Hi Amir, One caveat to Aldo's serial number location, is that I believe it should be on the non-drive side. Torpado primarily had them on the drive side in the 1950s and 60s, but from the 40s I've seen a few stamped on the non-drive side as well ... but those or some old bikes and are few and far in between. Now I'm thinking that Olmos of the time have them stamped on the seat tube near the top too, but I can't remember which side. Making matters worse, all three brands (and likely others too) have very similar lugs to the ones Aldo mentioned, but there are usually similar defining details to help separate the marques. If you send me pics, I can probably confirm if it is a Torpado or not. I leave the other marque's identification to everyone else :)
Ciao, Mark Agree Southfield MI USA ~ ~ ~
Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 19:42:46 -0400 From: "Aldo Ross" <aldoross4@siscom.net> To: "Amir Avitzur" <avitzur@013.net> Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: Re: [CR] looking for photos of 50's or early 60's Atala Gan Prix and Competizione
Hi Amir,
It's Aldo again. I've got two Atala from the early '60s, a copper 1960 and a silver 1962. Both came with Gran Sport derailleurs and Atala cottered steel cranks. Both have a metal head badges. The headlugs have cut-out windows in the shapes of elongated hearts, commas, kidneys, teardrops, etc.
Atala are easy to identify by the serial number stamped vertically into the seattube just below the seat cluster. The first 2 numbers will be the year of manufacture.
Hope this helps.
Aldo Ross
Middletown, Ohio
Competizione
>
> A friend recently aquired an old lightweight frame.
> It has an Italian threaded bottom bracket, a long wheelbase and
> comfortable
> angles.
> We're both guessing its an old Atala.
>
> Anybody have photos of a 50's or early 60's Atala Gan Prix, Competizione
> or
> equivalent?
>
> Amir Avitzur
> R"G Israel (where there are at least two more known classic collectors)