The Australian Bertone X1/9
How the Bertone X1/9 was imported and sold in Australia from 1988, after Fiat ended production in 1982.
From Fiat to Bertone
Towards the end of 1982, Fiat stopped production of the X1/9, and it was left to Bertone to manufacture and distribute. As the X1/9 was no longer a Fiat, its World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) on the vehicle identification number (VIN) plate was reassigned from Fiat ZFA to Bertone ZBB. It would mean that the X1/9 could not be sold in Australia until it had new compliance that involved it passing Australian Design Rules (ADR).
As Bertone had no Australian showrooms, the X1/9 was not for sale in Australia between 1983 and 1987. It wasn't until 1987 that LNC Industries Pty Ltd, a car importer and distributor for many brands, decided to include Bertone in their distribution.
During this time Australia also changed from ADR27C with the introduction of unleaded petrol on July 1st 1985 to the new standard ADR37/00. The carburettor version X1/9 would have required some modifications to pass and would have suffered a loss of power to comply.
The First Australian Bertone
The first Bertone X1/9 imported to Australia arrived in April 1988 with VIN ZBB128AS007163188. It was used as the Single Uniform Type Inspection (SUTI) vehicle. Mr Cole Kennedy, the compliance engineer at LNC Industries Pty Ltd, was responsible for the Bertone's approval into Australia.
This SUTI Bertone was imported directly from Italy with a fuel-injected engine (California emission standard). By having the California low emissions engine, it was a higher standard than the ADR standard so would pass SUTI without the engine needing to be re-tested and approved.
Without this pre-approved engine, it would have been not cost-effective to do the local testing and compliance, and we would never have seen the X1/9 return to Australia in 1988.
One strange thing about this Bertone was the speedometer displayed KPH however the clock was MPH. It looks like Bertone just changed the face of the instrument to get the SUTI X1/9 here.
It was registered on July 26th 1988 with New South Wales plates OUS171. The plates were later changed to BERT1, then eventually CAR19X.
Press Coverage Begins
March 6, 1988 featured the first article found about the Bertone X1/9 reintroduction to Australia, indicating a release in May 1988.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
September 10, 1988 — the first advertising campaign appeared for the X1/9 with the slogan "The X1/9 is back." This article was also the first to mention the car's specifications and a price tag of $32,250.
Source: The Age
Motor Show & First Sales
14–23 October 1988 — the Bertone was on display at the Sydney International Motor Show at the Darling Harbour exhibition centre.
November 9, 1988 — The Age published an interview with the national sales and marketing manager Mr Simon Hunter. He worked for the Bertone importer Auswide Pty Ltd, part of the LNC Industries group.
Mr Hunter mentioned that fewer than 100 would be available for sale that year. The initial shipment of 16 cars had already been sold and orders for the second batch of 34 vehicles were filling rapidly. The Bertone X1/9 was priced at $32,250 and covered by a 12 month unlimited kilometre warranty.
The first 16 VINs were in sequential order from ZBB128AS007163837 to ZBB128AS007163852 — 3 Grey, 5 Red and 8 White. The remaining 34 cars brought the total to 50 (including the initial SUTI Bertone), with VINs from ZBB128AS007164013 to ZBB128AS007164218. In total there were 9 Grey, 24 White and 19 Red.
Magazine Features
The first Bertone was featured in Car Australia magazine's November 1988 issue where it was compared to the newer MR2. It then appeared again in Modern Motor magazine's January 1989 issue.
The Story of the SUTI Bertone
Two other Bertones were used by the press. The unknown Bertone featured with registration OUS171 appeared in The Age newspaper on March 28th 1989.
Also making an appearance in the November 1989 edition of Unique Car Magazine was a red Bertone with number plates BBG215.
After the media rounds, the first SUTI Bertone was sold to a lady named Yvonne Cooper from Newtown (NSW), now with plates BERT1. As it was parked on the streets, it was broken into twice. The radio was stolen as well as the Bertone badges. It suffered from minor hits and dings during this time. Under warranty, one rim was replaced as the clear coat was coming off. The carpet also needed replacing as there was wear around the driver's foot area.
August 10th 1991 — the SUTI Bertone was bought by Carolyn Reid and has been with her ever since. The number plates were changed to CAR19X until the car's relocation to Queensland.
Clearing the Stock
April 1990 — LNC Industries sold the remaining stock of 22 Bertones to Marc Berard.
Australia went into recession in the September quarter of 1990. This stalled sales and the remaining Bertones were sold from as low as $22,000 to clear the stock that was now getting old.