This produced a lot of Off list traffic and some of this should be posted for Archives sake
* We are dealing with both home market and export models though I would be surprised if there was much variation in the 1960s.Here in the USA Ben Lawee of Long Beach,CA was the long time importer and there was another in the East but what their connection was is unknown to me. I know that you had to be a volume seller to have access to the order pad for the TEAM bikes and we never saw more than 1 or 2 per year . In 1963/64 the Specialissima sold for 179.95 and the TEAM for $25 more . Ben Lawee was a shrewd man and the Celeste always was the TEAM color and never did I see anything else use it (Track bikes also were Celeste-did anyone see any variation in that?)
* the generation of the bikes in question is what I call 1960s with the integrated headsets. This actually carried over to at least 1972 when the last of the headset lugs were exhausted last production year probably was mixed with Campagnolo headsets appearing on some sizes and Integrated type on others
* the issue of the Blue primer on this bike, I talked to Ed Litton who has painted many bikes of this vintage (we could make a good case he has painted as many as anyone else or even more) he told me the common primer coat was Red (a lead zinc chromate) but saw very few variations * We know that in Europe in the 40s and 50s Celeste was much more of a common color coming on many models * the chrome banding which to me looked incorrect as I am used to seeing multiple stripes and panels shows up on Mike Shorts 1960 Specialissima. plus there may have been variations due to Chrome. note headbadge in Mikes ans the FS bike don't agree. I remember the badges being round with the Eagle raised. We need some kind of time line on the headbadges as the one on the FS bike looks more 70s to me but who knows how many times they recycled the design. * Lawee stopped importing Bianchi in 1968 and we were told they wanted to build more Mopeds for the Italian market. Maybe some one can fill in this blank between Lawee and who ever did it in the 1971/72 period when they again made a national comeback. I know there were Gray Market TEAM bikes during this period but was there a true distributor (it had to be in the East) * In the 70s there seemed to be bikes appearing but in low numbers and with none of the design points of the 1960s era bikes. I think I have photos of a 1976 and also a 1978 Catalog which I have posted on wooljersey.com. Catalogs were rare in the 60s and if anyone has one showing the 1960s models please let me know
So in going back to the bike we originally discussed I now think it could be a Euro ONLY model and one they used blue primer on. I could be original and the paint certainly looks that way. I know there are a couple of Salmon colored bikes kicking around but I now think those were repainted sold by Oscar at American Cyclery in SF. If anyone has more info lets keep it on list so the archive searchers will have that info available. I am especially interested in any early 70/71/72 bikes with the Campagnolo headsets ,my guess is they would be in the smaller sizes as Guy Apples 1972 still has the integrated HS ,Jack Gabus also has one of these and it would be interested if I could get the serial number.
BOB FREITAS
MILL VALLEY, CA