The Denver area is recovering from a heavy weekend snowfall this week, so I dug out this much sunnier photo from last spring. The shop is called Apple Motors, where they have been repairing and customizing Fiats (and Yugos) for over thirty years.
The picture focuses on a Fiat Spider and two X1/9s, a Fiat version from the mid seventies, and a Bertone variant from the mid eighties.
In retrospect, I should have walked several yards east and snapped a few close ups of the maroon sedan in the background.
I’m not sure if I missed it at the time, or felt I had nothing to say, but so far no one has written up a complete CC on this generation Quattroporte. My bad…
In contrast, both the Spider and X1/9 have a complete CC write up along with a posting highlighting an R&T comparison test, linked here:
The styling of the X1/9 grows more appealing to me every year. In the 1980’s I didn’t find a huge amount of appeal there, nowadays though, yeah.
And that Quattroporte! There was one that I’d pass on the way to my friend’s house almost every day in LA, supposedly it was the house of Larry Manetti (Rick on Magnum PI). The big Q didn’t move much but the big blocky styling did appeal to me.
I’m with you here Jim – it’s definitely a grower, even if it has had to wait a long time. I always preferred the TR7 back in the day, but the Fiat is definitely growing on me, quite quickly.
Could be tempted if there was a sound one at an affordable price
I’m another of this late persuasion.
They annoyed me for looking like a messy, square shoe back when, but I am repented. Especially in their earlier ’70’s format as here, though perhaps minus the small stepladders that US regs insisted be fitted front and rear.
Unlike you all, I loved it from the first time I saw pictures of it. Something really fresh and new for a change, and stylistically way ahead of its time.
That particular series of Quattroporte always reminds me of a BL Princess, especially from the rear 3/4.
I’ve been captivated by the Quattroporte, ever since seeing it on Road & Track’s January 1980 cover. There’s just something about a big, powerful and rare sedan that I’ve always found very alluring, and the Quattroporte just seemed to push all the right buttons for me.
I hadn’t realized that CC’s never had a full article on them… I guess next time I run across one… oh wait, that hasn’t happened in, maybe forever.
And I agree with Jim above that the X1/9 has grown on my in recent years. When they were new(ish), I was a bit puzzled by who would like them. Now, however, the X1/9 really turns my head. I’ll take mine in lime green, though!
Count me as another one whose appreciation of the X1/9 has grown over time. I was early to come to terms with the 914, but the Fiat and first-gen MR2 took me decades longer.
I had a green X1/9 in 1979, excellent handling, heavy so seemed under powered but did like to rev. I recall some quick east coast runs in Tasmania. I had it for four weeks.I didn’t keep cars long at that time.
Having lived in Denver 40 years, ’76-’16, Wheat Ridge is close enough to Arvada to go here:
https://www.cusslermuseum.com/
Dave
Now that I’m back in Denver, I plan on going over to the Cussler museum once the COVID shut down ends. He passed away last year, and history tells us these museums don’t always carry on after the passing of a founder…
Denver also has several other automotive museums as well. Here are two off the top of my head, and I’m sure there’s others.
https://shelbyamericancollection.org/
https://www.forneymuseum.org/
For those interested in a day trip up I-76 to I-80, there’s this option as well:
http://pioneervillage.com/
Shelby American in Niwot is an absolute must. Haven’t been to Forney since they moved and original is now an REI.
Dave
Count me as another fan of the X1/9. Lime green or mellow yellow please, and with an engine massaged by Midwest Bayless. They re-engined one with an Acura K20, pictured below.
Googled Apple Motors, sadly it appears they have closed. The domain name is for sale.
I frequently drive by Apple Motors, and there’s still activity.
Perhaps the owner has semi-retired and only works with the existing customer base. The shop is very small, and they built a 7-11 at the front of the property about ten years ago, but Italian models still make regular appearances out back.
As much as I dig the 124 update, I would crawl through broken glass to buy an update of the X1/9.
+1. It’s a shame Fiat couldn’t make a go of it with their return to the US. A retro X1/9 using 500 mechanicals would have been the logical next step.
All they had to do was size it up to meet safety standards.
It’s called an Alfa 4C…
Good looking and quick, but way too expensive. Think engine is bespoke. The X1/9 was affordable by the average guy.
I’d cruise on down there, but my 850 won’t start…………also, 2’ of snow…..
About thirty years ago (!) I bought something from Apple Motors. I don’t remember exactly what it was, I think it might have been a part specific to my then-daily driver Yugo GV. It must have been something unusual because I lived in Atlanta at the time, the former home of Bayless Fiat, and they didn’t have it. I think it might have been my first internet online purchase, too…
I looked for the website a while back and noticed that the domain was for sale, I figured that the owner retired. I have to imagine that the rise of the internet had to seriously dent their business model. I used to enjoy looking at the site as they would feature different workaday Italian cars for sale, sometimes with interesting modifications. My favorites that were offered from time to time were the Yugos fitted with the drivetrains from the X-1/9s. IIRC, they offered kits to do the same thing, also.
About the same time, I was looking for an ignition switch for a friend’s Yugo. Apple Motors had one in stock, but I believe the purchase price was over $150. Not an outrageous price, but pretty stiff considering a Yugo’s book value at the time.
Fortunately, there was a Fiat Strada at Colorado Auto (a junkyard & former employer of our own Daniel Stern). A Fiat/Yugo ignition switch is inside the body of the ignition lock mechanism, and by the book you need a key to disassemble the lock cylinder. The Strada had no key, so I bought the complete lock assembly for 30 or 40 bucks.
At home, I cut it open with an angle grinder. The switch element dropped right out and I got the Yugo back on the road.
That’s the one thing that died on my current (’00 Golf) car that stranded me in a Walmart parking lot (with groceries that required refrigeration of course). Didn’t have tools to open up my steering column; not sure if there’s somewhere under the hood where a starter solenoid I could have jumpered so I had to get help.
Back to the Fiat content, I always wanted an X1/9 from when they announced them in ’74, though I’d just gotten my license and was in no position to buy one. Had a couple of other cars in the interim, but before I bought my ’86 GTi, I did some looking around and (finally) got a test drive of the now Bertone X1/9. Guess I should have done it sooner, but like someone you pine over until you get to know them better, it wasn’t for me. Guess I should have known, but it was way too small for me (duh!) and wasn’t a hatchback (double duh!)…but in my mind I had discounted those shortcomings to me. I have a friend that had one (plus a 124) and he said it rode on rails (but of course living with it on a daily basis includes getting inside so you can drive it to enjoy that handling). Still I appreciated the test drive, learned a lot in a short ride. That was probably the year I tried the most cars before buying (my GTi). also drove an Alfa GTV, and (believe it of not Mazda 626 and Mitsubishi Galant. Realize they are quite different but in a way to this day they showed me what I like and what I don’t, to the extent that I’ve gone all the other way and don’t do any test drives anymore, which isn’t good, since although I know what I like and don’t, my needs have changed a bit, so I’m not well served by predeciding what I should get. Part of that though isn’t up to me, my body style of choice is disappearing (hatchback) though still a few offered, each one has some aspect I don’t care for; before there were more choices so had easier time picking which matched what I wanted best.
Ooo, the 850 in the previous append…..I’m a bit too young to have had one, plus it is even smaller than the X1/9….but our next door neighbor in Virginia had one in 1972. He was a pretty tall guy, an airline pilot, not sure how he fit into it but of course like everyone he was a lot younger back then (probably in his late 80’s now….they moved away, we moved away….but I still liked them, even though….in retrospect, I’m sure it wouldn’t be for me (as much as I enjoyed my ’78 Scirocco at the time, I’m sure today I wouldn’t like the ingress/egress anymore).
Love the Quattroporte better than either duoporte here. It’s a pile of excess, a wide shoulder-padded ’80’s suit, a roary V8 and many cows of leather squashily installed. What a way to go (or not).
It would be a 10 except for the bad habits of Italian carrosseriers: Guigiaro later sold the design for an nasty early Hyundai, to the inevitable detriment of the former.
I drive past here almost every day. I’ve been curious about the lack of activity there lately. The two or three Fiats I used to see on local streets are absent. And in the other big blow to neighborhood quirkiness, there used to be an 18th century heavyweight railroad car parked in a side yard one block to the north. Now it’s gone too.