This car, Lot 41, sold for $259,757 (€250,320), including buyer’s premium, at Artcurial’s Paris, FRA, auction, on February 7, 2025.
Back in the 1960s, the world was a simpler place with easier choices to make. In the automotive realm, if you wanted a fun-to-drive car that handled well, you were likely to pick an Alfa Romeo. With this decision made, the choice of engine capacity was left to your budget, while the number of doors was linked to your family situation. Then, you could benefit from the multitude of available coachbuilders, each one with its trademark design language. Among the power players were Pininfarina — the biggest one — mostly known for steel bodies. Bertone’s leading-edge styling was for the younger buyers, while Touring and Zagato, both from Milan, worked in aluminum alloy to stress the concept of lightness. While Touring was mostly focused on the roadgoing market, looking for refinement and some luxury, Zagato was the name to pick if you were interested in racing.
From race to road
Carrozzeria Zagato, the only one of the above coachbuilders still owned by its founding family, got its start in 1919. Since the beginning, Zagato focused on aerodynamics and reduction of weight to enhance the performance of the cars it dressed. Fundamental in the racing successes of Alfa Romeo during the pre-war years, and preferred suppliers of bodies for Scuderia Ferrari’s Alfas, its relationship further developed after the war with iconic models such as the SZ and the Kamm-tailed TZ. Because of this close racing partnership, Zagato also had access to Alfa’s less-sporty chassis.
The 2600 was available as a Berlina (sedan), Sprint (a coupe made by Bertone) and Spider (made by Touring) and was equipped with a 2.6-liter 6-cylinder engine and 5-speed gearbox. Never intended to race, the 2600 was a car for the wealthy gentleman, somewhat like Mercedes’ S Class today. But all business was welcome to Zagato, leading to its first 2600 SZ prototype in 1963. That car was deeply revised to re-debut at the 1964 Turin Motor Show as a new model on Alfa Romeo’s stand. It sported a shortened wheelbase but retained a 2+2 seating layout. It was also 265 pounds lighter than the standard coupe, with a more futuristic shape and some interesting aerodynamic solutions.
Beautifully non-original
As stated in the catalog, our subject car was the second-to-last 2600 SZ manufactured at the end of the production run in 1967. By the early 2000s, it had entered the collection of the Belgian consignor, who sent the car to Carrozzeria Touring in 2006 for a full restoration. That’s not an error — the Zagato was sent to Touring to be restored. That may sound unusual, but there is a good reason for the incongruity: The car belonged to one of the major shareholders of Carrozzeria Touring.
Naturally, the restoration work was well executed, and cost was never a limit. The car has aged well indeed in the nearly 20 years since. There are, however, some weaker points, the most visible being the Borrani wheels, as these were never equipped on a Zagato 2600 in-period. Again, there is a similar motivation, as the Ruote Borrani company is owned by the same family that owns Touring. Still, from the standpoint of historical accuracy, the car should wear its normal steel rims.
The color combination is also non-original, even though black on orange looks very nice. A look under the hood shows a clean engine bay and the car clearly has not been driven a lot during these past 20 years. Quite surprisingly, the engine number matches that of the chassis. That is unusual, as on Alfas from this period, the engine number is typically different from the chassis number, because pre-numbered engines were randomly paired with pre-numbered chassis.
One to drive
Now to the big question: Was the car a good purchase at just under $260k? Yes, it was, but it was also not cheap. This was by far the most expensive 2600 SZ sold at a major auction in the past decade. But it is also the best one. It’s also worth noting that we have seen just three 2600 SZs sold at auction since 2015.
That said, our subject car is great, but not perfect. The divergences from originality would definitely bring points deductions at ICJAG-style concours events. The buyer has to accept these modifications, as it would not only be prohibitively expensive to correct them, but it would destroy the link with the selling family — owners of two special and historic automotive brands. On the other hand, if the new owner simply wants a beautiful car to drive, maybe with two young children in the back seats, this car is perfect as-is. It should grant many hassle-free miles, good comfort and great usability in a rare model with a charismatic and charming design.
