After years of four-cylinder power, Alfa Romeo switched to a six-cylinder engine late in 1962. This new model known as the 2600 had the familiar dual overhead camshaft configuration which put out 145 hp at 5,900 rpm. Top speed was 120 mph. Models included a four-door Berlina with factory bodywork, a Sprint coupe with bodywork by Bertone, a Spider convertible by Touring and the rarest model, the SZ coupe with bodywork by Zagato, pictured here. Equipped with its original 2.6-liter engine and five-speed transmission, this very original California car had less than 60K original miles, with just one repaint and retaining its very nice original black interior. This car received the "La Dolce Vita" award at Concours Italiano in 1996.
{analysis} The car described here sold for $27,500 (including 10% commission) at the RM Classic car auction held in Monterey on August 27-28, 1999. It is hard to put your finger on exactly what features of the standard Bertone 2600 Sprint make collectors overlook it. The 2600 is often described as heavy or ponderous and indeed the impression while driving one of these cars is exactly that-if you use the Giulietta as the base line. If put in the perspective of a mid-'60s, six-cylinder coupe and compared to say, a Mercedes-Benz 220SEb, the Alfa suddenly comes off as a much sportier package. Factor in the lighter SZ at 2,500 pounds coupled with a wheelbase that is 80-mm shorter than a standard Bertone 2600, and we have what is clearly the sportiest of all 2600 models. With a production of a little over one hundred examples, we also have the rarest of all the 2600s.
All of these attributes, with the added sizzle of Zagato bodywork, should be the recipe for a six-figure car. This was in fact the case during the grand days of the late '80s when TZ-1s were fetching $500K. Lesser Zagatos like this 2600 were "dragged-up" by the skyrocketing value of their more desirable brethren.
Just like everything else, the 2600 has fallen to a fraction of its old value and today's collectors have learned a few lessons since those days and won't pay big money for anything simply because it is rare or similar to another, more valuable car.
Still, the 2600 is by far the cheapest of any large displacement Zagato and thousands cheaper than its nearest Zagato competitor, the Lancia Flaminia. These factors and the buying public's comfort level with Alfas (compared to Lancias at least) makes the 2600SZ a car with a certain following and an established value. Not all buyers, particularly ones at auctions, are familiar with the values of not-so-well-known models like this one and I wonder how much SCM's price guide influenced the final purchase price. Right in the middle of the $25K-30K range, the price just might show that this was an educated buy, and that both seller and buyer are accepting the reality of today's marketplace. Still, for a rare Zagato, this was a good buy.-Michael Duffey
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