This Colnago C35 is almost one of a kind. Dripping in a gold-plated 35th anniversary Campagnolo Record groupset, Colnago five-spoke wheels and heaps of special-edition Colnago collaboration components from the likes of ITM and Look, this is really special.
Made of a carbon-kevlar composite and designed in collaboration with Ferrari from 1988-1990, the C35 was one of the first monocoque bike frames ever made.
I first heard about the bike via a call from Stephen Roche (not that one!) – better known as The Bike Tailor, a Brighton and London-based bike fitter specialising in bespoke, high-end builds. He was calling to let me know he had, as he put it, a “pretty special” Colnago for me to come and take a look at.
However, I wasn’t prepared for the bike that awaited me.
It has a gold-plated Campagnolo Record groupset, radical Colnago wheels and a Ferrari red paintjob.
Currently being looked after by Roche at Rapha’s HQ in London, the owner of this bike has received an offer of £25,000 from the Colnago museum, as well as plenty of interest from world-class auctioneers who believe it could fetch more.
The true value of this bike is hard to know, but to the right person, it’s virtually priceless.
A frame from the future
The carbon/kevlar composite frame was the first monocoque carbon fibre frame to be produced – the main impetus behind the Colnago and Ferrari collaboration.
The tubes have a bowed diamond-shaped cross-section and follow flowing organic lines across the bike.
When you remember this bike was produced in the late 1980s, you come to appreciate just how radical its shape is.
Carbon technology was still in its infancy and the bulk of carbon frames at the time still used the glued lugs of their steel forefathers.
Weighing in at 10.12kg as seen, it’s no featherweight – but I’d say that’s pretty respectable given the era.
Compare it to one of the latest aero bikes, such as the Colnago Y1Rs, and that’s at least a 3kg weight penalty – if not more.
Greats of Italian engineering
The frame is dripping with Ferrari logos. Ernesto’s signature is scrawled on the non-driveside top tube and the Colnago clover logo can be seen on almost every component.
The driveside chainstay holds the key to this bike’s scarcity; the Hors Ligne logo – reserved for bikes and cars that have seen Enzo Ferrari’s showroom in Maranello.
Roche believes this specific bike to be one of only two in this colourway; Ferrari red with white lettering, as opposed to the more 'common' yellow.
Those wheels…
The Colnago carbon five-spoke wheels are absolutely wild up-close. The narrow, tubular rim bed flows organically into five broad, rounded spokes. In the centre, Colnago proprietary hubs keep things running smoothly.
Be sure to check out our video to hear how the Colnago freehub sounds.
The wheels are, of course, tubulars. The tyres are the only component that has been changed from the original build.
The Vittoria Corsa CX kevlar tubs are brand new old stock, and cost the owner £3,000 a pair to bring this bike back up to spec.
Heart of gold
If the frame of a bike is its heart, then the groupset is its lungs, stomach, liver and kidneys.
The Campagnolo C-Record 35th anniversary groupset was produced in double-digit numbers, and the example on this C35 is in mint condition.
The 52/39t chainrings and 13-23t 8-speed cassette look untouched – you could eat your dinner off them.
The shine on the brake levers, calipers – which are complete with original Campagnolo brake blocks – cranks and derailleurs is pristine. It's 24-carat gold-plated, with some lovely Campagnolo detailing etched in.
It’s all about the details…
One of my favourite things about a bike such as this is the tiny details you only see when you’re up close to it.
No component on this bike is stock; every single part of it has been touched by either Colnago or Ferrari. The Look pedals and the ITM stem both have a Colnago logo etched in, and the saddle – complete with carbon rails, no mean feat in 1988 – has a Ferrari badge on the nose.
These little touches show just how special a bike this is.
