1979 Fiat X1/9 Bertone review from Australia and New Zealand

To those who have a passion for these cars, practically nothing. To those who expect a faultless run, the following.

Brakes were totally overhauled, and are still at best mediocre in their ability to haul the car to a stop and suffer from terrible break fade.

Changing gear is an acquired art via the heavy and very grumpy 4-speed gearbox. Gearbox overhauled when I lost third gear. Reverse is always weak and jumps out. Never put yourself in a situation where you need to reverse up a steep incline in one of these vehicles.

Heater has never worked, and is a nightmare to fix, so I haven't bothered, the controls are cable operated and seize up, I still have use of the window de-mister though.

The steering lock is pathetic, as is the turning circle making the car a pain to maneuver in tight spaces despite it's tiny size.

Rust. I am blessed with very minor rust problems on my example, however, expect to give this matter constant attention should you ever own one of these cars.

The engine is unburstable. It is underpowered in 1.3L form, but ring it's neck and it's huge fun. But the joy of this car comes from handling which is quite honestly sensational.

It is a perfectly balanced small car in which you can corner at insane speeds with total confidence. In addition to this it has a very comfortable ride, far better than that of my mothers Mazda MX5.

The cabin is surprisingly comfortable, top off, the wind intrusion is minimal. And storage space is outstanding for an open top sports car with two boots, one fore and one aft.

The styling in my eyes is masterful, with beautiful taut angular pinnfarina design worthy of a Ferrari. People love to ask me about the car and it really turns heads.

This is genius piece of automotive design which never got the kudos it deserved.

I love my X/19, and forgive it for its faults.