Best known for their family runabouts, when Fiat took the occasional path into the upmarket coupe market, they were tagged with the usual ‘Poor man’s Ferrari’ tag. Built by OSI, the car received a favourable reception, partly due to its pace, ride and styling but the 70 or so cars that were imported into the UK never stood a chance due to its high price.
Rust claimed most UK cars, so the next best thing is to obtain an Italian import. Like many Italian cars of the period, the coupe’s versions stood apart from their saloon counterparts. Guided by Ghia’s styling input who used styling cues from the equally appealing 1961 Chrysler L6.4, the Fiat 2300 was transformed into a car that could have easily worn the prancing horse badge.
The Fiat was launched in the same year, gaining a reasonably active motorsports career in the process, and created a template for two decades of svelte, elegant and stylish large Fiat coupes. This 1965 car was listed for sale in 2022, having been imported into the UK in 2014.
