern X-19, Scorpion/Montecarlo/Type 037.

The difference is that it is reliable, something the older italian cars (and modern ones) can only dream of. Everytime I see one of the old Italian cars I want to buy one but only to look at. If I want to go for a drive I'm taking the Lotus.

ken

 

I used to have a red 1980 X1/9. It was my 1st car. I used to drive it back and forth between MN and college in CA. She was very reliable until my junior year. I ended up trading her in on a very soulless Audi 5000s

I still miss her.

 

If you have never done it yet, i can cut you a replacement "o" for the one that got lost to the stripe so you don't have to drive a L tus.

 

X 1/9 nice car, but not any thing like an Elise...
Same with a Porsche 914, nice, but no Elise...

 

I think it's like a modern X 1/9 in spirit, but it's much closer to a modern Dino in implimentation.

xtn

 

When I was 15, I was totally infatuated with the X1/9. One of the prettiest designs ever penned for an accessible sports car IMHO.

I remember some auto show on PBS had a Camaro vs. an X1/9. Of course you know who won on the straightaways, but when it came to the twisties, the little Fiat dusted GM. (I've tried to find the show on the web but can't so far.)

My dad wanted me to talk to a local mechanic to get his opinion on X1/9s. The mech said:
"There are basically two kinds of Fiat X1/9's: Those that have caught fire... and those that will."
:crazyeyes rotfl

His opinion had something to do with the way the fuel hoses were routed in the engine bay.

Still I was undeterred by such criticism and when I got closer to 16, begged my dad to try to find one for a test drive. Dad caved in (probably just to shut me up) and dropped me off at the local Fiat dealer. We picked a used X1/9 off the lot and went off for the test drive... of course, the salesperson has to drive it off the lot.

When it came time to switch drivers, he turned off the engine. It wouldn't start again. Fortunately it was a dead battery and we were able to push start it back to life.

I had a checklist of items that I was to explore on the car. I only got through about 1/4 cause so many things were broken on that particular example.

I finally respected Dad's advice and drove a Datsun and VW for a couple of years before finally saving up enough coin to buy a CRX-Si as my college car. But I still have a soft spot for the old X1/9's. :bow:

Anecdote from Wikipedia.... Fiat and Lancia models of the 1970s were particularly infamous for rapidly succumbing to severe structural rust. This is commonly attributed to a well-documented deal made by FIAT with the Russian government for a supply of surplus Russian steel. The Russian government supplied FIAT with large quantities of steel in exchange for the rights and tooling necessary to manufacture a clone of the recently discontinued FIAT 124 (sold under the Lada and Zhiguli names). Though superficially a good deal for FIAT, who off-loaded their old design and tooling at a hefty profit, the steel they received was of an extremely poor quality. There is also anecdotal evidence that poor planning frequently left early X1/9 body-shells un-painted outside the Bertone factory before transportation to FIAT where the rusting body-shells were simply painted over.

 

My Elise reminds me a lot of my Fiat 850 Spyder, except it's better in every way possible. Well, excluding the comfort of the seats.

 

I had one of the later Bertone x1/9's, too. No power but great handling, similar in some ways to the Elise's handling due to the weight distribution.

The thing that was great about it compared to the Lotus was the utility of the thing, very well laid out. You could fit a set of golf clubs in the rear trunk. The front trunk was very cleverly designed so you could take the hardtop off, slide it into the top of the hood, and still have a pretty deep well underneath for groceries, etc, that you could get to even with the top stowed. Spare tire was stowed vertically in a well behind the passenger's seat, also very well done.

A well laid out car that never gave me a lick of trouble. But certainly not a Lotus from a performance point of view.

 

MR2

 

What a load of old rubbish some people do write. The Elise is a Lotus - if it's a modern anything is might be a Europa, but a bloody Fiat? Get away with you!

 

I drove a X1-9 once....hit a bump and the engine fell out...rust bucketrotfl

 

That was an option. But just like Lotus, they were into adding lightness...

Tom

 

Ah, yes. My first car was the Fiat X1/9 when I turned 16, some 30 years ago.
I bought it from my brother. French Blue. Great handling car, but man that thing would break down every week.
My next car was the original Toyota MR2. Like the Fiat X1/9 but way more reliable. Now THAT was a great car!

 

I had an X 1/9 way back when - maybe a 77? I remember after long drives from college in Arcata, CA back to LA I would exit the car feeling like I'd been living in a beehive for 650 miles, the highway revs were so high. It was pretty reliable, fun to drive, but rusted way to quickly. That, and I was always replacing the front spoiler from hitting various road hazards!

Before the X 1/9 I had a '69 124 Sport Coupe. That was a great driving car but made the saying "Fix It Again Tony" an understatement.

Neither compares to my Elise, and it can't rust!

 

I had a series of new Fiats -- starting with a 1967 124 Sedan. Actually great handling car. 4-wheel discs. Five main-bearing in-line 4. Front engine rear wheel drive. Very neutral handling. Then a 1969 850 Sport Coupe. If that wasn't punishment enough, a 1971 850 Spyder with Abarth exhaust, carb set-up and wheels/anti-sway bar. Still didn't learn my lesson with Italian cars with a '74 Alfa Spyder. All had heaps of passion, a kick to drive, when they ran.

In 1976 I bought a new 914 2.0. Mid-engine. Quick. And a bit tail-happy.

Before my Elise, I had a 1990 Miata. 189,000 trouble-free miles. Should have kept it. Wifey said it took up too much space in the garage.

Always thought the X 1/9 was cool. Saw one at the British day at Cars & Coffee a couple of weeks back. VERY clean.

 

You have to think back to 1969 to the runabout and to 1972 when the car was first launched to really understand why the X1/9 can be compared with the Elise. The X1/9 "changed the rules" of automotive design, ability, and affordability and forged the way for future cars. Remember, the Fiero and MR2 came out 15 years later. The Elise another 10 years later.

I consider the Elise and X1/9 similar for very specific reasons:

1: The FIAT X1/9 was an affordable sports car of incredible ability...like the Elise. It out-handled cars far more expensive and with far more horsepower. It was a drivers car. People bought because of what it could do, not because of what their mates thought of it (a hairdresser's car as it was often referred). It was too cute and small for the masses...which only made those who owned them truly fanatics (sound familiar).

2: The runabout and future production car, from a design point of view, helped to start a new era for automotive design. The esprit prototype (for example) was launched 3 years after the runabout. From a engineering point of view, the X1/9 was the first production car to use a transverse mounted FWD motor and drivetrain in the mid-position...which is one way that made the car affordable and led the way for future cars. Not only that, the unibody, while heavy, gave it the structural rigidity that made the car perform so well. The car was also able to meet safety crash standards in the US...something the majority of US car manufacturers couldnt meet (again, does structural integrity and safety from body design sound familiar?).

Anyway, the X1/9 was one of the longest running models to be produced. It couldnt have been that bad a car for them to make it from 1972-1988. Sure, it had a reputation for rust and repairs...well so did a lot of cars from the 70s. The later model cars were extremely reliable...as over the years technology made it work...like many other cars in the industry. An 80s Fuel-injected X1/9 would provide adequate power while using only 40 mpg. I've known X1/9 owners who have put 100s of thousands of miles on these cars with very little issue.

So the X1/9 reputation is like a bad rumor told over and over again by people who never heard the original story to begin with. But those who have owned X1/9s know the truth...just like those of us who on the Elise. Sure the Elise is impractical, small and cute (a hairdresser's car), and only just becoming truly reliable and brilliant after how many years and renditions on the original design? I love the Elise! But I only love the Elise because I owned the X1/9 first, and when I first saw it it truly felt like the X1/9 of my dreams had finally been built.

 

Yes. This has been discussed at length in other threads (where I pointed out the same thing ) http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=838981&postcount=13 I had an X-1/9 in college and it very much feels like the spirit of an Elise. If someone says different, they have not owned one. Unfortunately, keeping the damn thing on the road was a never ending battle. The Italians and their damn "Magneto Marelli" wouyld be all I could handle. The last couple years the car was made they finally upgraded to Bosch components. The steering was 1:1 just like the Elise. Very low to the ground, cornered like it was on rails and I got the same reaction in that can as I do the Elise..."Are you rich?"rotfl

 

My first wedge shaped car was a 1977 TR7 hardtop. Got it back 1983 and sold it in 1990. I bought TR7 convertible in 1989 and still have it today.

I came very close to buying an orange X1/9 (I think it was a '74) in 1988. It had sat along the side of the road near a vegetable stand for a year, so I went in it and found the owner's information. Contacted them and they said it broke down and they couldn't get it running. Went and took a look with one of my college buddies. I couldn't really fit well in it so he bought it. Paid $300 cash, had it running in about two hours and drove it back to school. Turned out to be a great little car.

Here is my original one and an ad from back then talking about it's wedge shape:

 

First car I owned was a '76 X1/9....bought it for 3k in 1981. Got it up to 105 mph.
Michelin XZX 145SR/13 tires
Flawless car for 3 years, then a Ton-O-Trouble

Slow, but sounded F A S T..........68 HP!

 

My first British car was a wedge...but like the pics above, it was a British Leyland wedge. 1980 TR-8, and that wedge has nothing in common with the Elise.