Twin-Cam Flagship! 1964 Alfa Romeo Sprint 2600
A rusty Italian coupe greets the morning sun with no grille, plenty of dents, and a hint of optimism. The 1964 Alfa Romeo Sprint 2600 in Glendale, California has seen better days, but a freely-turning engine and surprisingly well-kept interior offer promise for buyers with an appetite for metal body repairs. The last Alfa Romeo to feature an inline six cylinder engine, the Sprint 2600 marks the end of an era as Alfa Romeo transitioned to more economical cars and four-cylinder engines. With only about 7000 built between 1962 and 1968, the Sprint would be rare to witness in person, but not enough to demand your life savings in this condition. Check out more pictures and details here on Craigslist, where the $20,000 asking price stands unmet for about 20 days. Thanks to reader Kyle K for the tip on this once-gorgeous project car.
We’ve all seen six or seven year old cars with more ragged interiors than this almost 60 year old Italian. Three large dials in the hooded instrument panel keep the driver informed, and the *five* speed manual gearbox would have been one of few in America before the mid-’70s. Dainty power window switches and comfortable-looking seats put some “grand touring” in the sporty coupe.
Rust-through and signs of bodywork plague every view of the Alfa Romeo, but the trim and bumpers look comparatively shiny and straight.
Triple carburetors feed the 2.6L (158 cid) DOHC (Double Over-Head Cam) inline six-cylinder powerplant, making 165 HP. Richer deeper red paint at the cowl suggests an original color much more attractive than the faded exterior hue. The shipment of a distributor to replace a missing unit promises to get the straight six running again, according to the seller.
Not even this car’s rough presentation detracts from the Sprint 2600’s lovely Italian lines. Sporty with an air of luxury, the Sprint suggests performance without menace. Attractive from any angle, the 2+2 rides on a wheelbase some four inches longer than the C2 and C3 Chevrolet Corvettes. With “Fair” #4 values above $50,000, according to Hagerty, and perfect #1 examples around $200,000, there might be some meat on the bone at the asking price, assuming the distributor buoys the foundered engine. Would you take a gamble on this rough red Italian?
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Comments
The 2600 was a absolute dog.
The 2600 Sprint and Spider were developed from the earlier Models 1900 and 2000 as grand tourers, not for track use although a few 2600 Sprints ran in the European Touring Car and the World Sports Prototype Classes from 1964 to 1969.
The performance of these models was adequate for their intended purpose, long-legged cruising. The 0.79 fifth gear and 4.78 rear gave a final 3.78 ratio which allowed a top end of 124 mph@ 6500 rpm. Admittedly, if behind the wheel of a 2600 Sprint, I would not want to closely follow a well driven Giulietta Veloce into a decreasing radius turn.
Beautiful lines. Always loved the design. Can’t say how they stacked up among the competition performance wise then a now.
I believe you are quoting Sprint Speciale prices, and this is just a Sprint….
Too bad he couldn’t wait on UPS, for that distributor. Could he send it to the new owner?
Tight fit to be in back Seats . Got to be really skinny, I’m out.
Looks kinda like benz quarters with a Ferrari like front end and nose and an opel from the rear. Imo. Cool car if you’re into these.Parts can’t be cheap or easy to find though.
You selected the wrong model for Hagerty values. Look up 2600 Sprint.
And though they list #1 condition on these at $128K, I’ve never seen one go for more than $60K.
20K is pushing it. Just a few years ago these were going for 6 or 7K in this condition, and even that was optimistic.
I can believe that a number of the Alfa shop’s in that area made an offer, but not close to the $20k price.