When the X1/9 was designed, Fiat thought the US safety requirements were going to be a 70 km/h (44 mph) head on impact and a 120km/h (75 mph) roll over. The X1/9 and another car, which I can't recall right now (I think it was Rover 3500 but some say the Volvo 240?) were the only cars to be built to that standard. It's one of the reasons the car was a lot heavier than it would have normally been (a little trivia is Italian cars are typically heavier than the competition back then and used welded on front fenders for safety and strength). By the way, it is said no American car passed the test, so the government lowered the standard.
If you have ever seen the Mythbuster episode where they crash two tractor trailers into the X1/9, you'll see the car's passenger compartment remains surprisingly intact.
In fact, when I was a kid, my dad's 124 sedan was rear ended on the highway by a drunk driving a brand new '74 X1/9. I was in the back seat of my dad's car. The speedo on the X1/9 got frozen and jammed by the impact at 60mph. Nobody in our 124 was injured other than my grandfather who had mild whiplash. The driver of the X1/9 had a scratch on his head and was walking around. That's a big reason I've been a Fiat fan since the early 70s. If I were in a VW or Japanese car I'd be dead.
There is a lot more than meets the eyes with these old Fiats.
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will be great conversation when I have to listen to the usual "I could never drive one of those - too small and unsafe".
Originally Posted by tvmaster
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