Market Watch: Fiat Sports Cars
For reasons best-known to the people who built Fiats for Australia, the open-topped cars that sold so well in Europe were never made in right-hand drive for sale here.
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What we did see from 1965 was the rear-engined 850 coupe, then three years later the elegant and sophisticated 124 AC Coupe.
Moving into the 1970s the 124 coupe became available in BC and the CC versions, acquiring progressively bigger engines but also a four-headlight restyle that spoilt the simplicity of the original AC.
These were a comfortable sporty coupe with space in the rear for younger children and a decent boot. If you can find one today with a body that isn’t a patchwork quilt of rust repairs they still offer fun with enough practicality for regular use.
Tracing its roots and basic shape back to 1959, the 124 Spider convertible sat on a shortened 124S platform. It used the same engine for most of its lifetime as the coupes, and was available to Europe and the USA. Not, though, to right-hand drive markets including Britain, Australia and most of SE Asia.
Plenty of 124 Spiders did come here as private and dealer imports and were easily RHD converted using coupe parts.
The sporty Fiat we did get in RHD and which seems to have sold here in significant quantities was the mid-engined X/19.
Characterised by a lift-off roof panel, these appeared in 1978 with a 1.3-litre engine and four-speed manual. Top speed was only 170km/h but the X1/9 was still a fast car as rarely did a decent driver need to brake for a bend.
Three years later and accompanied by an extended nose came a 1.5-litre version, with 63kW against the original’s 56kW and a five-speed manual.
None of these sporty Fiats are especially easy to find in the current market. They seem to be a model that dealers ignore and rarely get to auction.
When they do, the prices rarely meet vendor expectations. During 2023, an early X1/9 scraped past $11,000 then just days into 2024, a decent looking 124 Spyder missed its reserve despite a bid of $19,500.
Private owners when advertising similar cars will be looking for around $30,000, while a late X/19 in excellent condition could reach $20,000. Coupes except the unloved BC version, cost slightly more.
HOW THE PRICES MOVED
| MODEL | YEARS | COND 3 | COND 2 | COND 1 |
| 2010 | ||||
| 124S AC Coupe | 1968-70 | $2000 | $6000 | $9500 |
| 124S BC Coupe | 1971-73 | $1800 | $5000 | $8500 |
| 124S CC Coupe | 1973-76 | $2200 | $5500 | $9000 |
| 124S Spider Convertible | 1970-75 | $7500 | $14,500 | $20,000 |
| 124S Spider Convertible | 1976-82 | $8500 | $15,500 | $21,500 |
| X1/9 1.3 Litre | 1978-81 | $1500 | $4800 | $7500 |
| X1/9 1.5 Litre | 1981-83 | $1800 | $5500 | $8200 |
| 2015 | ||||
| 124S AC Coupe | 1968-70 | $2000 | $7000 | $11,500 |
| 124S BC Coupe | 1971-73 | $1800 | $6500 | $10,000 |
| 124S CC Coupe | 1973-76 | $2200 | $7000 | $11,500 |
| 124S Spider Convertible | 1970-75 | $7500 | $14,500 | $20,000 |
| 124S Spider Convertible | 1976-82 | $8500 | $15,500 | $21,500 |
| X1/9 1.3 Litre | 1978-81 | $1500 | $4800 | $7500 |
| X1/9 1.5 Litre | 1981-83 | $1800 | $5500 | $8200 |
| 2021 | ||||
| 124S Coupe | 1968-78 | $3000 | $11,000 | $19,500 |
| 124S Spider | 1968-82 | $6500 | $16,500 | $25,000 |
| X1/9 1.3/1.5 Litre | 1978-89 | $2800 | $8500 | $14,000 |
| 2023 | ||||
| 124S Coupe | 1968-78 | $4500 | $15,500 | $24,500 |
| 124S Spider | 1968-82 | $8000 | $19,000 | $29,500 |
| X1/9 1.3 | 1978-81 | $3500 | $11,500 | $19,500 |
| X1/9 1.5/Bertone | 1981-89 | $4500 | $14,000 | $22,500 |
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