The X1/9 Lido special edition was named after the famous Parisian cabaret and burlesque show, adding a real touch of glamour to the already stylish mid-engine sportscar. The only version of the icsunonove to boast bumpers complete with chrome, this alone had a huge affect on its desirability. The Lido also added metallic black paint, white alacantara upholstery, silver pin-stripes and some unique, individually numbered badges. Delivered to the dealerships just before the launch of the 1500cc engined X1/9 was launched, only 700 of these were apparently every built.
While it’s clear that it’s been a while since this particular Lido was painting the Champs-Elysee red with a feather boa protruding from its targa top, we were still excited to see it arrive. It has, amazingly, been in a garage since 1988, taken off the road because it needed a new clutch, flywheel and back box. And there it has sat ever since, with the speedo’ frozen on an unbelievably low 35,000 miles! Its owner sent it our way for an idea on what would be needed for a full restoration.
This amount of time sitting stationary isn’t going to be kind to any car, let alone an X1/9. The car appears to be entirely complete, with all of the various Lido features present and correct. We haven’t yet attempted to start the 1300 engine, but have checked it over bodily and structurally for an initial overview of what it might take to get this old glamourpuss back doing the can-can.
Check back here for updates to see what the next stage is.
