When Alfa Romeo introduced the 156 Superturismo 2-liter race car engine for the 1997 racing season, it probably never imagined that a privateer hillclimb racer would put one in their ultra-lightweight widebody Fiat X1/9 to create one of the most successful European hillclimb championship cars of the modern era. This little blue guy weighs less than 1,500 pounds, pumps out around 310 horsepower, and revs to 9,000 RPM, which is just a wicked set of numbers. Bolt on a ton of aerodynamic downforce, weld up a cage stiff enough to hold the whole thing together, and make it spit flames, you’ve got yourself a kickass little race car.
Manuel Dondi’s little blue Fiat has been tweaked and tune for several years of competition to be what it is today. The car has lost weight, gained power, and grown aerodynamic aids, getting faster and faster every year. In the video above you’ll see the car competing at hillclimb events in Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, and Switzerland, and absolutely bringing the heat in the process. It’s easy to see from just the first few seconds that this car is seriously hooked up and zips through corners way faster than you’d expect. The combination of low weight, aerodynamic downforce, and chunky mechanical grip from those giant meat rollers is a hard one to beat.
Compared to the competition, Dondi is running relatively short on horsepower, but wasting all comers anyway. Most of the competition is bringing modern GT3-spec racers, 700-horsepower Evos, Judd V8-powered screaming meanies, and former DTM cars, but this tiny guy somehow makes do. Maybe it’s a sign of superior engineering, or maybe Dondi is just the superior driver. Either way, this flyweight Fiat is sure to put a smile on your face. Click play and crank it up!