Its A Barn Find GEM!

Well after some time looking around and researching I have found one! I am finally a Fiat X19 owner. :lol:

I have to say thank you to the guys up at the NEC show because that’s where I found the details of the gentle man looking to sell. After contacting him we sorted a date, luckily we were already heading off on a road trip to pick up my dad’s custom made Kawasaki KH400 which he had sent up to Harrogate to be tuned, so it was the perfect time to stop of on route in Banbury and inspect a car. For those of you that don’t know I’m from Portsmouth so we had a very long drive that day.

I had been expecting a rusty heap of an x19 and didn’t have very high expectations but when he opened that old barn door I was shocked to find a well preserved beauty sitting there, if a bit dusty. I was very eager to have a look around.
She is a 1982 x19 with 80,000 on the clock and in rather good nick since she has been stored in a barn for 15 years.



Excuse all the dust and dirt but that’s all it is, apart from the light cosmetic rusting which is expected as she hasn’t been out of her resting place for 15 years. She is a very good find. We spent a good while (me and my dad) crawling all over her getting covered in dust and cobwebs to make sure we looked in every nook and cranny. And even my dad who is quite the problem finder when it comes to cars was surprised at how good it was.






Right the nitty gritty here we go, main bad points.
- Small fist size rust patch in the front boot area, it’s on what looks like just a side plate nothing really structural.
- Dusty
- Dirty
- Rear wheel arches had some rust in.
- Under seal peeling off.
- Driver’s seat had a small seam detachment.
- The cable to the engine hood didn’t work (couldn’t get a look at the engine anyone know how to get in with out the handle working?. :pinch: )
- Obviously it’s been sat still for 15 years so she didn’t run or have any life in the battery.
That is all we could find problem wise.
Apart from that we couldn’t find much more but we know there will always be surprises when she starts being stripped down.

The Good Points.
- Body work seems solid, bar the points I have already said.
- The roof is in REALLY good condition
- Only two previous owners (so hopefully no hidden nasty repairs)
And most importantly she is MINE!!!

The car set me back £250, I will be picking her up next Saturday and I cannot wait so excited. :woohoo:

I will keep everyone updated with pictures and questions as my project goes along but I really cannot wait to get it started now. I had the biggest grin on my face all day and then as if it was fate I picked up the issue of auto Italia at a service station to see the green machine in there, must have been fate. I don’t think I will get bored of saying my first car is an 1.5L mid-engine convertible Italian sports car style by Bertone :woohoo: