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Alfa Romeo 2600 General Information |
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| by Hendrik Jan van Wylick | | | In 1961 the production started and ended in 1968. The Alfa Romeo 2600 was first introduced at the Geneva Motor show of 1962. In this production era five editions were designed by different bodywork factories. The Sprint by Bertone, the Berlina was designed by Alfa Romeo, the Spider by Carrozzeria Touring, the SZ by Carrozzeria Zagato and the De-Luxe edition by OSI (Officine Stampaggi Industriali). The SZ as well as the De-Luxe debuted in 1965 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. |  Alfa Romeo 2600 Berlina |  Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider | In many aspects the 2000 series can be considered as the predecessor of the 2600 models. The main differences between the series are the six cylinder engine – instead of a four cylinder engine – and a facelift. The most eye catching change is the air scoop on top of the bonnet of the Sprint and Spider. The proceeding straight, six cylinder engines produced by Alfa Romeo were the engines of the Alfa Romeo 6C, built from 1925 till 1950. The latest version of the engine, the 6C 2500 (2443 cc), was introduced in 1939, thus 22 years before the production of the 2600 series’ engine started. | The Alfa Romeo 2600 has a 2584cc gasoline engine, two valves per cylinder, two camshafts, which are placed on top of the cylinder head (double overhead camshafts, or DOHC), three carburetors, it contains 7 liters of oil and produces 145 bhp (108 kW). The 2600 has a five speed gearbox driving the rear axle while the Sprint, with an empty weight of 1280 kg, has a top speed of 200 km/h. The Spider weighs 1220 kg, because of more drag, has about the same top speed. The Berlina has a top speed of 175 km/h because the engine has only two carburetors, and therefore produces 130 bhp (96 kW). |  Alfa Romeo 2600 Engine |  Alfa Romeo 2600 Engine | The 2600 series front wheels are fitted with a double wishbone suspension, and the car has 165/40 radial tires, which look elegant, but the tires have not grown at the same pace as the weight and power of the smaller Alfa Romeo of that time, the Giulieta. This means the handling of the contemporary Alfa Romeo Giulieta is better for cornering, and the 2600 overall is less sporty compared to the Giulia, third Alfa Romeo of that time. The 2600 is designed to comfortably transport four adults at high speed over a long distance, and these tires provide the required stability. A well known term for this type of car is Gran Turismo (Grand Touring, or GT). | | Sale numbers of the 2600 line (1961 – 1968): 2600 Sprint: 2600 Spider: 2600 Berlina: 2600 SZ: 2600 De-Luxe: | 6999 2257 2038 105 54 |  Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint | If you look at the sale figures of the sporty coupe version, the Sprint by Carrozzeria Bertone, you may notice this car sold about three times more than the Berlina, the more practical, four-door saloon. The successful design of the 2000 and 2600 Sprint were of the famous Giorgetto Giugiaro, only since 1959 head of Carrozzeria Bertone's design department. His first big project was the Sprint, and it still is a great head turner, and inspired many other designs. The 2600 series was the flagship of Alfa Romeo, and was therefore very expensive, fewer than 12000 cars were sold in 6 years. These low sales in the 1960’s have made this series rather exclusive. The beautiful curvature, and a wonderfully powerful engine make the 2600 a fun and prestigious ride. |  |
|  Alfa Romeo 2600 SZ |  Alfa Romeo 2600 De-Luxe |
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