Just before Christmas on one of our weekly “lunch rides” a mate of mine showed up on this stunning Colnago C35 that I’d never seen before. He keeps it locked away for special occasions such as lunch rides and I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Over-the-top bling, but somehow beautifully elegant at the same time. We just had to feature it…

In 1989 Colnago celebrated its 35th anniversary by introducing a very limited edition C35 Oro road bike. The road bike was the fruition of a collaborative project with Ferrari resulting in Colnago’s first monoccoque frame. Additionally, Campagnolo contributed to this project by manufacturing a limited edition gold plated C-Record groupset. The frame itself was manufactured at the Colnago factory in Cambiago under the guidance of Ferrari since Ferrari was heavily involved in utilising carbon for its automotive projects. The wheels of the bike were designed and developed by Ferrari.

Nobody I speak to seems to know if this bike was ever raced at the professional level, but legend has it that Tony Rominger raced it in the final time trial of the 1989 Tour de France, but got a puncture and finished the race on a different bike. If anyone knows more, please feel free to enlighten us.

This C35 Oro belongs to my mate Mark Stoner, a Melbournian sculptor, who had purchased it about two years ago from a Swiss bicycle collector and restorer, Stefan Schaefter. Stefan’s restoration work doesn’t hide the scars of the bike but ensure the bike operates beautifully in contrast to some restorers who believe in repainting and replating the aging frame to look better than it was originally.