1964 Alfa Romeo 2600

The Alfa Romeo 106-series was introduced in 1962 at the Geneva Salon and was available in Berlina, Sprint, and Spider guises. It combined its predecessor's (102-series) basic floorpan with a fresh 2584cc dual overhead camshaft engine. The previous long-stroke, 2.0-liter four was displaced by a new six-cylinder unit. The all-alloy, twin-cam engine was designed specifically for the car and was quoted as developing 145 horsepower and 156 lb-ft of torque. The 2600 models would be the last inline six-cylinder Alfa Romeos to feature dual overhead camshafts. Power from the engine was sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed gearbox and was kept in check by all-round coil-sprung suspension and servo-assisted discs in the front and drums at the rear. Later 2600s were upgraded with disc brakes at the rear.

The styling of the flagship 2600 Series was similar to the previous 2000 range, albeit with the updated engine. Due to the lack of resources, Alfa Romeo focused most of their development resources on the mid-sized Giulia which was introduced around the same time. The running gear of the 2600 was similar to that of the Series 1900 from 1950, as its predecessor, the 2000, was basically a 1958 restyling of the 1900. In 1968, the 2600 model was replaced by the range-topping 1750 which came equipped with a refined version of the 1600cc Giulia (thus, the 1750 continued the tradition of being the top-of-the-line model with minor restyling and an upgraded motor).

The Spider variant was designed and built by Carrozzeria Touring and incorporated overtones of the Aston Martin DB4 convertible. Its top speed of 125 mph and spirited acceleration made the 2+2 Spider a spirited and stylish tourer. During its three-year production lifespan, a total of 2,255 Spiders were constructed.

Like the spider, the coachbuilt Sprint by Bertone (designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro) was expensive and rare when new due to being constructed by hand. The sharp-edged Berlina sedan was styled in-house. A few of the bodies were outfitted by Italian coachbuilder Zagato and were sold as the 2600 SZ. A total of 2,038 Berlinas, 6,999 Sprints, and 105 Sprint Zagatos. An additional 54 examples were 2600 De Luxe models, available with either the two- or three-carburetor setup. The Sprint Zagato used the three-carb setup which offered 165 horsepower.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2021