[Ohiospider1975]

Why do 2600 Sprints, when available seem to have a lower price selling point/value than other vintage Alfas from the same era? Is this my imagination, or is this reality? Are there reasons? Too many vehicles surviving? Mechanical nightmare? Unflattering design or exterior?

 

[Bill S]

Definately NOT too many vehicles surviving. My take from talking to a few owners is that scarcity of certain parts makes them very expensive to restore. They are also (as I understand it) a bit of a cruiser, lacking the handling that characterizes the Alfas most of us are familier with. I think they are beautiful and would love to have one as a highway crusier but stocking spare parts would go against the "economy of scale" I'm trying to employ by narrowing my focus to 105/115 cars.

 

[tubut]

I had an interesting conversation with some very knowledgeable people about the value of 2600 cars, compared to other 6-cyl cars of the aera (Maserati, Lancia Jaguar, etc). They thought all 2600 cars were undervalued (not just Sprints).

Very few 2600 Sprint cars seem to exist in good to great condition. If they're for sale, their asking prices seem to be in the $45k range. They don't sell very quickly, so there doesn't seem to be a huge demand for these cars. The reality of today's market is probably no different than the reality of when these cars were new: They didn't have a huge following then and they don't have it now. I think what hurts the value most is that these cars are just not very well known.

 

[67alloy]

I had an interesting conversation with some very knowledgeable people about the value of 2600 cars, compared to other 6-cyl cars of the aera (Maserati, Lancia Jaguar, etc). They thought all 2600 cars were undervalued (not just Sprints).

Very few 2600 Sprint cars seem to exist in good to great condition. If they're for sale, their asking prices seem to be in the $45k range. They don't sell very quickly, so there doesn't seem to be a huge demand for these cars. The reality of today's market is probably no different than the reality of when these cars were new: They didn't have a huge following then and they don't have it now. I think what hurts the value most is that these cars are just not very well known.

Well said Ruedi.

I would only add that few people have actually driven a good one, and that tired old chestnuts about Solexes, tires and what not are blown out of porportion and those opinions formed decades ago.

"Although the 2600 is the most bulletproof Alfa of all time, according to an Alfa engineer who knows such things, they never had the charm of smaller Alfas and were not successful in the U.S." Pat Braden, Alfa Romeo Owners Bible.

Having owned a Maserati Sebring, I can tell you that a proper 2600 does not give up much in terms of performance or class.

Inexpicably, the market wants to compare these cars to the Giuliettas...when they are really the last of the 6c2500 touring cars, and need to be classified as such. See photo.

Cheers

 

[DPeterson3]

I recall the mid-70's when one could buy 750 and 101 Spiders for $500 - $1,500, depending upon condition. Very nice, low mileage, all-original, regularly driven 101 Giulia Spiders almost never got above about $2,000. At the same time, similar condition Sprints were around $300 to $500. I never saw a Sprint bring as much as $1,000. Note that I bought a 65 Sprint GT "Stepnose" in 1974 for $500 with about 35,000 miles on it in very nice shape.

Look at the relative value of the 750/101 Sprints and early Stepnose Sprint GT's now.

Perhaps the 2600 Sprints will find their day eventually? They strike me as being better built than the Touring Spiders, although the same rust issues threaten the species.

As for me, I like having the FNM 2300 in my 102/2000 Spider. Same horsepower as the 2600, but much less weight in the front. I reckon a good 2000 Sprint could benefit equally - although as noted they really are "Grand Touring" cars, not Sports Cars.

 

[benicia 2600]

2600 valuation

Less than 10 years ago, GTV's, giuliettas Giulias(101 and 105) could be bought for less than $10,000. What brought the value up was the desire by a few passionate collectors to perform thorough restoration work on cars that were barely drivable and did not bring much fun to their owners because of their unreliability . As those cars were brought back to life and were offered for sale , this cars were rediscovered for their wonderful nibble qualities on the road and the restorers rediscovered how well put together alfas are.
The alfa 2600 might not have been all that popular when they came out. T,his was probably more due to their high cost compared with other cars such as the jaguar xke's and porsche 356, as it was due to their driving qualities. I have restored several xke's and porsche 356, and driven them hard. When it comes to long distance driving..the 2600's come way ahead in comfort, and when the cars are put together a 2600 spider will beat any 356 or Giulietta spider to the finish line on a straight highway road..So the performance are their.. When it comes to craftsmanship...you have to restore one to know why the cars had to be expensive. The 2600's are touring cars and very luxurious one's..just like a 250 spider ferrari..As they come out of garages in high states of restorations prices will rise as people will rediscover them and appreciate that they can be driven with a lot of fun in today's traffic. remember when you could not get more than $40,000 for a 356 c convertible..that was about 10 years ago..now the cars are fetching over $120,000 for perfect examples.. so restore your 2600's drive them, show them, have other people drive them..and you will see the market catch up with their true value..

Herve

 

[rloewy]

Beautiful cars - but they certainly have a different driving experience than the sportier GTVs and Giuliettas.

I wanted to buy one in the past - but just never liked the driving experience enough to actually purchase one. I suspect that I am not the only one that prefers the driving dynamics of the smaller cars - and thus, these cars provide a great value - if you want a GT kind of a car.

It's market economics, as usual - which has nothing to say against these cars. They are achingly beautiful - but not as many people want to own them - which leaves the values somewhat depressed.