Fiat 2300 Coupe history from 1961 to 1969

Production period:	1961 to  1968
Manufacturer:	Fiat
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Gasoline 2.3 liters

 The Fiat 2300 Coupe was a two-door notchback coupe made by the Italian automaker Fiat , which was based on the technology of the four-door sedan Fiat 2300 , but had an independent body of Ghia and revised engines. In addition to the standard body arose some special bodies.The vehicle was produced in a weaker version than the Fiat 2300 Coupe and in a more powerful than the Fiat 2300 S Coupe.

History 

In the fall of 1961 appeared - parallel to the four-door sedan and the Familiare five-door station wagon - designed by Ghia Fiat 2300 coupe with 105 hp (77 kW), but with the same capacity but more powerful Fiat 2300 S Coupe with 131 horsepower ( 96 kW)  In the literature are also the data 136 hp and 150 hp, but these relate to the performance measurement CUNA and SAE .

In late 1964, the second series 2300 coupe was changed in some details and from then on only as version S built and sold until early 1968. Despite the elegant and at the same time sporty design, the Coupé was a full-fledged four-seater with a spacious boot.

The body of the 2300 Coupé designed significantly Ghias chief designer Sergio Sartorelli; the American Tom Tjaarda also participated in the design. A striking feature of the body 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 had a brake booster, or the footrest for the passenger.

The more powerful, revised by Abarth engine was reserved for the model 2300 S Coupé , so it was neither for the sedan nor the station wagon available. Abarth achieved the additional power mainly by "sharper" camshafts with longer timing, the use of two, also larger sized twin carburetor , a slightly higher compression and further engine adjustments. Responsible for the engine of the 2300 S Coupe was Klaus Steinmetz, Individual copies of the 2300 S received at Abarth a further increase in performance: Through sporty designed camshafts and the use of two Weber -38 double carburetors, the performance of the engine was increased to 160 hp (118 kW). How many of these modified 2300 S Coupés were made is not fully understood; usually is assumed by three copies. 

The prototype of the Fiat 2300 Coupé, which was still based on the technology of the Fiat 2100, was first shown at the Turin Motor Show in the fall of 1960; The presentation of the production model took place half a year later at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961.  

The mass production of the 2300 Coupe was distributed to several companies. The floor assembly was made by Fiat. The body was initially manufactured by Ghia; Later, however, when Ghia could no longer produce the required number of bodies in view of limited capacity, took over OSI , a belonging to the Ghia designer Sartorelli Turin operation, the production of the body. At OSI, the underbody and chassis were connected. The S coupes were then removed and retracted at Abarth. The demand was significantly greater than the production capacity that Fiat, Ghia and OSI provided for the coupe. So delivery times of about one and a half years were the rule.

All in all, around 3500 coupes were created by the end of 1968, of which about 200 existing vehicles are still known in the register today.

As a six-cylinder successor to the 2300 S Coupé could be considered by Pininfarina designed and offered there from spring 1971 to the end of 1977 Fiat 130 Coupe , but much larger, much heavier and therefore, especially with the frequently existing GM 3rd Gg.- Automatic, considerably more lame and at the same time more expensive. Therefore fits also in terms of time as a direct successor much more likely also six-cylinder Fiat Dino Coupe, with Ferrari engine as 2.0-liter V6 and 160 hp (1967-1969) and 2.4-liter V6 and 180 hp (1969 -1973), which was even sportier and more expensive.

Ghia produced some convertible versions of the 2300 S . The production volume was low. The figures as low as five copies.  In addition Ghia other coachbuilders built several open vehicles based on the 2300 S coupe.

Another variation was the Club 2300 S Ghia , a wagon version with a steeply inclined rear end and a large tailgate. The 1962 car anticipated the trend of sports cars, which was successfully implemented a few years later with vehicles such as the Reliant Scimitar or the Volvo P1800 ES .The Ghia 230 S, a sports car study of the Carrozzeria Ghia, also built on the chassis of the Fiat 2300 S Coupe. The vehicle presented at the Turin Motor Show in 1963 .  The scope of production is not clear. According to official information, only a single copy was produced; However, some sources report that one or two additional vehicles were manufactured on customer request. 

Moretti produced in 1962 in the smallest numbers a based on the 2300 S sports car, whose first prototype, a Spyder, was designated as Moretti 2500 SS , whose lines in front to a designed by Bertone version of the Ferrari 250th The vehicle was offered as a coupe and a convertible, optionally with unchanged technology, then referred to as Fiat-Moretti 2300 S. 

Technical Specifications Fiat 2300 ,2300 S Coupe

• Specifications Fiat 2300 Coupe / 2300 S Coupe
• Engine: 6-cylinder in-line engine (four-stroke)
• Displacement: 2279 cc
• Bore × stroke: 78 × 79.5 mm
• Power:105 -136HP: 77
• Max. Torque:184 Nm at 3000- (S) 179 Nm at 4000
• Compression: 8.8: 1- (S) 8.9: 1
• Fuel supply: 1 downdraft double carburator Weber 28-36 DCD3
• Fuel supply (S):2 horizontal double carburetors Weber 38 DCOE 16 and Weber 38 DCOE 17
• Valve control: OHV , chain
• Cooling:water cooling
• Transmission:4-speed gearbox
• Front suspension:Wishbone upper, lower wishbone, longitudinal push rods, torsion bars
• Rear suspension:Rigid axle on leaf springs 
• Brakes: Four-wheel disc brakes (diameter v / h 28.5 / 25.4 cm),
• Steering:worm and sector
• Body:Sheet steel, self-supporting
• Track front / rear:1350/1310 mm
• Length: 4620 mm
• Width: 1630 mm
• Height: 1365 mm
• Wheelbase :2650 mm
• Curb weight :1324 kg
• Empty weight:1300 kg 1310 kg
• maximum speed:175+ km h-(S) 195+ km/h
• 0-100 km/h:about 13 -(S).about 10.5 s.