Alfa Romeo’s 2000/2600 family of saloons, spiders and coupés have never quite captured the imagination in the way the smaller 101 and 105-Series Giulias and Giuliettas have done but are now finally being recognised as serious classics in their own right.

The 2000 replaced the 1900-Series as Alfa Romeo’s flagship model in 1958 and utilised a 2-litre, four-cylinder engine coupled with a 5-speed gearbox on a longer wheelbase platform for additional legroom.

The Berlina was joined at the outset by a lovely Spider version, styled by Carrozzeria Touring, which acquired a set of twin carburettors to boost power to 115bhp.

In 1960, the range was further expanded to include an elegant 2+2 Coupé styled by the talented Giorgetto Giugiaro, then employed as Chief Designer by Bertone.

The Sprint, as the coupé version was known, managed to convey a refined, sporting air that still looks fabulous nearly six decades on.

Answering criticism that the 2000 lacked power, Alfa’s engineers developed a n...