One of my biggest failings in the car hobby is that when I come across a seriously cool car for peanuts price-wise, I never flip it. I see it as a sign that I should own it, like the planets aligned for me to find this particular vehicle at the perfect time and price. So, if I was the son-in-law of the owner of this 1966 Alfa Romeo 2600, I’m not putting it up for grabs but stashing it away for a rainy day. The seller of this vintage Alfa here on eBay has no such weaknesses, and it’s up for grabs with bids to $15,700 and the reserve unmet.
These classy coupes were designed by Bertone and considered a fairly high-end model in the Alfa range, packing a twin-cam inline six under the hood. That’s a honey of an engine, and the larger proportions and engine give this Alfa more of a grand touring feel than a svelte coupe like so many models in the company’s lineup at the time. The deep blue paint is beautiful and the wheels appear to have color-matched centers.
Now, when you buy a car like this, you’re resigned to the fact that the seller isn’t going to know much about it. Unless the son-in-law happens to be a car guy – which, it’s obvious, he’s not – you’re buying this Alfa on a bit of a wing and a prayer. Ironically, if he was a car guy, he probably wouldn’t be selling it. He would certainly do a more bang-up job of presenting what looks to be an absolutely minty survivor, with none of the tell-tale signs of years’ worth of neglect. The interior tells the tale of being a survivor, with pleasant indications of age but not wear-and-tear.
But perhaps the biggest selling point is the lack of rust. Rust is an absolute killers on vintage Alfa Romeos, with plenty of good cars removed from circulation due to rampant rust issues. This 2600 does not appear to suffer from that plight, and the seller’s claims of it being rust-free appear to hold up. Overall, this 2600 looks like the kind of project you want to buy, as purchasing a needier Alfa will quickly outpace its value once the restoration begins. I’ll bet you can refresh this one mechanically and otherwise enjoy it as-is.
Again Jeff, certainly agree. What really gets me is the fact that I’ve only seen a couple of these cars and I was the service manager at an Alpha dealer in he ’80s. Nice car.
One word, Alfa!
That’s what happens when you try to type and spell at 7:12 in the morning.
This is the kinda car that going down the street people will turn heads to say what is it and wow . The pics say i need a lotta love though. Interior seats and carpeting and lots of cleaning. Exhaust fitted at the local muffler shop with a glasspack is garantied to attract the law withing a block with wow total cool car but fix it to be less obnoxious please.what scares me is if it breaks down major. If i were in Europe i’m guessing. (?) parts would be more readily available that here in Canada. Whom ever gives it a nice home and invests in it will have something very unique
The seats and dash pads look like they would respond well to a proper leather cleaner and conditioner, with no apparent split seams nor obvious major cracks or shrinkage. Carpeting doesn’t look so bad either, no major tears, stains or other discoloration I can see, rubber mat maybe a bit dry and dirty but would probably do well with a good scrubbing. Just a well-loved and -preserved example, maybe not the most meticulous imaginable, but also not in need of any major reconstruction/restoration AFAICT.
As for the apparent glasspack that probably replaced a conventional secondary intermediate silencer/resonator; note there’s another, larger muffler further back as well.
As a former owner of a 2600 Spider living in Canada I can state parts are available from Europe (OK Parts Germany) quite easily and the Alfa BB is a great resource for info on these.
Great sounding engine.
Key thing on these is body condition and having all trim parts. The mechanical bits ypu will find, even if not immediately.
They ticket you for glass pack mufflers in Canada? What’s next? Chrome wheels?
These days in my neck of the USA, it’s about as likely to get a ticket for a very loud muffler or radio, as it is seeing a UFO – land & something come out. lol
Oddly, i’m hearing a lot of modern appliance cars with exhaust LEAKS up FRONT. How did they pass emissions inspection?
Minty is not a word.
Mistish? Mintery?
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/minty
Agreed, TomP. Jeff seems to enjoy taking liberties like that. In another recent post, he referred to a 77 Vette as a “muscle car”. Not minty and not a muscle car.
Melty…
Kinda looks like an Iso Rivolta
Both designed for Bertone by a very young Giugario.
Also similar to his designs for the Giulia coupe, Gordon-Keeble GT, and BMW 3200 CS.
The latter is notable as the first BMW produced with their now-signature “Hofmeister kink”, tho’ it’s unclear who originated this design element for BMWs, as both Giugiaro’s 3200 CS and Hofmeister’s “Neue Klasse” BMW 1500 sedan designs debuted together at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show. Likely there was some proverbial “comparing of notes” in the design process, to lend both new models a family resemblance, and of course that element had appeared in several prior non-BMW models and design concepts.
Located in: Alexandria, Virginia
A distinctive Alfa that appears rust-free and needs little, possibly for a bargain price. What more do we want? Clean it up, drive it, show it with patina.
I agree, Frank. Except I think in 2 days the price will be in the 30K-40K range, if not higher.
I love this car.
A #2 condition is worth $70K, #3 $43K according to Haggerty.
Since this apparently sold for under $19K, either someone got the bargain of the year, or Haggerty doesn’t represent actuality in the market?
The reserve has apparently been met, with the current bid at $18,295.
This certainly looks like a great car to own and drive, and you won’t be seeing others on the road. At the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise coming this Saturday, something like this Alfa would bring a lot of stares and appreciation.
My recollection from back in the day is that the 2600 engines did not have as good a reputation as the smaller 4 cyl.
Don’t have details but I stayed away …
Ended: Aug 17, 2023 , 10:37AM
Winning bid:US $18,695.00 [ 30 bids ]