Sifting through the various Coppi bikes - the one in the Milan Technological Museum appears to be too small for the Campionissimo, the one at the Madonna del Ghisallo has a later Simplex derailleur - I wonder about Alex Clarke's machine, visible at
http://www.vintagevelos.com/
Are those card symbols really evidence for a Coppi provenance? Or were they used on a) top-of-the-line bikes for sale or b) on all team bikes at the time? What about the "FC" in the lugs? A true sign of a "Fausto" bike, or just a "commemorative" series?
The bike does appear to be Coppi's size, and the thinned BB shell appears to indicate a top-of-the-line Bianchi of the time. I have not yet asked Alex about the history to see whether there is more to its provenance...
Opinions appreciated.
--
Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
140 Lakeside Ave #C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.bikequarterly.com