Specialissima

The Specialissima name first appeared on Bianchi's steel race bikes in 1958 as the evolution of the Campione del Mondo that Fausto Coppi rode in the 1950s. Through the 1960s it dominated the Giro d'Italia under Felice Gimondi, and the model became inseparable from the Celeste-painted lightweight climbing tradition - most famously linked to Marco Pantani, who immortalised the brand on Alpine ascents in the 1990s. Bianchi resurrected the dynasty in 2015 as a full-carbon climbing flagship with a sub-780g frame and patented Countervail vibration-cancelling layup co-developed with US aerospace firm Materials Sciences Corporation. The current third-generation Specialissima RC, refined by Reparto Corse in collaboration with WorldTour athletes, weighs 6.6 kg complete and remains Bianchi's purpose-built weapon for the mountains.