1978 Fiat X1/9 5 speed review from UK and Ireland

Almost everything. The head gasket blew the day I bought it, and it was constantly overheating. This later turned out to be due to the previous owner filling the engine with Radweld to fix was was probably a minor original leak. Full top end rebuild.

Once the engine was stripped down and the damage done by the Radweld rectified the basic engine was reliable. However the smaller waterways were impossible to clean out fully so it was plagued with fuel vapourisation problems.

Electrics - usual problems with points ignition system. Alternator voltage regulator failed. Carb cooling fan ran, but didn't fix the vapo problems.

Heater - needed all the cables replacing.

Cooling system - all hoses needed replacing due to perishing/Radweld damage. Luckily main metal piping was OK.

Brakes - seized handbrake.

Rust. Where to begin? Headlights eventually stopped popping up as the headlight buckets rusted out. Bottom of the doors rusted so badly that the windows couldn't be operated - opening the windows effectively collapsed the door until the cables fell off their tracks. Usual rust around arches, door sills, floor, you name it.

Fuel - on hot days would sometimes simply stop altogether. Otherwise you knew that it would fail to restart for half an hour after its last run if you switched it off. Thus had to be left running for stops shorter than this! Never managed to get this sorted out.

Gearbox - usual problems. No reverse worthy of the name, could never park it facing downhill where backing out would be required. No synchros between 2/3 and 3/4, but learned to double-declutch and heel and toe expertly as a result so this ended up adding to the driving experience!

In general, there was barely a weekend went by that didn't require some sort of maintenance/fix job doing.

Despite all its many faults, on a good day you could forgive it. Why? Because it handled like a dream. Taking it up through twisty B-roads in Wales was pure joy. Its lack of power meant that it was very difficult to get yourself into any real trouble (though oversteering on a long bend at 70mph on a wet road one day certainly got the heart pumping!). Performance was adequate rather than startling - could do with 30bhp more.

Did I mention the handling? Wow.