European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 22, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday january 22, 19b7 the stars and stripes Page 13 car. Corner sparkling clean the Bart to xl/9 is shown at left before hurting us Winter  at the finish righting enjoyed Snow King convertible in summer Strong in Winter Bertone xt/9 a classic in own time although it occurs rarely a few can become classics while icy continue in production the porsche 911frnm Germany is one example and the Alfa Romeo spider and fial xi/9 now Bertone xi/9 from Nlaly Are two others. All three of these cars classics in their own Lime. The 91 first went into production in 1963 and is still going Strong the Alia Romeo spider convertible armed on the scene in 1967, and the Fiat xi/9 made its Schui in 1973 and comines in demand today As the a conc x1/9. The xi/9 Model was originally styled by Mcnone of Lily and it is marketed by Herton i Day in Bott . Arid euro Pean specifications. We did our first test report on the xi/9 for Cor Corner in May of 1976, followed by another in september of 1979 when the xl/9 received a new 1.5 liver engine from the fial Ritmo Strada. The original series car was powered by a 1.3-Jitcr engine from the Fiat 128. We drove the xi/9 in both cases during warm months and had Garcal fun with the Larga roof removed and stored under the Hood. Our third test Outing in an x1/9, this Lime in a 1987 Bertone Model with . Specifications came Las week during some extremely frigid weather and this inc we left the roof in place and ran the Heaters full Blasl. Despite he severe cold and Snow we had a few Days when the roads were dry and the car proved As much fun As Ever cornering Flat and making the Driver feel practically connected o the Road. The Little two seater also hit 107 Mph on the autobahn so while not an extremely fast sports car it s no Slouch either. On ice and Snow this rear a Eccl drive car proved surprisingly stable and we never encountered a problem except far the window Washer fluid which blocked Side viewing when the fluid dried out and became opaque. Some Quick paper Towel work was necessary then. Although left outside overnight it was so cold in the morning that even the scat balls squeaked when reeled out the engine started at the first turn of the key. The Lesl car was winterized and Bra vely provided by Jerry Moses Man aging director of the Moses motor car Agency Wiesbaden and the exclusive importer of .-spccification Bertone cars and european specification Polo Nycz models As most car fans know the mid engine two seater xl/9 was patterned after the 246 Dino Ferrari and it s been called a mass production baby Ferrari and mint Ferrari since its first Day on the Road. Although the xi/9 arrived on the Market in 1973. It has been updated each year and its specifications arc thoroughly modern. New for 1987 is a rear spoiler that looks Good on this Little the 1liter engine produces 75 horse Power. Slip two leather wrapped steering wheel ids off sports Motif. Is Pitolo car. Wider tires is3 radial Pirelli on 13-Inch rims tires were formerly 165sand a redesigned Interior. Over the years the xl/9 has become famous for us handling and Road hold ing abilities. In our 1979 report we wrote with mid engine configuration you expect perfect balance in a sports car and in the xl/9, you gel it. In is one of the most nimble cars we be Ever driven and if you truly make an Effort to zip up and Down he Back roads and around the hairpin turns you can Al most make yourself seasick. And throughout such a drive the xl/9 Sticks to the Road without a  what was True then remains True now and whal the xl/9 lacks in Overall performance from its aging 7s horse Power engine it makes up in Road hold ing and sheer driving fun. This is a Young person s car and to get into the xl/9 lakes some agility but once inside it s All very snug and you sit Low to the ground. The driving Posi Tion is excellent one drives the xl/9 in the italian arms out fashion and the seats Are quite comfortable. The three spoke leather wrapped steering wheel sets off the sporting Motif and in allows Good viewing of the instrument panel. Power Side windows plus a heated rear window Are among the Interior features. While the speedometer dial is numbered in both Miles per hour and kilo meters per hour the Kilometre figures should have been forgotten about As they Are almost impossible to read quickly. And while the speedometer Needle goes from left to right in the conventional manner i i Tach Needle moves from right to left. A confusing setup to say the least. Another design fault this one none of Berton s making is the positioning of the third Brake Light now required by . Taw placed atop the rear win Dow As required the Light s platform Falls directly into the sighting area of the ear coming up from behind. The View of this car is blocked once it closes in so you Only spot it by using the Side View mirrors. Here is a Case of do gooder safely making a mess of what was once a perfectly Good rear window arrangement. Two Brake lights arc enough on a car or at least they Are in Europe and an exception should certainly be Mode in the Case of the xl/9, the four Cylinder single overhead Cam fuel in cycled engine is coupled to a very smooth five Speed Gearbox one thai is easy to use. The pedals Are set up properly and there s also a food rest which is always a Nice touch when you re on a Long drive. Brakes Are disc All around suspension is Independent at both front and rear while steering is by rack and pin Ion. The engine redlines Al 7,000 and our Zero to 100 Kph 62 Mph figure came to 12.5 seconds. At 6,500 revs our of Speed in second gear came to 45 Mph while third was 72 Mph fourth 93, and fifth 107 Mph As noted earlier. The fifth gear top Speed Reading was made at 5,700 revs. The engine is Peppy enough but it s noisy at the higher rpm Levels. Outside the famous wedge shape body has become a classic and needs no comment Here except to say the new plastic spoiler atop the trunk lid looks surprisingly harmonious. The Liny trunk under the spoiler holds a set of Golf clubs while the front Section of the car provides More than adequate Luggage room for a mid engine automobile. The headlights Are retractable and they worked perfectly even knocking off encrusted ice when they flipped up. They can also be raised manually in Case the drive mechanism should fail. When the Targa roof is removed in is stored in front above the Luggage and in takes up no additional room Good design Here. The spare lire is stored be Hincz the passenger seat soil lakes up no Luggage room anywhere. Bertone says the roof is easily removed and stored and with last week s Arctic blasts Well just Lake their word for it. The Bertone xl/9 sports car is an excellent iwo sealer for the Money and the base Price comes in ill below s 10,000, surprisingly inexpensive for a car of this Type aim Quality. While it � not As Fasi As one might like it Al least for european roads it would be More than competitive on . Roads and would provide fun not Only in everyday driving Bui in sports slalom and fun rallies. Ii s also economical the Epa rating fuel consumption at 23 mpg and 2s mpg Highway. The tank holds 12.2galtons 471itersthe Bertone xt/9s Are on Sale at 10 locations in Germany and for full de tails on the car prospective buyers May Call Moses motor car Agency in wies Baden at 06121-702635. Randy Barnett