Fiat 2300 Coupe

Fiat
Fiat 2300 S Coupé (1961-1964)
2300 S Coupé
Production period:	1961 – early 1968
Class :	Upper class
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Petrol engines : 2.3 liters (77–96 kW)
Length:	4620 mm
Width:	1630 mm
Height:	1365 mm
Wheelbase :	2650 mm
Empty weight :	1324 kg
Previous model	FIAT 1900 Grand Vue
successor	FIAT Dino Coupe

Fiat 2300 S Coupé (1964–1968)

Rear view

The Fiat 2300 Coupé was a two-door notchback coupé from the Italian car manufacturer Fiat , which was based on the technology of the four-door sedan Fiat 2300 , but had a separate body from Ghia and revised engines. In addition to the standard body, a number of special bodies were created.

The vehicle was produced in a weaker version than Fiat 2300 Coupé and in a more powerful version than Fiat 2300 S Coupé. The press of the 1960s repeatedly referred to the elegant and sporty car as the “Ferrari of the little man”.

history

In the autumn of 1961, the Fiat 2300 Coupé designed by Ghia with 105 PS (77 kW) and the identically designed but more powerful Fiat 2300 S Coupé with 131 DIN PS ( with the same displacement) appeared - parallel to the four-door sedan and the five-door station wagon known as the Familiare. 96 kW) In the literature you can also find the data 136 HP and 150 HP, but these refer to the power measurement methods CUNA and SAE .

At the end of 1964 some details of the 2300 Coupé were changed (second series) and from then on it was only built as version S and sold until the beginning of 1968. Despite the elegant and at the same time sporty design, the coupé was a fully fledged four-seater with a spacious trunk.

The body of the 2300 Coupé was largely designed by Ghias chief designer Sergio Sartorelli; the American Tom Tjaarda also contributed to the design. A striking feature of the body is the filigree roof between the B-pillar and the rear window. The curved C-pillar runs parallel to the A-pillar. The rear window is in three parts and gives the impression of a large panoramic window . Other special features were, for example, the brake system with four disc brakes and two brake circuits, each with a brake booster, or the footrest for the front passenger.

The more powerful engine, revised by Abarth , was reserved for the 2300 S Coupé , so it was not available for either the sedan or the station wagon. Abarth achieved the extra power mainly through "sharper" camshafts with longer control times, the use of two larger-sized double carburettors , a slightly higher compression ratio and further engine adjustments. Klaus Steinmetz was responsible for the engine of the 2300 S Coupé . Individual units of the 2300 S were given a further increase in performance at Abarth: the engine's output was increased to 160 hp (118 kW) with more sporty camshafts and the use of two Weber 38 twin carburetors. How many of these modified 2300 S Coupés were made has not been conclusively clarified; usually three copies are assumed.

production

The prototype of the Fiat 2300 Coupé, which was based on the technology of the Fiat 2100, was shown for the first time at the Turin Motor Show in autumn 1960; the production model was presented six months later at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show . The car made its debut on the German market at the IAA in September 1961. At every exhibition there was great interest in the car with preliminary contracts for the next two years.

Series production of the 2300 Coupé was spread over several companies. The floor pan was created at Fiat. The body was initially made by Ghia; Later, however, when Ghia was no longer able to produce the required number of bodies due to limited capacities, OSI , a Turin company belonging to Ghia designer Sartorelli , took over the production of the body. At OSI, the floor pan and chassis were connected to one another. The S Coupés were then accepted and run in at Abarth. The demand was considerably greater than the production capacity that Fiat, Ghia and OSI made available for the coupé. Delivery times of around one and a half years were the rule.

The 2300 S Coupé in particular was almost unrivaled on the market. The Alfa Romeo 2000 Sprint Coupé (1960–1962) was significantly weaker with only four cylinders and 115 hp, its six-cylinder, outwardly largely identical successor, the Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint Coupé, appeared only one year after the Fiat 2300 S Coupé and was more expensive. A Lancia Flaminia Coupe was considerably more expensive. The same applied to the Mercedes 220 SE Coupé , which was far inferior to the Fiat in terms of performance. The Mercedes 230 SL only came in 1963 and was only a 2-seater, also open (removable hardtop or fully retractable folding roof).

A total of around 3500 coupés were probably built by the end of 1968, of which around 200 are still known in the register today.

The Fiat 130 Coupé designed by Pininfarina and offered there from spring 1971 to the end of 1977 could be regarded as the six-cylinder successor to the 2300 S Coupé, but it is significantly larger, much heavier and therefore, especially with the frequently existing GM 3.-Gg.- Automatic, was considerably slower and at the same time more expensive. This is why the six-cylinder Fiat Dino Coupé, with a Ferrari engine as a 2.0-l V6 and 160 hp (1967-1969) or 2.4-l V6 and 180 hp (1969 –1973), which was even sportier and also more expensive.

Special versions

Cabriolets

Ghia made some convertible versions of the 2300 S. The production volume was small. The information in the literature varies between three and five copies. In addition to Ghia, other coachbuilders also produced various open vehicles based on the 2300 S Coupé.

Club 2300 S Ghia

Another modification was the Club 2300 S Ghia , a station wagon version with a steeply sloping rear section and a large tailgate. The car, released in 1962, anticipated the trend towards sports suits, which was successfully implemented a few years later with vehicles such as the Reliant Scimitar or the Volvo P1800 ES .

Exclusive sports car concept based on the Fiat 2300 S Coupe: The Ghia 230 S .

Ghia 230 S

→ Main article : Ghia 230 S

The Ghia 230 S, a sports car study by Carrozzeria Ghia, was also based on the chassis of the Fiat 2300 S Coupé. The vehicle presented at the Turin Motor Show in 1963 was considered "the most beautiful car in the salon". The scope of production is not clearly clarified. According to official information, only a single copy was made; however, some sources report that one or two other vehicles were also made upon request.

Moretti 2500 pp

From 1962 onwards, Moretti produced a very small number of pieces of a sports car based on the 2300 S, the first prototype of which, a Spyder, was called the Moretti 2500 SS , whose front lines were reminiscent of a version of the Ferrari 250 designed by Bertone. The vehicle was offered as a coupé and a convertible, optionally with unchanged technology, then called the Fiat-Moretti 2300 S.

Web links

Commons : Fiat 2300  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• International Fiat 2300 Register

literature

• Automobil Revue , catalog numbers 1963, 1965 (technical data and prices) Vereinigte Motorverlage GmbH Stuttgart 1964 and 1965, orig. Brochure (German) 1963,
• Heinrich Lingner: express surcharge . Driving report Fiat 2300 S Coupé in: Motor Klassik issue 1/2003, p. 42 ff.
• Michael Hundt: Big bags . History of the Abarth brand (part 1) in: Oldtimer Markt, issue 11/2010, p. 12 ff.
• Auto Motor u. Sport issue 3/1963 and 26/1961

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Quoted from Oleski, Lehbrink: Seriensportwagen, p. 198.
2. ↑ German data sheet indicating 130PS on the website www.ralfsteck.de
3. ↑ Motor Klassik, issue 1/2003, p. 44.
4. ↑ Oldtimer Markt issue 11/2010, p. 23.
5. ↑ ^{a b} Motor Klassik, issue 1/2003, p. 46.
6. ↑ Illustration on the website www.Zuckerfabrik24.de
7. ↑ Images and factory brochures on the website www.zuckerfabrik24.de
8. ↑ Auto motor und sport, issue 24/1963.
9. ↑ Motor Klassik, issue 9/2010, p. 42 ff.
10. ↑ Illustration on the website www.moretti-cars.net
11. ↑ ams 2/1963 p. 23 after www.zuckerfabrik24.de/fiat/pics/2300s_t9.jpg