1988 Bertone X1/9 Targa Coupe

The X1/9 succeeded a 1969 show concept car called the Autobianchi Runabout, with styling by Bertone under chief designer Marcello Gandini. The prototype car featured a distinctive wedge shape and took many styling cues from contemporary power-boat design. Though the more extreme features of the Runabout, such as the C-pillar mounted headlights and the small wind-deflector windscreen, were lost for the production car, many aesthetic features of the Autobianchi Runabout are readily identifiable on the X1/9. The long flat bonnet (hood) with central indentation, the large front overhang, the wedge shape with prominent c-pillar roll-over hood, and the car-length indented plimsoll-line all made the successful transition to the X1/9, giving it a highly distinctive appearance.

Once developed for production, the two-seater featured sharp-edge styling with a wedge shape, pop-up headlights, and a removable hardtop roof panel (Targa top). The removable hardtop stores in the front luggage compartment, below the front hood, only slightly reducing the space available for cargo.