1980 Fiat X 1/9 Diesel (!)

A late night post...

This is one of the more bizarre engine transplants I've ever seen. It also almost makes sense. Almost.

This guy dropped a 3 cylinder Caterpillar built diesel engine into a Fiat X1/9. He claims the car now gets around 70 MPG and has a top speed of 68 MPH.

I've driven a couple of X1/9s. They needed a bit more horsepower, not less. But, in an odd way this makes sense. In today's economy a car that gets 70 MPG is not a bad thing and an old Fiat X 1/9 still looks a lot better than any new hybrid.

The car itself is pretty ratty. You can see some rust (it's a Fiat) and the paint looks like it was applied with a spray can. The interior looks to be OK. (Although the shift knob looks like it came from a keg.)

This is not my type of car, but I have to give the guy a ton of credit for the idea and the engineering.

If you have some bodywork skills and don't mind the noise, vibration and smell of a diesel, this might be a pretty cool little commuter car.

Click here to see the eBay listing.

UPDATE 8/25/09 - This car is no longer listed on eBay - The seller appears to have sold it locally.