Interior progress

[spiderrey]

Those wheels do come on later x 1/9s, I pulled two off of mty parts cars.

[zachmac]

Jeff, your interior color scheme is the one used on the 1000 1981 Anniversary Edition Spiders that were made. Yours is the first one I've seen that has those options prior to them being used on them. The padded console is also a custom touch that was an option on other cars but was standard on the Anniversary model. They also had leather seats and a strip of leather in the lighter tan color on the bottom section of the dash.
Ron

Ron,

Thanks for the info. I'll check my build date, maybe this car got the LE interior since it was close to the 81 run? My car as I said did ideed have the the strip across the bottom of the dash and yes it was leather. It had shrunk and discolored so I just removerd it, unveiling the nicely preserved dash underneath.

The interior in it when I gat it was a light beige / off white which I think were repalcements. The color didn't match the foor panels of center console. It may have been leather but I think not, I am pretty sure it was high grade vinyl. I sold it to a poster here on the site. I'd have to go back to my posts to remeber who but again I think it was not the original as it was a color mismatch.

The color of the paint is i think original. While the car has had a re-soay at some point (as evidenced by ample overspray on rubber etc.) I don't think the trunk, engine bay or other hard to get to areas were re-painted so it strated life the same light green it is today. Again, clearly not an LE, wrong year and paint color, but with an LE interior and options, power windows included but alas, 13 inch wheels, not the LEs 14's.

Looks like I may have a fairly unique car?

[zachmac]

It looks like the script on the center says "Bertone", so I'll buy the X1/9 story since the car was designed (and later badged and sold) by Bertone. Much like the 124 Spider's shift to Pininfarina. Both happened around the same time, if I recall correctly.

The script under the Italvolanti on my wheel name says either "formel" of "formal" rather than "Bertone" which I think is the name of the stering wheel model. I think you may be looking at the picutre of a later posters wheel?

[rlux4]

I'd say it's unique alright. It kinda sounds like someone had the inside track on what was going into the interior of an Anniversary model, or it was put together to see how the design elements would look. Or someone got the interior from an Anniversary edition that was being parted out. It certainly would be interesting to know the history of the car from the build order.
Ron

[zachmac]

It certainly would be interesting to know the history of the car from the build order.Ron

Ron,

If they did a swap from a parts LE they did it pretty completely and well. Is there a palce to get a "build sheet" for a Spider? I know Jaguar provides "Heritage Certificates" for early Jags. I got the one for my E-type and it includes data like original color of body and interior, engine and tranny #'s, build date, etc.

In the case of my 70 E-type the build date was December 24th, 1969. That's why I felt the need to completely disassemble and re-assemble that car; after all you have to figure the workers at jaguar were BOTH drunk and stoned on Christmas eve day 1969!

[zachmac]

Reviving this post just to get a concensus on the LE Anniversary cars. A recent post by Matthew at Vicks says the 1000 LE cars were 1980. I have seen most all advertised as 1981s? Anyone got a definitive answer?

[zachmac]

I think I found my own answer and it is YES. If the cars were to commemorate the 50th year of Pininfarina, then 1980 makes sense as little Pinin founded the company in 1930. As Matthew opined, that doesn't mean dealers didn't push them out as 1981 models. I know it wasn't unusual back then for cars manufactured one year to be initally titled the next. So, I think that means that the LE models were built in 1980 and titled in EITHER 1980 or 1981. I've seen LE cars for sale with both claimed dates.

I will need to do some more research on my car. It is NOT an LE unless someone painted it, debadged it, and took the 14 inch wheels off (all very unlikley). More likely that someone just ordered a car with the same interior options (two tone dorr panels, padded dash, brown dash / kick panels / sunvisors, and power windows.

[jfranks]

My spider has what I would call a "two tone" interior, with tan and dark brown, but zachmac's original pictures have apparently been deleted and I can't compare. Can those pics be put back, or Zachmac, could you re-post? My door panel says 1980, but the title says 1981. I'd love to know if your interior matches mine.