Re: Torpado...
I think we talked at length about Torpado a few years ago (but who knows if it's in the archives..) BUT, I wanted to mention that the top model Super Light was, at the beginning of the 1980s, one of the trickest factory bikes ever. Considering Torpado was a fairly large concern, not a small boutique builder, it still went very far in delivering very special and personalized machines. The Super Light model had almost every custom detail of the era. The lugs, bb, fork crown, brake bridge, chainrings, shift levers, brake levers, stem were all pantographed with Torpado logos. The rear gear cable was hidden in the chain stay & the faces of the dropouts had neat little slots routed out in. The rich pearl blue "Celeste" color was their company ID color (Like Ferrari red or Bianchi Celeste, but different) for many years going back in the 1950s. There was a question about the value of Torpado bikes.. The reality is that despite how nice these bikes were and the extra touches that set them apart from other makes, perhaps unfairly they have little following and therefore receive relatively low prices when sold. Of course that goes to a larger topic as to why certain items are "more collectable" than others and that quality is not the only element that contributes to an item's appeal....
Dale Brown
Greensboro, NC