1965 Fiat 2300 Station Wagon

Fiat’s extraordinarily diverse model range for the 1960s stretched from the tiny two-cylinder 500 to the flagship 2300 series featuring a powerful six-cylinder engine, aimed at top executives and the rich and famous – even Fiat’s boss Giovanni Agnelli had one, albeit a stretched Presidenziale landaulette version.  Offered in sedan (styled by Dante Giacosa for Pininfarina), station wagon and coupe (with bodywork by Ghia) guises, the big Fiat was notable as the first car ever sold by the Turin maker with the option of automatic transmission.  Designed by former Ferrari engineer Aurelio Lampredi, the short stroke overhead-valve 2279cc six-cylinder engine used a cast iron block with an aluminium cylinder head, running a single twin-choke downdraught carburettor (or, in the case of the 2300S Coupe, a pair of twin-choke Weber 38 DCOE carburettors), mated to a four-speed gearbox or, from 1966 onwards, Borg Warner’s three-speed automatic.  The advanced specification included double wishbone front suspension with torsion bars, hydraulic dampers and an anti-roll bar, while the rear end was suspended on a sold axle with leaf springs, while Girling servo-assisted disc brakes all round proved more than adequate at arresting the stylish Fiat’s pace.  The station wagon, marketed as the Familiare in Italy, featured a luxurious, thoughtfully laid-out cabin, with a fully lined cargo bay and comfortable reclining seats, with the rears folding flat and a split tailgate.  The well-appointed dash came with an electric clock, locking glovebox and full instrumentation, along with courtesy lighting and excellent ventilation.  Contemporary road testers commented on the 2300’s impressive performance, with a top speed of around 100mph, the big Fiat could comfortably cruise at 70mph all day long and Motor magazine summed up the Familiare as ‘smooth, quiet, fast, extravagantly equipped and meticulously finished’.  Few Fiat 2300s were ever sold in Australia, with import taxes putting them beyond the reach of the average motorist and only a handful of sedans and wagons are currently on the road in this country.