Re: [CR]Strange looking Masi Special

Tom wrote:
> A couple of other list members and I are looking at E-Bay item #3673533009 which
> purports to be a '60 Masi Special. There seem to be more than a few quirks
> about this bike. Another case of E-Bay high jinks? Very strange...

The paint is most definitely not original to this bike, nor are the top tube braze-ons. The rear drop-outs seem to be period correct (I believe that the top hole for the Campagnolo Sport derailleur spring is visible) for an early 60's Masi Special, as does the whole fork. The headlugs also have the neat little 'rib' that was common on many of the Masi Specials that I have seen (one which is now sitting in my garage and will be delivered to its new owner at le cirque.) All of the Masi Specials of the early 60's vintage that I have seen had Georg Fischer BB shells which this one doesn't have. It could be that the frame was simply given to Alberto Masi for painting. I have a frame that used to belong to the late Wladimiro Panizza (check out his palmares at: http://www.velo-club.net/article.php?sid=10741 ) and it is decaled as a Masi but is in fact made by Marnati. Apparently it was Alberto who personally decided to add the decals during the repaint, maybe because he realized that having Panizza rifding a Masi-decalled bike was good advertising and there were no doubts about the quality of the Marnati frame.

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Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ