Description
Alfa Romeo 2600 Touring Spider The 2600 Touring Spider was one of the last great creations of the Milanese coachbuilding workshop Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera, whose name embodies the finest of Italian craftsmanship and a forward-looking stylistic language. The Touring patented Superleggera construction – a fine steel tubular chassis, covered with thin hand-hammered aluminium panels – gave the Spider exceptional lightness as well as harmonious proportions. The front end, with the classic Scudetto grille and the slightly inclined twin headlights, introduced a new stylistic language at Alfa Romeo: elegant, yet imbued with sporting tension. The design is the work of Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni and his team at Touring Superleggera. Technically, the 2600 represented a major advance over its predecessor, the 2000. The inline six, made of light alloy, featuring two overhead camshafts and three Solex C 40 PHH carburettors, delivered power with sovereign poise, accompanied by that melodious six-cylinder Alfa sound. The five-speed manual allowed quick and precise gear changes; four-wheel disc brakes offered remarkable stopping distances for the era, and the well-balanced mass distribution gave the Spider surprisingly sporty handling – despite its fundamentally comfort-oriented setup. In the 1960s it stood as the automotive statement of refined individualists. Between 1962 and 1965, barely 2, 250 examples of the 2600 Spider were produced by Touring in Milan – each a handcrafted testament to Italian elegance. Description of the Alfa Romeo 2600 Touring Spider offered here – SSC650 The Alfa Romeo 2600 Touring Spider offered here was initially delivered to the United States and imported to Germany in 1990 from Florida. Since then, the car has remained in the hands of collectors and has been maintained with great craftsmanship, while benefiting from various technical improvements over the years. In January 2014, it was registered in the name of a former owner of note from the automotive industry. Under his ownership, extensive work was undertaken, taking the vehicle to a remarkable technical and aesthetic level. Interventions include: – complete interior refurbishment, including the hood – a new high-quality paint job – overhaul of the heating and ventilation system – repair of the gearbox and replacement of the clutch – overhaul of the rear axle, differential and driveshaft – engine refurbishment followed by optimisation, synchronisation and tuning of all carburettors. After completing these works, the Spider passed into the hands of its last owner, who maintained it with the same care. This 2600 Touring Spider presents today in an exceptionally well-kept and harmonious overall condition – technically precise, aesthetically elegant, and endowed with that authentic aura that only perfectly restored original parts possess. The Borrani wire wheels highlight its exclusivity and confer on the Spider that subtle and discreet extravagance that embodies the spirit of the great Gran Turismos of the 1960s – true works of automotive art for discerning enthusiasts. This Touring Spider comes with German registration documents, the original American title, customs clearance papers dating from 1991, as well as a repair manual. Of course, the Spider is thus registered in Germany as a collector’s vehicle and fully compliant with homologation requirements. Conclusion The Alfa Romeo 2600 Touring Spider precisely embodied what would later be called the Dolce Vita: the lightness of living, style, sunshine and a touch of aristocratic distance. In the streets of Rome or along the Riviera, one would drive with the roof down, sunglasses and a silk scarf, listening to Peppino di Capri on the radio. The 2600 Spider was the ideal car for this new generation of cultured Italians, living between tradition and modernity. A Gran Turismo for connoisseurs. It shared boulevards with contemporary Maserati icons such as the 3500 GT Vignale, the Lancia Flaminia Touring or the Ferrari 250 GT – all from the same brilliant era; yet the Alfa has always seemed a touch more refined, more distinguished… more intellectual. The 2600 Spider is not a showy apparition, but a quiet and elegant statement – a harmony of lines and tones, composed for those who hear beauty even before they see it. Recommendation: Several examples of the Alfa Romeo 2600 – as well as the...
