Fiat 2300

Fiat 2300
Overview
Manufacturer	Fiat
Production	1961-1969
Designer	Saloon Pininfarina Coupe Sergio Sartorelli at Ghia
Body and chassis
Class	Large car
Body style	4-door saloon 2-door coupé 5-door station wagon
Layout	FR layout
Related	Fiat 1800/2100
Powertrain
Engine	straight-6
Transmission	4 speed manual all-synchromesh : overdrive optional automatic Borg Warner 3 speed with torque converter[1]
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,650 mm (104.3 in) Speciale: 2,730 mm (107.5 in)
Length	4,485 mm (176.6 in)
Width	1,620 mm (63.8 in)
Height	1,470 mm (57.9 in)
Curb weight	1,285 kg (2,833 lb)-1,345 kg (2,965 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor	Fiat 2100
Successor	Fiat 130

The Fiat 2300 is an automobile which was 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.

Coupé

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.^[2] A production version, based on the newly launched Fiat 2300 sedan was first seen in 1961 and went on general sale in 1962.^[2] Having developed the coupé body, Ghia lacked the production capacity needed for the volumes envisaged, and were obliged to subcontract its production to OSI.^[3]

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 wheelbase 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.^[2]

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.

Specifications

• 

  Fiat 2300 Sedan

• 

  Fiat 2300 Estate (1967)

• 

  Fiat 2300 S Coupe

• 

  Fiat 2300 S Coupe 2. Series

• 

  Ghia-Fiat G230S based on Fiat 2300 S

References

Further reading

• Fiat Personenwagen, by Fred Steiningen, 1994. ISBN 3-923448-37-6