Lamley Single File: Lone Star Fiat 2300 Coupé

I love these Single File visits. Geek mode is fully engaged as I rummage through the depths of my collection (and Ebay) to bring you some weird, wonderful and forgotten diecast. Today I’ll be looking at the gorgeous Fiat 2300S coupé, and the scale counterpart from Lone Star.

The Fiat 2300 Coupé was first shown by coachbuilder Ghia at the 1960 Turin Motor Show. A grand touring version of the 2300, the production car went on sale in 1962. Powered by a 2.3 litre straight six, in ‘S’ trim with 150ps and twin carburettors, the Coupé could easily hold its own against competition from Lancia and Fiat.

Despite the specs and the gorgeous looks, the 2300 Coupe lacked any real commercial success outside Italy. And sadly like many subsequent big Fiats it remains a rather forgotten chapter of the company history.

Thankfully it must have stuck in the mind of a designer for the British Lone Star company, and they added the Coupé to the “Impy” range from 1968. My example features the bigger 5 spoke wheels fitted on the later “Road Master Flyers” cars. And I think they suit the car perfectly. The Fiat is also loaded with opening parts. As well as the doors, the bonnet opens to reveal a miniature 6-cylinder. And unusually for a diecast of this size/age, the boot also opens.

It’s better to keep everything closed and just admire the shape of the thing though. This is one of my favourite diecasts to look at. The oxidised paintwork on my example gives it that extra something that patina adds to an old car. It has history. And you can easily picture it winding its way along a Tuscan country lane, skimming along the Italian riviera or parked outside a Milanese coffee shop. I don’t have a riviera of any sort, but I do have the Lancashire coast…