Fiat 2300 S Cabrio & Coupe

Thursday 21 October 2010
The Fiat 2300 is a six cylinder saloon car produced by Italian automotive manufacturer Fiat between 1961 and 1969.
Mechanically the 2300 lived up to its expectations with power assisted brake discs for all four wheels and a powerful 2.3 litre six cylinder engine (with twin-carbs on the "S" version). Production continued in limited numbers until 1968.
The 2300 saloon (styled by Pininfarina) is noteworthy as the first Fiat model to become available with a fully automatic gearbox, which replaced the Saxomat clutch as an optional extra in 1966. Most 2300s and all 2300S coupés had a four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox.
One of less well known "niche" Fiat models of the 1960s was the 2300/2300S Coupé. The shape of the car was first seen in public when Ghia presented it as a prototype sports coupé at the 1960 Turin Motor Show. A production version, based on the newly launched Fiat 2300 sedan was first seen in 1961 and went on general sale in 1962. The coupé body was welded to the standard floor platform of the 2300 saloon with which it shared its core components. (Despite being a new model, the 2300 saloon was in most respects a well proven design, being a larger engined version of the Fiat 2100 that had been available since 1959.) The wheel base was identical, but the coupé had a slightly wider track at both ends than the saloon, and final drive gearing for the coupé was increased to 3.9 (3.72 for the 2300S coupé) which translated to 20.9 mph (33,6 km/h) per 1,000 rpm.
Elegantly styled by Ghia the 2300 had true "Grand Touring" style and panache which often earned it the "poor man's Ferrari" tag. Inside the 2300 Coupe featured power operated windows and other luxury fittings.

Technical data:
- engine: 6 cylinders
- capacity: 2297 cc
- horsepower: 136 HP
- gearbox: 5+1
- top speed: 185 km/h

Technical data:
- engine: 6 cylinders
- capacity: 2297 cc
- horsepower: 136 HP
- gearbox: 5+1
- top speed: 185 km/h