The Alfa Romeo 2600 (Tipo 106) was Alfa Romeo´s six-cylinder flagship produced from 1961 to 1968. It was the successor to the Alfa Romeo 2000. It has become historically significant as the last Alfa Romeo to have been fitted with an inline six-cylinder engine with twin overhead camshafts. That had been the traditional Alfa Romeo engine configuration since the 1920s, but gave way to four-cylinder engines as the factory oriented its production towards more economical mass-produced car models starting in 1950.
The 2600 was introduced at the 1962 Geneva Motor Show, as a sedan with a factory-built body (2600 Berlina), a two-plus-two seater convertible with body by Carrozzeria Touring (2600 Spider), and a coupe with a body by Bertone (2600 Sprint). A convertible based on the Sprint coupe was shown by Bertone in 1963. It was also named 2600 Sprint, but did not enter production. The limited edition 2600 SZ (Sprint Zagato) with fastback coupe bodywork by Zagato, and the very limited-edition 2600 De Luxe with five-window sedan bodywork by OSI (Officine Stampaggi Industriali) were introduced three years later in 1965 at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The 2600 Sprint made more of an impression. It was a large grand touring coupé which could seat four adults in comfort over long journeys at high speeds. As such, it did not suffer unfair comparisons with other models in the Alfa Romeo range as none of them could be directly compared with it. In that mode of operation, oriented more towards fast touring than sporting driving, the agility and handling balance of the smaller Alfas mattered less, while the stability and smoother ride of the larger car, and the wide power and torque band of the six-cylinder engine, came onto its own. Added to the greater space and comfort, those virtues made a convincing case for the 2600 Sprint. The car also inherited the sharp, modern styling of its predecessor, the 2000 Sprint, and that certainly contributed to its being the top seller in the 2600 range. That shape had been the result of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s first major project as head designer for Carrozeria Bertone, and is arguably one of the most influential designs in the history of automotive styling.
A certain number of 2600 Sprints were purchased by the Italian government and specially equipped and modified to be used as Highway Police and Carabinieri patrol cars, respectively nicknamed “Pantera” (panther) and “Gazzella” (gazelle), from the emblems of their rapid intervention teams. The cars were very suitable for high-speed pursuits to counter the increase in armed robberies by motorized gangs in 1960s Italy, and appeared in quite a few genre movies of the time.
The 2600 range was replaced at the top of the Alfa range by the 1750 models in 1968. The 1750s were refined versions of the 1600 cc Giulia range which continued in production, so once more the Alfa Romeo flagship was a derivative product created by upgrading the motor of an existing range and carrying out a minor restyling. All similarity with the 2600 ends there though; the 1750s, and the 2000s which evolved from them, were a great success for Alfa Romeo from every point of view, especially sales.
Today, as classics, the 2600 Sprint and Spider are appreciated for the tasteful and opulent styling of both the bodywork and the interior, for the performance, technology and sound of the six-cylinder twin-cam engine, and perhaps ironically for their rarity compared to the more successful Alfa Romeo models of the same era. The fact that the cars are rare, and their parts are either dedicated to the 2600 range, or derive from even earlier Alfas, means that owners need to dedicate a lot of effort and resources to restoration and maintenance. Very few 2600 Berlinas have found dedicated owners in the decades since the model was discontinued, therefore very few have survived. 2600 SZ’s are very rare (only 105 cars were produced) today they are by far the most valuable model in the range. The 2600 OSI De Luxe has always been extremely rare but there are no signs of it having become particularly desirable as a collector’s item.
