RARER THAN RARE – THE FIAT 2300S

To say a Fiat 2300S Coupe was an exclusive sight when new is somewhat of an understatement. In 1964, the UK price was £2,696, compared with £1,993 for a Jaguar E-Type 4.2 Coupe or £1,761 for a Ford Mustang V8. Motor thought “it is the sort of car you put on like a good suit of clothes”, and, in Canada, one dealer advertised the 2300S as “the car for the man who has everything”. Today, this example offered for sale by Richard Biddulph is one of three surviving RHD examples: https://www.vandp.net/sales/2479/1964-fiat-2300s-coupe-rhd

Fiat launched the Coupe in 1961, with the 2300 versions of their large saloons and estate cars. Ghia created the elegant bodywork and, to quote Richard, “the Coupes were despatched to the coachbuilder and then sent across town to Abarth who fitted twin Webbers, polished the ports and generally breathed upon the engine, imbuing it with serious horsepower”.

Buyers had a choice of the single carburettor 2300 and the 2300S with twin carburettors and twin servo brakes. Fiat intended them as transport for those who aspired to the Alfa Romeo 2000 Sprint or the Lancia Flaminia Coupe. In 1961, an Italian market 2300 cost the equivalent of £1,490 – expensive, but not excessive. While still £550 more than the 2300 Berlina, Autocar pointed out the Coupe was still “less than half the price of the cheapest Ferrari”.

In this country, swingeing import duties further endorsed the 2300S as almost impossibly exotic; you can imagine a guest star in an Emma Peel-era story of The Avengers favouring a Fiat/dark glasses combination. At that time, a well-heeled solicitor might have opted for a 2300 Berlina instead of a Jaguar 2.4 Mk.2 or a 2300 Familiare rather than a Ford Zodiac Mk. III Estate. But the 2300S conveyed an air of Mayfair niteries and attending Goodwood. Most Britons would have seen the 2300S guest-starring with Roger Moore in the Maltese-filmed Vendetta for the Saint rather than in their local high street.

The 2300S seemed to beguile the British automotive press; Motor Sport wrote:

Those who appreciate 120-mph cars which possess much character, plenty of performance, go well with motorway driving and are pleasant to control and contemplate will not let the cost of this interesting, Italian product deter them from trying, and probably owning one.

And those select few motorists who could afford a 2300S revelled in its detailing, from the hand throttle and the red warning lamps in the door edges to the Veglia instruments. Fiat even provided a warning bell if the handbrake was on, the oil or water overheated, or the choke left out at over 2,000 rpm. Meanwhile, the front passenger benefitted from an adjustable footrest if the driver believed they were the next Jim Clark.

Production of the 2300S ended in 1969, and this silver example has covered only 50,000 miles from new. It was ordered by a Midlands foundry owner from Anthony Crook Motors and spent over two decades in the south of France.

And whoever becomes its following custodian can take pride in owning “The Poor Man’s Ferrari”.

With thanks to Richard Biddulph for his time and permission to use the images in this blog.