[DesertPilot]

In one of those 'this-doesn't-happen-every-day' moments, I ended up parking the
Spyder next to... a Fiat X1/9 yesterday. What a contrast! And did that ever bring
back memories, most of them annoying. The ever-slipping timing belt... those
12 hours of wrenching just to replace a head gasket... the misaligned rear end...
the cockpit flooded by a broken heater hose... those Insta-Worn valve guides... all
those burnt-out relays and fuses... the pride and confidence provided by an engine
with well over 2 hp and 3 foot-lbs of torque!

I'm curious: how many other people on Spyderchat once owned one of those...
well... I'd hesitate to call my old X1/9 a 'car', it was more of a 'car-like object'?

 

[kaustein]

Key word is Fiat,

Fix
It
Again
Tony!

 

[kaustein]

I thought you were talking about this car!

 

[blahpony]

My first thought was "Wow, I just saw a Fiero today".

 

[DaSpyda]

I drove an 850 Spider back in 78...that was my first mid-engined Spider.

 

[dblazer]

A 1974 MG Midget was my introduction to the wonders of European sports cars.

Lucas, the Prince of Darkness. My cousin had a 1964 TR4-A that was even worse.

I had a 1974 Fiat 124 sedan too. I think it was faster, handled at least as well as the MG and had great brakes.

Both were big fun.

 

[justyourfool]

I drove an 850 Spider back in 78...that was my first mid-engined Spider.

It was rear-engined not mid-engined.

I thought you were talking about this car!

And I thought he meant this.

 

[TheWiredPenguin]

I had two fiat x1/9's, I loved the handling but the car was a POS, I remember the plastic mount for the throttle cable was mounted to the engine and it melted. Terribly designed car. I loved the way they looked and took curves though. Not recommended for driving in the snow.

The Ferrari and the BMW are at least beautiful cars you can enjoy looking at when they are sitting there broken :lol:

 

[DesertPilot]

I had two fiat x1/9's, I loved the handling but the car was a POS, I remember the plastic mount for the throttle cable was mounted to the engine and it melted.

You too, huh? I'd forgotten about that bit until you reminded me

A 1974 MG Midget was my introduction to the wonders of European sports cars.

Lucas, the Prince of Darkness. My cousin had a 1964 TR4-A that was even worse.

I had a 1974 Fiat 124 sedan too. I think it was faster, handled at least as well as the MG and had great brakes.

Both were big fun.

MG's rule! My first 2-seater was a 1964 MGB with oversized pistons and the head milled down so far it would only run on 96 octane. Which you could get at Sunoco back in those days. I carried an SU tool, 6 quarts of oil, and valve spring compressor in the trunk, adjusted the carbs and timing every week, and always had enough tools along to pull the head and grind in a new set of valves -- I saved the old burnt-out ones in a row on my shelf as souvenirs. I loved that car! Until someone ran a stop sign and took the poor thing out.

The 'B was followed by a 1976 TR-7 (ick), the X1/9 (argh!), the indestructible 1980 TR-8 I used as an off-road vehicle for more years and miles than anyone will believe, a late 1st-gen RX-7 (fun!), a TR-8 (even more fun, except for that adventure with the broken tie-rod lever, and that exciting morning the fuel pump cracked and sprayed gas all over the exhaust system), and a 2000 Miata, along with a convertible VW bug, several motorcycles, and half a dozen or so hang glider trucks. But this 2001 Spyder may be the best of the lot. Needless to say, I hope to take good care of her.

 

[pz93c]

Another X1/9 owner here.

But the mid engine bug goes back to pop and his 914.

Loved that little car.

 

[SDSUsnowboards]

I thought you were talking about this car!

I typically dislike old cars. That, however, is HOT.

 

[pz93c]

Yeah, that Dino is a fantastic looking car.

 

[kaustein]

I drove an 850 Spider back in 78...that was my first mid-engined Spider.

HEY ME TOO! I had a the style that preceded it, without the slated lens cover. Car was slow and a piece of crap. But did look cool!

 

[DaveSchott]

I typically dislike old cars. That, however, is HOT.

Dinos were unloved because they were only v-6's, bastard children of the marque. They could be picked up fairly cheap 30 years ago. Sigh.

 

[AgSpyder]

Dinos aka Baby Ferraris

 

[LittleRocket]

Tis the bastard chile. Doesn't have a F car badge on it any where. Did a resto on one when I worked for Ferrari. The lines are gorgeous but the motor is just wrong for a Ferrari.

 

[AgSpyder]

Tis the bastard chile. Doesn't have a F car badge on it any where. Did a resto on one when I worked for Ferrari. The lines are gorgeous but the motor is just wrong for a Ferrari.

But would you turn one down? Didn't Pininfarina do the body design on the Kharmann Ghia? Story goes that Enzo felt the midengined design was ok for racing but unsafe for the street with less experienced drivers. He finally relented with the understanding that the car only be built with a 6 cylinder, not a 12 that the other Ferrari's had. Pininfarina then had Ferraris permission to design the Dino. Beautiful lines, sexy. The Ferrari 458 Italia reminds me of the Dino in style.

 

[kaustein]

Dinos were unloved because they were only v-6's, bastard children of the marque. They could be picked up fairly cheap 30 years ago. Sigh.

The owner said his was worth about 250k. Car was in perfect condition.

 

[DesertPilot]

All this talk about Fieros and Dinos prompted me to poke around Wikipedia in search of some numbers. Here is what I discovered:

Fiero 2M6
length: 165"
width: 69"
height: 46.9"
wheelbase: 93.4"
curb weight: 2,590-2,790 lb
engine: 60-degree OHV FI cast-iron V6
disp: 2.8L
output: 140hp/170ft-lb
trans: 5-spd manual

Dino 246 GT (US version)
length: 166.25"
width: 67"
height: 45"
wheelbase: 92.5"
curb weight: 2,380 lb
engine: 65-degree DOHC carburetted cast-iron V6
disp: 2.4L
output: 175 hp/150ft-lb (I'm guessing on the torque)
trans: 5-spd manual

Pretty close, eh? The conclusion is obvious: the Dino is a copy of the Fiero! Those Italians must have had a few spies poking around General Motors so they could get their car into production first

 

[dblazer]

The Dino was a great car, only American "I need a bigger engine" bullshit gets in the way of full appreciation.

In about 1982 a guy had one of the last years in red with the targa top, magnesium wheels and tan leather interior with red piping for sale @ $30,000 during the Historics at Sears Point, which might as well have been $3,000,000 for me at the time, working in a motorcycle shop for $7 an hour. But it was a thing of beauty. The torque was pretty good, 166 lb/ft and power was 195 hp on the GTS. And they were badged as Ferrari cars.

Upon further consideration I should have robbed a bank. Or two.

Cylinders V 6 in 65° vee
Capacity 2.4 litre
2419 cc (147.616 cu in)
Bore × Stroke 92.5 × 60 mm 3.64 × 2.36 in Bore/stroke ratio 1.54
Valve gear DOHC 2 valves per cylinder 12 Total valves
maximum power output (DIN) 197.7 PS (195 bhp) (145.4 kW) at 7600 rpm
Specific output (DIN) 80.6 bhp/litre 1.32 bhp/cu in
maximum torque (DIN) 225 Nm (166 ft·lb) (22.9 kgm) at 5500 rpm