2600/2000 non-matching chassis numbers

["Eric Harrison" <eharrison@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In response to the recent Digest correspondence regarding matching
chassis and engine numbers, there are a number of discrepancies in the
numbering of engines to chassis for the 102 series 2000 and 106 series
2600 cars produced by Alfa Romeo between 1959 and 1969. I have taken
the figures from Fusi (1978 edition) as I do not have a copy of
D'Amico and Tabbuchi . (I resisted buying D'A+Tat the Classic Car Show
at the NEC recently when new copies were available for 89 GBPounds).

In 1961 for the 2000 Berlina there are 727 chassis powered by 728
engines. For the 1960 2000 Spider there are 1929 chassis and 1939
engines (I think that the last number used for the 1960 Spider engine
is a typo and should be 00204.03052 rather than 03062 which then fits
in with the engine numbers used in 1961) and for the 1961 2000 Spider
there are 395 chassis powered by 409 engines. In 1962 there were 47
2000 Sprint chassis powered by 48 engines. This leaves a total of 15
extra engines which fits in perfectly with the 15 special chassis used
for the show cars etc. This would mean we know which types of engines
were used in the show cars but not their actual numbers,  the other 
problem is that the numbers do not match up year-wise to the 
showcars. 

There are no details for the 2000 Vignale (10202 series) 
bodied cars although 47 chassis numbers were set aside for them it is 
unlikely that there were 47 Vignales produced (I know of about 10 of 
them). 

The 2600's are a different story altogether as in Fusi the same 
engine number is used for both the Sprints and the Spiders. On top of 
this the finish number for the 1964 engines is later than the start 
number of the 1965 engines. The RHD chassis to engine numbers are 
almost correct but the 2600SZ and 2600 OSI cars are way out (perhaps 
some were converted to BiMotore's - only joking). 

If you add to that the fact that I know about RHD Berlina's with a 
chassis number two outside the last Fusi number and the latest LHD 
Berlina chassis number I know of is 801641, a whole 126 outside the 
last Fusi number, things start to get interesting . 

It gets even more interesting if you are a Concours judge and you are 
trying to prove that the correct engine is in the car you are 
inspecting, the only surefire way I know about is to write to Elvira 
Ruocco at Centro Documentazione and obtain details from her (There 
are some cars where even she does not have details of the engine 
numbers). So in the 2600/2000 world there is less attention paid to 
matching chassis and engine numbers than for other cars. 

Regards 
Eric Harrison Club Alfa Romeo 2600/2000 International Bookshop 

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