It's okay that not every old car out there is perfect. Scratch under the surface and there's bound to be some imperfection on all but the most concours-y of concours cars (and even some of those get to where they are by hiding their sins better than most). These are, after all, vehicles meant to be out on the road, and no matter how careful, age and use will take their toll. The seller of this 1975 Fiat X1/9 listed on Hemmings.com seems to know that full well, detailing both the good and bad of the highly modified and apparently thoroughly enjoyed two-seater. Nothing that'd keep it off the road, and it has been maintained since its restification 10 years ago, though there's plenty left to do to keep somebody busy. The good thing about having a punch list provided is that any buyers not only know exactly what they're in for, but can also get a head start on prioritizing and correcting those issues. From the seller's description:
This 1975 Fiat x1/9 is finished in yellow over beige custom bucket seats and black floor carpet with accent black trim and is powered by a mid-engine, 1.5-liter, inline-four paired with a four-speed manual transaxle. The car is an older restoration (2012) by the owner and features a Dellara wide-body kit, removable roof panel, custom headers and exhaust, popup headlights, Kenwood speakers in door panels (no radio), powder-coated luggage rack, and functional quarter-panel air intakes. Bed liner paint on engine cover and lower trim accents.
Engine and transaxle were replaced with 1.5 liter head, 35/75 A-411 cam, lightened flywheel and 3.76 R&P transaxle rebuilt by Midwest-Bayless. Bosch electric ignition and new ignition switch. Weber 32 DATRA 1/100 carburetor and Facet cube electric fuel pump with 74 micron and paper fuel filters and Revolution Electronics fuel pump controller.
Four-wheel independent suspension system with KYB Nitro Gas MacPherson struts. Drag 15-inch Extreme Alloys 15x7 40 GBM wheels with Adaptit USA wheel spacers to 4/100 bolt pattern supporting new Yokohama 205/50 R15 on rear and 195/50 R15 on front. During restoration new clutch, clutch plate, slave and master cylinders, Raybestos brake pads, rotors and calipers. New floor pans, rocker panels, carpet, custom bucket seats, and inner wheel well liners. Rack and pinion steering and tie rods replaced. Recored radiator, new coolant hoses, belts, reserve tank, etc. New exterior door handles. Original interior door panels, arm rests and handles. Oil changes and routine maintenance up-to-date. Some small tears on interior panels, carpet on driver’s side shows typical wear. Dashboard cracked, bezel on glovebox missing. Electronic gauges functional, some gauge lights missing, headlights rotate up and down, low and high beans functional. Turn signals not working. Some superficial rust underneath, small holes in front trunk floor, surface rust in trunk wells. Some nicks on the exterior, small crack on front spoiler, and small cracks on front, passenger-side fender. Otherwise exterior body and paint in good condition for a 12-year-old restoration. In 2020 replaced left and right rear wheel bearings, replaced fuel tank, new fuel sending unit, new starter. Car starts and runs well, shifts smoothly. The car has been driven about 12,000 miles since restoration (mileage at restoration 76,262, current 88,266). Awards: 2012 Second Place and 2015 First Place, Fiat Freakout National Meeting Class 1974-78 Fiat X1/9.
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Perhaps the most impressive tests took place on the famous Nürburgring circuit. Porsche claims that Le Mans World Champion driver Jörg Bergmeister took the wheel, piloting the hybrid-powered 911 around the course in just 7:16.934 minutes, which is reportedly “8.7 seconds faster than the corresponding version of the predecessor model.”
Porsche has not yet released full performance data for the 2025 911, so it’s difficult to say exactly what those comparisons look like. Since the math makes sense, Porsche could be comparing the hybrid 911 to the 992 Carrera 4 GTS, which lapped the Nürburgring in 7:25.632. What we do know is that the 493-horsepower GT4 RS completed a lap at the Nürburgring in 7:03.121 minutes, just 14 seconds quicker than the road-going hybrid.
“For the first time in our icon’s 61-year history, we are installing a hybrid drive system in a roadgoing 911. This innovative performance hybrid makes the 911 even more dynamic,” Frank Moser, Vice President of 911 and 18 said. “We left nothing to chance during development and tested the new 911 under all sorts of conditions all over the world. Whether at a high drivetrain load in the demanding conditions of mountain passes or in the stop-and-go traffic of an urban environment, the new 911 has mastered even the most difficult challenges with aplomb."
Stay tuned for more details on May 28, when Porsche is scheduled to reveal the beginning of a new era, the hybrid 911 sports car.
Like the original, the Elan +2S featured a backbone frame and a fiberglass body. Though still compact by almost any definition of a car from the 1960s, the four-seater was bigger in every dimension. Lotus designers and engineers were tasked with creating a car that “must be capable of transporting two adults and two children 1,000 miles in comfort with their luggage.” The Plus 2’s 96-inch wheelbase was a foot longer than the original. And its overall length of 169 inches was a full two feet longer than the earlier car. Additionally, it measured 10 inches wider and two inches taller. The Plus 2 was still relatively small, itself measuring one foot shorter in both wheelbase and overall length compared to a 1965 Ford Mustang Hardtop.
Those plus-size dimensions greatly contributed to the comfort inside the car, but with road testers of the day still praising the car for maintaining the Elan’s adroit handling. Motor Sport magazine from the U.K. described the Plus 2’s steering as “incredibly light and precise.” In detail, they wrote, “The all-round independent suspension with its racing-like wishbone and link lay-out gives the car superb handling, of that there is no doubt. The glory of it is that you can whip along country lanes with their twists and turns without drama, in complete safety and not working hard while drivers in lesser vehicles struggle to keep up.”
Powertrain
The “big-valve” version of the 1,558-cc Lotus-designed/Ford-based twin-cam four-cylinder engine in the +2S 130 was rated at 126 horsepower and 113 lb-ft of torque, giving the car brisk acceleration, as it weighed a little over 2,000 pounds. A four-speed manual directed power to the rear wheels. Road testers of the +2S and +2S 130 models reported 0-60 mph times at right around, or even just under, eight seconds.
Technically, by 1972, there was no such model as the Elan +2S. Rather, Lotus dubbed the car the +2S 130, or alternatively the Plus 2 130. In either case, despite the obvious origins and former use of the name with the model, “Elan” was dropped from the moniker by that time. The Elan name did reappear the following year. Though Elan production ceased in 1973, the Elan +2 continued through 1974.
Restored Elan +2S 130
The notes on this 1972 Lotus Elan +2S 130 currently listed on Hemmings Auctions indicate that this Plus 2 has been restored, including a rebuild of its original engine and four-speed manual transmission, completed some 3,000 miles ago. The seller shared that the water, oil and fuel pumps were replaced, while the radiator was rebuilt. Additional fresh components are said to be the brake discs, updated Rotoflex drive couplings and wheel bearings, all as part of a chassis rebuild.
The seller reports that the fiberglass bodied was disassembled, repaired and professionally refinished before reassembly. The original brightwork was rechromed as necessary and the original glass reinstalled with new seals. Fresh Pirelli Cinturato rubber was mounted on refinished original Lotus 10-spoke alloy wheels. According to the Classic Lotus Elan Register, this +2S 130 is one of 1,879 +2S and +2S 130 models built out of a total production run of 5,139 Elan +2’s.
Take a look at this 1972 +2S 130 at Hemmings Auctions to see what a right-sized Lotus Elan looks like.
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