Hey - the 510 had 4 wheel independent suspension. The cage was stiffffff - those puppies were hauling better than .8 G's on the track, and that was in the days before 45 ratio rubber.
I still consider the 510 to be a handsome design.
i put 200,000 miles on my old 510 . . great car.
And soooooooooooooo many had the gas cap door rusted off . . . mine did too
My parents had a 510, circa 1970. I eventually inherited it, lovely car--except when driving it in 1978 the right front fender just peeled half off from rust (I had no idea how to look after a car then). Sort of what one sees after scrapes in NASCAR races.
Mark
Ottawa
I helped a friend drive his 510 across Canada in 1970. Pretty impressive car for it's time, my friend even got caught speeding in Northern Ontario for cruising over 80 mph.
Posted at 2007-10-25 20:57:23 [PermaLink]Mark, did your 510 have a proper handbrake or one of those foot-operated ones like North American cars? Also was it a stubby gearshift or a tall floppy one?
Sammy, the Z dealer at MitchO & Albion had a 510 in a while ago; it had the 2 negatives I mentioned and I'm wondering if all sold in Canada were like that.
That car (sold as 1600 & 1600SSS with twin Webers) was popular with rally drivers in RSA because it was the only car they could buy and not have to seam weld before competing.
I always thought the Bertone-designed X1/9 looked better than the superficially similar Porsche 914, but the X 1/9 suffered from seriously quality problems and was notorious for rusting out quickly. The underpowered engine was easily replaced with a 2.0 L Lancia engine. I'll still see the occasional 914 on the road. I can't recall the last time I saw an X 1/9. The contemporary Fiat Spyders were nice looking cars, too.
Posted at 2007-10-26 09:00:14 [PermaLink]greenmamba: Don't remember the handbrake but the gearshift was tall. I remember the first long drive in it from Ottawa to Toronto and back in a day; was most impressed with the zip.
Mark
Ottawa