Parts Donor? 1965 Alfa Romeo Sprint
It’s one of Alfa-Romeo’s top drawer cars but at this point, this 1965 Alfa looks more like an archeological dig. There’s some confusion as to its model year, the title claims it’s a 1966 model but the seller thinks it’s a ’65 but doesn’t offer a reason for his supposition other than a VIN interpretation. So, with that thought, let’s take a closer look and see what we can determine. This Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint is located in Joshua, Texas and is available, here on eBay for a BIN price of $6,000. There is a make an offer option too.
The more that I dig into Alfa Romeo’s past, the more surprised I am with the model variations that I discover. This particular example is known as a 2600 (’62-’68) and was offered in three different body styles, a four-door sedan, two-door convertible, and a two-door coupe known as the Sprint. Total production for the seven model years was about 13K units with approximately 7K being Sprints.
Little is said about this Alfa’s provenance other than, “The owner has had it for 1 year. The vehicle needs work“. Perhaps it needs a little too much work and it has taken the seller a year to realize that this project is going to be a major league worker. I would be hard-pressed to identify a single redeeming quality of this car’s body and structure. And that’s not to be snarky, it’s just the reality, the big problem, of course, being extreme rust and rot. And what’s not completely corroded has seen the swipe from a Bondo trowel. Add in all the missing parts and trim and it would seem to be in write-off territory.
The trend continues indoors. The upholstery, door cards, dash pad, dashboard, headliner, all of it, just looks done. The instrument panel’s binnacle still shows a full array of gauges but they’re no longer discernable though the seller claims that they all still work. Even the backseat in this car is shot.
Continuing on, under the hood is a 165 HP, 2.6 liter, in-line, six-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission. Owing to the fact, that at the very least, it is missing its intake manifold, carbs, and plenum, it’s a serious non-runner. And appearances being what they are, it’s doubtful that this Alfa-Romeo has operated in recent memory.
The seller suggests, “…despite the rust, the car is a great donor car for my other Sprint that I am selling separately which is just a shell“. Really? There’s not a whole lot here to donate, other than a pair of bumper stickers that proclaim, “My other car’s a piece of $..! too“. Well, you get the idea, there’s just so little here with which to work. And it’s a shame because a 2600 Spider possesses great Alfa Romeo lines and can be a high five-figure automobile in restored condition. As for the BIN price, I’d suggest good luck with that. If one were to make an offer, what do you think would be reasonable?
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Comments
It’s a six-banger Jim.
You are correct! I knew that and stupidly wrote a “four”. Fixed.
Thx!
JO
There were 4 versions, Jim. Zagato made 100+/- examples of 2600Z, which is most valuable derivative.
One failed to sell on BAT last week at over $140000.
Take a 0 off the price and maybe it will cover the cost of the drive train. If it was a roadster it would be in two pieces by now. Too bad. Not a lot of the big cars survived.
Agree–not sure what this guy is smoking
Oh Romeo, Romeo, where art thou, my Alfa Romeo?
These 2600 coupes are unloved and this one does not warrant restoration. As a mechanical parts source for a much more desirable 2600 Spider, it might make sense-
Many of these Alfa Romeo’s saw production in 1965 but were registered as a 1966, carryovers on dealers lots. I owned a 65 Guilia Spyder which was clearly a 1965 but registered as a 1966, ie, the Duetto…. significantly different in its architecture. For the restorer, this is a good candidate for parts, yes, and if we watch the trends in value, it becomes very clear they are escalating in price. However…… sometimes we are surprised to see a individual take a vehicle in this condition and undertake a restoration. No condemnation thereof, and admiration for the effort and love, despite possibly going underwater financially, waiting for the values to become proportional to the undertaking. Lovely cars which have been underappreciated, now coming into their limelight.
I have actually seen worse….but parts car only. There are enough around to avoid this one should you wish to restore.
The body is the first ever production design by Giugario for Bertone, debuted on 4 cylinder 2000 version, which is even rarer. Same kines carried into Giulia Bertone, Gordon-Keeble and Iso Rivolta
not worth the money, should be FREE for Parts
If I could fix the body cheaply, I would restomod it. A Busso V6, sport seats, a drop-dead colour combo (grey over tan, or blue over red), aircon… it would be a stylish daily driver with the best exhaust note in town
Since there are companies that specialize in sheetmetal fabrication by hand, and if I had the money, I would buy this car just for the bare shell … after negotiating for a lower price. Then I could give this car a custom chassis with aftermarket suspension and brakes, followed by a custom interior that includes Sparco seats, custom dashboard, and aftermarket gauges.
And with Alfa Romeo and Mopar under the Stellantis umbrella these days, I could see a Pentastar V6 being installed in the engine bay, with a Tremec TKO 5-speed backing it up.
Ended: Apr 20, 2022 , 12:01PM
Price: US $6,000.00
And relisted at $4500:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/374036319444?ViewItem=&item=374036319444
Sounds like a seller who isn’t sure what the car is worth, so started high, and will likely keep dropping the price until he finds a buyer. It’s like a reverse auction! :) I’ll bet that a truly interested buyer could chat with the seller to negotiate a mutually-agreeable price.