Ernesto Colnago is celebrating his eightieth birthday today – and the Italian bicycle manufacturer’s founder used the occassion to unveil the limited edition Colnago C59 Ottanta.
Just eighty examples of the Ottanta – which means eighty in Italian – will be made, of which twenty have already been snapped up. You can secure yours for £11,499.95.
Colnago, renowned for their bold paint jobs, have given the Ottanta a gold finish, with arabesque lugs and Ernesto’s signature on the top tube. The bike is manufactured using the “best possible carbon fibre” and is equipped with Campagnolo’s Super Record EPS electronic groupset.
Colnago’s iconic ace of clubs logo has been replaced on the C59 Ottanta by the company’s original Eagle and Arrow badge, which was inspired by a headline in a local newspaper which described Ernesto, a former racer, as fast as an arrow when he won a race.
Ernesto founded Colnago in 1954 and, despite reaching his eightieth birthday, has no intention of retiring. He said: “My 80th birthday is an intermediate sprint, it’s the not the finish of my race. I still love to work and create new bikes. I don’t want a cake or a big party, the special bike is my way of sharing my birthday.”
