Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint Zagato

Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint Zagato 1965 LHD During the 50'ies and 60'ies, Italian coachbuilders such as Touring, Bertone and Zagato, were living in a golden era. This was also the case for the consumers, who certainly did not complain about the huge variety in rolling sculptures on the road. Also at Alfa Romeo it was a tradition to design their own standard model and simultaneously rely on the expertise of specialist coach builders to launch more high-end, sporty variants. At the 1957 Torino Motor Show, Alfa Romeo launched the new 2000 (type 102) as the successor of the 1900 series. The Alfa Romeo 2000 sported a brisk design but still had the 'old' 1900 mechanics, although the 5-speed all synchromesh (Porsche patent) gearbox was new. The Alfa 2000 was available as in-house designed Berlina. Touring designed Spider and Bertone designed Sprint. When the market demanded more powerful cars, Alfa designed an all-new 2584cc, 6 cylinder inline, with twin overhead camshafts. This new 2600 (type 106) flagship range was launched at the 1962 Geneva Motor Show: the 2600 Berlina, Spider and Sprint. Three years later the limited edition 2600 Sedan by OSI and the much lighter and sporty 2600 Sprint Zagato were launched during the 1965 Frankfurt Motor Show. The 2600 has become a historically significant model, since it is the last 6 cylinder inline that Alfa produced, an engine configuration that was used since the 20'ies. Where the 2600 Berlina was criticized for being a bit heavy, the Zagato's modern and expressive design on a shortened wheelbase and lower curb weight transformed the 2600 SZ in a highly desirable sporty model. The for its time futuristic body design by Ercole Spada mated to the beautifully engineered Alfa Romeo 6 cylinder inline, fed by a ramp of three twin-body Solex PHH carburetors, produces a healthy 145HP, which is ideal for high speed touring . This 2600 SZ, the only one sold new in Belgium, is one of the 105 examples produced by Zagato, of which, according to the 2600 SZ Register, only 59 examples remain in existence. She underwent a full nut and bolt restoration recently (documented by hundreds of photographs) respecting the original colour combination and has been sparingly driven since. So, this 2600 SZ is today still in pristine condition. At the moment, and I believe not for so long anymore, this 2600 SZ is still a very affordable collector's item with a great future. Comes with French documents and a very detailed restoration file.