1965 ALFA ROMEO 2600 SZ

1965 ALFA ROMEO 2600 SZ
CHASSIS 856025 · BODYWORK BY ZAGATO

Comprehensive Documented Restoration by Berlinetta Motorcars, Long Island · Weber Carburetor Option · Borrani Wire Wheels · Black / Saddle Tan · Under 1,000 Miles Post-Restoration

THE MODEL — HISTORY & SIGNIFICANCE
The Alfa Romeo 2600 (Tipo 106) was Alfa Romeo's six-cylinder flagship, produced from 1962 to 1968, and holds a permanent place in automotive history as the last Alfa Romeo fitted with a straight-six twin-cam engine — a configuration that traced its lineage directly to the 1920s. When production ceased, so did four decades of the finest Italian inline-six tradition.
Introduced at the 1962 Geneva Motor Show in Berlina, Spider, and Bertone Sprint forms, the range gained its most dramatic member three years later at the 1965 Frankfurt Motor Show: the 2600 SZ, a fastback coupé bodied by Zagato to the design of Ercole Spada. Spada had already produced the Aston Martin DB4 Zagato and the Giulietta SZ; the 2600 SZ was his most challenging and arguably most audacious commission. Alfa Romeo's insistence on steel coachwork — rather than the expected aluminium — made the task formidable. The result was a bold, shark-nosed fastback with a pronounced Kamm tail, large glass surfaces, and sunken headlamps in stainless steel shrouds: a car that was polarising at introduction and is today regarded as one of the defining Italian coachbuilt designs of its decade.
RARITY
From 1965 to 1967, just 105 examples of the 2600 SZ were produced in total, including the developmental prototypes. Of the entire 2600 range — Berlina, Sprint, Spider, OSI De Luxe, and SZ combined — fewer than 11,500 were ever built. The SZ, at 105 units worldwide, is in a class of rarity that places it firmly among the most significant Italian automobiles of the 1960s. Today, examples in any condition are uncommon; a fully documented, comprehensively restored example fitted with rare original options is genuinely exceptional.
MECHANICALS & THE WEBER OPTION
The 2600 SZ is built on the series 106.12 chassis and powered by the AR 00612 engine: a 2,584cc six-cylinder twin-cam unit. In standard form the engine is fed by triple Solex carburettors producing approximately 145 horsepower, giving a top speed of around 210 km/h — some 17 km/h faster than the standard Sprint coupé thanks to the Zagato body's superior aerodynamics.
Chassis 856025 is fitted with the extremely rare Weber carburetor option — a triple Weber DCOE arrangement noted by marque specialists as among the most desirable of all 2600 configurations. The Webers deliver substantially improved throttle response, enhanced output, and the characteristically urgent induction sound that defines the best Italian engines of this era. Original Weber manifold and carburettors are present.
BORRANI WIRE WHEELS
Steel wheels were standard equipment on all Alfa Romeo 2600 series cars from the factory; Borrani wire wheels were a special-order option of significant rarity. The correct fitment for the 2600 is the RW 3906, a 5.0-inch-wide 400mm-diameter wheel with aluminium rim and T-52 splined hubs — a configuration that required a dedicated hub conversion and was ordered by only a small fraction of buyers. The visual transformation these wheels impart is as significant as their historical rarity: the elegant, light-catching spokes are the natural complement to the Zagato body's sculptural lines.
RESTORATION — BERLINETTA MOTORCARS, HUNTINGTON, LONG ISLAND
Since 1979, Berlinetta Motorcars has been among North America's most respected Italian classic car restoration houses — holders of a first-place finish at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, multiple Cavallino Classic Platinum awards, and the endorsement of Car and Driver magazine for the quality of their work. Their portfolio spans Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, and Porsche restorations of the highest concours standard. Berlinetta's own completed work includes a dedicated 2600 Sprint Zagato restoration — making them one of the very few shops in the world with documented, hands-on experience with this specific model.
The comprehensive restoration of chassis 856025 is fully documented. With fewer than 1,000 miles driven since completion, the car remains in essentially as-restored condition throughout.
PRESENTATION
Gloss black coachwork over saddle tan leather is among the most distinguished and timeless combinations available on a car of this period. Against the Zagato body's complex surfaces and the glinting Borrani wire wheels, the black paint reads as both elegant and purposeful. The saddle tan interior provides rich contrast, correct in period character, and beautifully complementary throughout.

AT A GLANCE
One of 105 produced worldwide · Ercole Spada / Zagato coachwork · Rare Weber DCOE carburetor option Borrani wire wheels (factory special-order fitment) · Documented restoration by Berlinetta Motorcars Under 1,000 post-restoration miles · Black / Saddle Tan

Provenance documentation and restoration records available upon request.