Where was the plant where the X1/9 was assembled?

myronx19

True Classic
Hi all,

I'll be in Gruliasco, Italy in the next few days and would love to drive by the "birth place" of my baby while I'm there :) I guess Fiat took it over, but I'm more interested in knowing exactly where it is (street, etc..)

I'm sure Greg would know!!
 
Turin

At least later in the production cycle as in post 1981 they were manufactured at Bertone's facility in Turin. I visited there in 1985.
 
Hmm, ok my car is an '82. Gruliasco is a suburb of Torino, so they moved assembly? Interesting.

I couldn't find much online regarding the build location.
 
All of the bodies were built at the same factory throughout all production. Before Bertone took on final assembly at their plant, the finished shells were shipped to the Fiat factory for installation of suspension and driveline.

After Fiat gave up on the US market, Fiat shipped the drivelines to Bertone and the cars were done completely at the Bertone factory.

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Lucky you!!

Just set the GPS for Viale Nuccio Bertone (Avenue)..:italia:
make sure to stop for a photo under the conveyor system bridge.:)

Remember the old Bertone factory is now the updated & renewed Maserati plant so that is the addy on the biz card Karl posted.
Corso Canonico Giuseppe Allamano, 44, 10078 Grugliasco TO, Italy

The FIAT factory in Lingotto is only 20 minutes away!
Auditorium Giovanni Agnelli
Centro Congressi Lingotto, Via Nizza, 280, 10126 Torino, Italy

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Sweet, thanks Greg.. The bridge is pretty cool, I'll have to check it out.

I'm there on business, and I hope I get a chance to check out a few things.

Is there still a Bertone museum, or it's gone now? I googled it, but there is no recent information - and I guess the collection has been sold off :(
 
Been discussed many times before Myron,

Nice to see you will make a pass when your are nearby. Was doing a bit of Maserati and a little shabby when I saw it a long time ago [FONT=&quot], yes Fiat took it over.

[/FONT] Your keyword searches should include Grugliasco & Lingotto where they were delivered to Fiat where their bare bodies were fitted out. Yes I know pre and post Fiat assy' same say ,make it a Bertone. But there was a thread where we agreed to disagree. To me the two major parts make up the magic - like a good martini.

If you are truly going to encompass the origins of your 82' then the factory Fiat built especially for the 128 North of Turin in Rivalta needs to be on your list. That’s were most of the suspension and powertrain came from IIRC. Many of us wish that there were better powertrain options available but simple fact is that Carrozzeria Bertone was not a fully fledged manufacturer capable of this. Fiat shipped them from Rivalta.

So if you want to get close to the soul of your Fiat and to be true to the core of your quest make a booking for an overnight stay at the Hotel that now resides within Fiats old factory. Lingotto is a district of Turin but the building is known as the NH Torino Lingotto Tech (Pollytechnic). It occupies a small part of the old factory. A quick trip across the river to the Museo Dell' Automibile Torino is worth squeezing in (but time you will never have enough to see everything). It would be a shame if you didn't try though. It’s a "short walk" by ask the hotel staff for 'free city travel pass' they often have this available (but not always) you can use the metro station (walking distance) and buses. Some good photos of your Fiat will perhaps help overcome the accent you will bring with you.

http://googlesightseeing.com/maps?p=1479&c=&t=k&hl=en&ll=45.031993,7.665474&z=17

FWIW I came back some time ago from a strafing speed pass a bit further North to Panigale to do the same thing you are planning for another Italian stallion I am privileged to be in the company of. Time well spent 'just do it'.

There is a lot of pain and chaos NE of Rome right now, avoid the region.

PS

Karl


After Fiat gave up on the US market, Fiat shipped the drivelines to Bertone and the cars were done completely at the Bertone factory.

Need a bigger world view perhaps, Fiat didnt just give up. America’s protectionist industrial foreign policy / culture combined with dwindling sales due to the age of the design (competition copying the design) and most importantly the long held off closure of the Lingotto were by a long measure more pressing factors.


Best regards


Sandy
 
Hi Greg & guys,

So I did make it out to the old Bertone plant. Unfortunately, the faded "Bertone" part on the bridge has been refaced.




the other side:






Then I went to Lingotto - but I didn't get on the roof - so question, my car is a 1982, built in late 1981. So would my car have gone through Lingotto? Are there any pics of the powertrain assembly and final vehicle testing of the X1/9 at Lingotto?? Did they use the top test track for the X1/9? I read that 1982-up were tested at Bertone as the final assembly was done there of course.




We stayed at an NH hotel, but not at Lingotto.












I didn't have a lot of time to look around, but I hope to on my next trip there. I only had one night and then was off to Barcelona (it was a work trip, life is rough!! ha! :)

It was very special for me to be where my car was made :) I was working right around the corner in Grugliasco, almost walking distance from Bertone!

Cheers!! Thanks for all the info to everyone who followed up in this thread. Heh, the security guard at Maserati wasn't too keen with me taking pics though, he started yelling (and hand gesturing) in Italian. :)
 
Great memories Myron

Brings back a few of my own too. My wife & I did a guided tour of Italy a few years back. It was before the introduction of the new Fiat 500. We were looking for Fiat models but never saw a single X1/9. :(
Italy is a great place to visit and live. I'd like to go back there again someday.

Thanks for sharing!
 
Maserati factory visit

Myron,
I visited the Maserati Factory at Grugliasco in July 2013 (it was opened in February). They wouldn't let us take ANY photos while inside - even in their reception area where they had a finished Quattroporte which we were at least allowed to sit in. A bit weird they don't like photos taken from the street.

It was a similar story inside the Abarth factory, but at least we were allowed to take photos in the reception area and the displayed cars there - as well as inside a recreation of Carlo's office.

As for the old Lingotto plant... it's HUGE isn't it? The shopping mall inside it seems to go on forever and I never did make it all the way to the southern end. We did make it all the way around up on the rooftop track though, because if you stay at the NH Lingotto Hotel, you can borrow a key from reception to go up there. This is because guests use it as a jogging track. You can see one of these keen people in this photo of me and my mate Alan.
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Here's some others taken at Lingotto. The banking is pretty steep!
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Sandy was wrong when he said the Museo Nazionale Dell' Automobile is "across the river". It is on the same side of the river as Lingotto and only a 10 minute walk away. Best car museum I have ever seen. Fiat's own museum "Centro Storico" in it's first factory on Corso Dante is also worth seeing, but in the 3 visits I have made there, I don't recall seeing an X1/9. They do change the displays around occasionally - maybe I was just unlucky.

By the way, I never realised it until my 2013 trip, but Lingotto means ingot in English.
 
I'm sure the security guard was just trying to tell you...

if you handed him the camera he would take some more pictures of you...

Quite a trip!
 
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