In North America, we tend to look at V8s as a traditional configuration, but that’s not true with the rest of the world. In Italy, four-cylinders have been the standard, with sixes reserved for the more upscale mainstream cars. Our Pick of the Day is one of those vehicles, but it has the additional twist of coachbuilt design. This 1968 Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint Zagato is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in the Netherlands.
When we think of Alfa Romeos from the 1960s, the one that pops up in people’s minds is the one Dustin Hoffman made famous in The Graduate. That car was sold as the Spider (a.k.a. Duetto), though it was based on the popular Giulia sedan and the Giulia Sprint GT (and variants). Twin-cam inline-fours hooked up to four- and five-speed manuals backed this series.
The 2600, on the other hand, was a fancier Italian, a flagship of sorts that was produced from 1962-68. It was available in several different configurations that, like the Giulia and many other mainstream Italian cars, may not have appeared related to each other. All mainstream 2600s were facelifted versions of their predecessor (the 2000), but the 2600 featured an engine upgrade that included two extra cylinders. In European terms, it would be considered an Executive car though, to American sensibilities it would be a tidy mid-sizer or even smaller.
Powering the 2600 was a 2,584cc DOHC straight-six with a pair of Solex carburetors and 8.5:1 compression. With 130 horsepower, this engine powered the Berlina (sedan). You would not be wrong in thinking this would have been the bread-and-butter model, but production was only 2,038 cars out of 11,451. There was also a contemporary de Luxe version by OSI but only 54 were built.
The 2600 Spider looked like a larger version of the Giulietta Spider though with a more imposing front end featuring driving lights almost equal in size to the headlights. It featured an upgraded engine featuring three Solex carburetors and 9.0:1 compression for 15 more horses. This engine was also used in the 2600 Sprint coupe, which was designed by Bertone. Interestingly, this was the biggest seller at 6,999 units.
A special version of this car designed by Zagato was unveiled at the 1965 Frankfurt Motor Show. Bucking the usual Zagato habit of using steel instead of aluminum, this special 2600 Sprint featured styling in the usual Zagato idiom including show-car looks and a more aerodynamic silhouette. Only 105 were built through 1968.
This 1968 Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint Zagato was originally built for a customer in Switzerland, though it has been with its current owner since 2007. The numbers-matching engine has recently been rebuilt, and the four-disc braking system has been “renewed” to ensure better stopping power. “This is no ordinary vehicle; it is a dynamic work of art that refuses to hide behind the silent walls of a museum and instead dazzles on the catwalk of the streets as an extremely rare and coveted phenomenon,” says the seller.
Cutting-edge engineering and design are something that the Italians have done well, though it often features a prancing horse or a trident. Here we have something different, something that will get people asking you questions while others will simply nod with envy. For $225,000 OBO (a hair over a quarter of a million dollars), you can own one of the most darling of Alfas with style that could only come from Zagato.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
