Do you remember your first time?

No not that first time!
I mean the first time you sat in or drove an X1/9.
Perhaps your friend had one and gave you a lift one day?
Maybe you stumbled across one for sale and brought it on the spur of the moment because the sun was shining?
Or was it that you always liked the look of the car and couldnt resist the offer of a test drive from a dealer who saw you admiring its lines on the forecourt!
Looking forward to hearing how your passion for our favourite Fiat started.
Bye for now
Chris.

Oh the memories...

I'd always liked the look of them and saw one sitting on the forecourt of a Citroen garage where I'd gone to buy parts; £800, three owners, 45k miles, service history, 14 years old at the time.

Went home - it played on my mind and wouldn't go away... went back with (now ex!) wife for approval.

It wouldn't start. Auto choke issues...

The seller gave me £5 for fuel to go out on a run, and set me free. Drove to filling station, the fuel filler spat back and sprayed fuel over me.



Fell in love... perky engine, great handling, quirky - in a great way!

Offered £650. Accepted. Still got it 10 years later.

I was about 18 years old and craved one. Had to get a years no claims first in my Allegro ( :roll: ) to bring the cost of insurance down. There was a blue 1300, a cherry red and a rusted silver 1500 in my neighbourhood , so I used to drive around catching glimpses of them in a 'circuit'.
I finally picked up XFC from Badsey near Evesham for £1450, it was scabby with split cream vinyl seats and the auto choke was also broke and until I replaced with a manual cable choke, the only way it would start would be to remove the air filter lid and flick the choke flap shut. It would self adjust to fully open when warm .. hence I changed the original filter lid nuts to big wing nuts for ease.
I had the car about a month running with dodgy tyres and suffice to say stuffed it into a female learner driver (in a blue Allegro) attempting an emergency stop (from hitting said Allegro!!). I wrote a short poem about my woes which appeared in issue 17 (I think) of the Owners mag. entitled 'Broken Exxy'.....aah the memories