Everything you said, except I think the proper name was "MINK blue and silver". Cool name, cooler color, yet cooler bike. Brampton fastback seatstays were cool, chrome full-sloping fork crown was cool, all Campy gear was cool, even this Francophile has to admit. Wanted a mink blue and silver fastback Raleigh Pro since 1975, finally got one from Pergo in about 2003 or so. The dream of youth finally fulfilled.
Regards,
Jerry Moos Big Spring, Texas, USA
"P.C. Kohler" <kohl57@starpower.net> wrote: Oh dear, we're revisiting this again! I love how a general topic "why we collect what we collect" turns around to an appraisal of a specific make and model that winds up illustrating too well the general concept.
We collect what we coveted and thought cool when we were 16. I remain convinced of this. Regardless of age, nationality or means. If you were 16 years old in the USA in 1974 the Raleigh Pro was cool. I don't give a hoot about the brazing or build quality. Then or now. If we wanted the best components back then we would have bought French Simplex. Spidel or Huret, but the cool was Campag. Admit it. You know it's true. Then. Now. Cool isn't better. Then or now. But cool is timeless. When you are 16 cool is cool not some nonsense about "build quality" or brazing.
By the way, I don't own a single 1970s Raleigh. Then or now. I have a '69 PX-10 and a '74 Moto Team Champ. I am sure they are way better than their Raleigh competition of their era. Then. And now. But a platinum blue and silver Raleigh Pro is still cool. Then. And now. And no one is going to tell me otherwise. At age 16 or 50. And yep, when I was 16 I had never heard of no Masi either. Washington was Peugeot, Gitane or Raleigh.
Peter Kohler
Washington DC USA