A brand new X1/9? read more about Honda's 3 mid engine cars

I am a little leery of posting this, as we've all seen hopes for a new X1/9 "someday".

I've added 1+1 and come up with not two, but 9 . Here they are:

Mazda and Fiat worked together to come up with a new Fiat 124 Spider (and perhaps coupe). Fiat is not opposed to partnerships and I wonder if the 124 Spider is successful, would a new X1/9 be the next logical choice?

Honda is now developing a trio of mid engine sports cars (http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2015/04/honda-plots-trio-of-mid-engine-sports-cars-report.html) and I wonder if Fiat might be amenable to working with Honda as a partner (and the new mid engine version of the new S2000) to do a new X1/9.

Does anyone think a social media campaign might help? Anyone have contacts within Fiat that would be open to persuasion?

Fiats should be Italian

I'm not totally enthusiastic about the Fiat / Mazda connection .
I don't agree with Sergio Marchione on a lot of things ,but his Alfa's need to be Italian edict makes sense , I believe that Fiats should be as well
A new X 1/9 would be a dream come true and I'm sure Fiat brass could make a business case for it .
We can only dream

as far as the Honda connection - I would rather drive a 30 yr old Fiat or VW than a brand new Honda , MHO

Ya know Jim, et al... I LOVE my X1/9... but...

never really cared for any other Fiat... old or new.

I mean I appreciate them and all and Sergio is one hell of a business man... but even if Fiat/Chrysler came out with a new mid-engine roadster... I would still prefer my classic over any and all others.

There is just nothing like it, and never will be again, and I think, (Greg please correct me if I am wrong...) the only Bertone-bodied Fiat there is.

(My favorite Ferrari is a Bertone-bodied 308GT4 as well!)

Where have I seen lines like this before?



Lots of room for friends and family in the back too! (Ha!)

Tony, I'm sort of with you. Modern Fiats do nothing for me although I do have a soft-spot for other older models such as the 500, Dino and my Mum's 850 sedan which might help to explain in part my interest in classic rear-engine Fiats.

So, whilst I love my X1/9, I don't really have much interest in a modern equivalent. It would never capture the spirit of the original. I'd rather manufacturers concentrated on developing modern products to meet current demands (after all that's what Fiat did when they developed the X1/9 originally). I think new models which trade on the past are an easy/lazy option. Much as I like the new 500 it doesn't really represent progress and when manufacturers start to develop new models based on their past how do they then develop those models? Where do you go with a new beetle/mini/even Porsche 911? In my mind they can only ever become more and more a pastiche of their former selves and increasingly divorced from their original concept.

I'm heading to Italy in June and as part of that I will be renting an original 500 and driving around Rome...it's going to be a highlight and I can't wait!

I guess that makes TWO of us on this planet... HA!

Yep, yep, yep on all counts and I agree... an original 500 in Rome will like Chianti and Pasta...

Perfecto!

I would love a modern Fiat X1/9. Unfortunately there isn't a chance of us ever seeing one unless they paired up with another maker like they did with the 124 Spider.

Personally there have been a wide variety of cars Fiat has made that I find tremendously appealing and desirable. I own three of the ones I most desire, but there still a few more I would love to acquire...

Unfortunately mid engine entry level sports cars besides the X and early MR2 haven't done well in the market. They are niche vehicles due to the unfamiliarity most buyers have with that platform, inherent compromises in servicing, luggage and interior space. In looking at the Honda one can see many of those issues in spades.

I think an X replacement would have made more sense in many ways as a modern X could be derived from current production Fiats. The problem is the 124 Spider is the more iconic sports car Fiat produced and the number of survivors attests to that.

That Mazda was willing to accept a development partner is the only reason there is going to be a new Fiat sports car at all. In the past nearly every Fiat sports car was developed in large measure by outside companies: Bertone, Pinninfarina etc. Developing a modern platform would likely have been beyond Fiat's resources given how stretched they are by purchasing Chrysler.

The new 124 will be nothing like the old 124, it will be a Miata which is an excellent car but will definitely appeal more to a younger crowd than current 124 owners. Oddly it will likely be more appealing for the X crowd as it will be a car much more like our cars (driving an older Miata is much like driving a slightly more powerful X, you definitely need to drive it), the interior will be tight spacewise and the handling very sharp compared than to the laid back feel of a 124 Spider of yore.

Would I buy a new Abarth engined targa topped mid engine sports car, hell yes!

Bertone FIATs

Fiat 850 Convertible was also Bertone bodied.

What Fiat really needs to do is hire a true Italian coach-builder like they have done in the past. Bertone is gone so perhaps Pininfarina can be hired. Then, put the design (X1/9 or 128 replacement) into production. Sell it trough the global Fiat dealer network. They will have success.

The joint venture with Mazda will not work. You will just get a basic Mazda Miata lacking any passion whatsoever.