17 minute read
TWIN TEST FIAT X1/9 v MG MIDGET
LIVING WITH THEM
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There’s a reason that the MG Midget is one of Britain’s most popular classics, and it’s not simply that so many of them were made. It’s that as well as being cheap, entertaining and simple, almost everything you might need is still available. Granted they’re £11,640, but Moss Europe will sell you a brand new bodyshell for your Midget 1500, and £2364 will get you a brand new engine from the same supplier. Trim is easy to come by and easy to upgrade, and pretty much every suspension component can be had too.
You can’t buy brand new polyurethane bumpers, but you can get round this either by converting to chrome or by buying used bumpers from someone doing the same.
Meanwhile, a service kit will cost about £45 from Rimmer Brothers. The Midget is almost as cheap as walking, and you’ll get well over 30mpg if it’s in fine fettle too. As long as you keep an eye out for corrosion – primarily in the floorpan, front wings and A-posts – you should find Midget ownership cheap and cheerful.
echoes those used in the 328 and Mondial series. For larger drivers, the Fiat is less than ideal – if you’re over about 5’9” and more than about 11 stone it’s going to take you a long time to get comfortable, though it is possible for an overweight six footer to squeeze himself behind the wheel with sufficient time and determination! Once you’re ensconced, there’s no denying that it’s tight, but then the Midget is hardly blessed with Espace levels of room either. And the smaller the car, the more connected you feel to the overall driving experience.
On the road, it feels every inch the way it looks. There’s something uniquely willing about Italian engines, and the one in this X1/9 is no exception revving away right behind your ears, with well chosen gear ratios keeping it spinning perfectly in its power band. The steering isn’t quite so aggressive as that of the MG, but in all seriousness that’s a good thing given this car’s short and mid engined layout – there would be a real risk that with pin sharp steering it would require more than the average amount of skill to keep it on the road. And the joy of the X1/9 is that it brings the sensation of midengined exotica down to an affordable and drivable level for so many. That’s not to say that the X1/9 is vague; far from it – but it’s forgiving enough to flatter the average driver without feeling like it falls short for the more talented enthusiast.
If you have big feet you’ll need to drive barefoot – much over a size 9 and those dainty little pedals will be too close together. It offers something very different to the Midget – where that car feels like a small sports car, the X1/9 feels like a supercar that’s been shrunk in the wash.
Pageant Blue paintwork and Rostyle rims give the Midget a perfect ’70s vibe
The Fiat however is a different story. For a start, there are far fewer of them in the UK and accordingly far fewer for sale at any given time, giving you far less choice when it comes to finding the right car. Then there’s the scarcity of trim items and bodywork, unless you’re prepared to salvage items from donor cars. Even specialists find such items hard to get, with X1/9 Spares – Britain’s biggest and best supplier for these cars – listing just four items in the bodywork category when we looked. Service kits sourced via eBay can also cost up to £150, depending upon the level of service you want to give the car.
There’s less access to the engine bay too, owing to its central layout – but the X1/9 is far from being a dealer-only prospect. The mechanicals are simple and derived from Fiat’s 128 family car, so there’s nothing especially complex – the engine was also used into the 1990s by Fiat and Yugo, so parts shouldn’t be too difficult to come by. There is also a thriving owners club to offer support.
The Fiat is similarly priced to the MG today – with good examples of both selling for between £5000-£10,000, and exceptional examples adding 50%. This makes the Fiat a better value proposition – not only was it pricier new, but its rarity means that values are more likely to rise in comparison with those of the MGs as time passes. If you can deal with the difficulties of ownership it makes by far the better potential investment.
VERDICT
The obvious thing to take away from this is that when new these cars did not make for natural competition. Even if the MG buyer could have appreciated the Fiat’s mid engined layout, there was the stumbling block of price – the Fiat cost over half as much again in 1978, and British buyers would have found the larger engine and simpler maintenance of the Triumph TR7 more appealing.
But the enthusiast of today has good reason for looking at the Fiat – today it offers better value than the MG, and there’s no denying that it’s a far more coherent package overall than the Midget was by the time it gained a Triumph engine and rubber trimmings. To drive, too, it’s better – as you would expect from its more advanced layout and the fact that eleven years had passed between the launches of both cars. It’s a more modern machine, even if it’s one of the few cars in the world that can make an MG Midget look like the more appealing prospect for someone on the larger side.
The MG makes considerable gains in terms of its usability and ease of ownership in old age; there are scores of MG specialists and parts suppliers.
By comparison, there are just a handful of people catering to the X1/9, and much of what you can still get will be in the form of used parts. X1/9 Spares offers a wide array of new bits, though – this is arguably one of the best-supported Italian cars you can run in Britain, but will still be a more complex ownership prospect than the MG.
So it comes down to a simple question. Do you prefer a classic sports car that offers more driver engagement but with the prospect of a tricky time sourcing parts? Or would you rather have a low-maintenance and easy to care for classic that gives a little away in terms of how it drives? We’d choose the fun little Fiat – but if you think the MG makes for a better compromise, we’d understand entirely. CCM
With thanks to Halls Garage (www.hallsgarage.co.uk ) for the loan of the MG and to Great Driving Days (www.greatdrivingdays.co.uk) for the X1/9 which can be hired from as little as £49 for a taster.
Email - ctpdwc@aol.com Tel: 01435 863800
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1993 Mercedes E220. In white with blue leather and blue mohair hood, this is a well-kept and maintained example with many old MOT’s and receipts for works carried out. Original owners’ manuals and service booklet with a total of 19 stamps Mercedes Benz and specialist .............................................................£10,950 1998 Camaro Z28 5.7 V8. In stunning red with black leather and hood, unmolested US imported vehicle (not from japan) Superb condition all round and drives like a true muscle car should. Great vehicle for the seasoned American enthusiast and people taking there fi rst steps into the American scene .......................................£8,750 2006 Bentley Continental GT. Silver lake blue metallic and Ivory leather. Exceptionally low mileage of only 29,000 with service history. Mulliner wheels, gear selector, pedals, and diamond stitch embossed seats and all the usual Bentley refi nements. hese GTs are looking superb value for money ..................................... £29,500 2000 Corvette C5 5.7 V8. Classic Torch red with black leather in superb condition. 6 speed manual car that is awesome to look at and drive. Removable roof panel and jaw-dropping chrome wheels. This is an exciting car that has the driver engaged in an instance. Aftermarket exhaust that lets you hear the V8 roar ................ £12,750
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