If you were hoping that Stellantis suddenly found a soul and decided to revive the mid-engine sports car, prepare for a cold shower. What you are staring at is not an official Fiat prototype, nor is it a secret leak from Turin. Here we have a digital fever dream created by Sezer Design using artificial intelligence, a homage to one of the oddest, most un-Fiat vehicles ever to grace the tarmac, the legendary Fiat X1/9.
Back in 1972, when Fiat was mostly known for sensible boxy commuters, the original X1/9 arrived looking like an exotic supercar that accidentally shrank in the wash. Penned by the genius Marcello Gandini for Bertone, it broke every rule in the company playbook. A low-slung two-seater, mid-engine placement, rear-wheel drive, and a removable targa top.
Power originally came from a humble 1.3-liter engine pushing out a whopping 75 HP derived from the Fiat 128, later upgraded to a 1.5-liter with 85 ponies and a five-speed manual.
By modern standards, those numbers sound like a lawnmower, but thanks to its featherweight chassis and razor-sharp setup, it was absolute magic behind the wheel. It even outlived its parent brand’s interest, selling directly under the Bertone badge from 1982 until 1989.
Sezer Design didn’t just slap modern LED lights on Gandini’s original body. This AI render takes things to a extreme: an ultra-wide, slammed silhouette, an almost completely smooth front fascia interrupted only by a razor-thin light bar, massive wheels, and aggressive side scoops feeding air to an imaginary mid-mounted heart.
Inside, high-tech luxury, featuring a fully digital dash, massive black surfaces, a passenger-facing Fiat emblem, and upscale brown leather upholstery that looks far too fancy for a budget sports car.
Of course, in today’s Stellantis universe, a niche lightweight sports car has zero chance. Fiat seems hyper-focused on mass-market volume drivers led by the Grande Panda, with the Grizzly, Grizzly Fastback, Multiplina, new Pandina, and a pickup taking priority. Yet, in a sea of identical electric crossovers, a cheap, light, and fun X1/9 is precisely the shot of adrenaline Fiat desperately needs.
