Frame is drop dead gorgeous. It's the prettiest Gitane frame from that era I've ever seen.
Hate to be the bearer of bad news but... really great paint and chrome but Gitane never used that color of red back then nor did they chrome the lugs or apply that much to the rear stays.
Also it's a 1972-73 Tour de France rather than a Super Corsa frame.
Why? Because Gitane used "Italian Style" Prugnat Type "S" long point lugs on the Tour de France, the Super Corsa and the European Olympic models. In 1972 Gitane switched to Bocama Professional medium point lugs on the Tour de France bikes - maybe a bike boom delivery problem with Prugnat lugs???
My almost all original 57cm 1971 TdF with Prugnat Type S lugs
1972-73 TdF with Bocama Professional medium point lugs
In addition, the TdF frames had shorter steerers to fit Stronglight P3 headsets with a 34mm stack height. The Super Corsa and European Olympic models had longer steerers for 39-41mm stack height Campy headsets.
Super Corsa fork - notice the thread length at the top of the steerer.
Gitane measured their frame sizes from Center to Top of the seat tubes. They made them in 50cm, 54cm, 57cm, 60cm, 62cm and 64cm sizes.
I suspect that
BlueDevil63 frame is an oddball 55cm or 56cm C-to-T size. A few off size frames slipped through during the bike boom craze. I had a 53cm Gran Tourisme and a 61cm TdF (after a 2 litre lunch production?).
One other thing, Campagnolo dropouts do not maketh a TdF a Super Corsa! The tell that a frame is a TdF is the steerer length and from 1972-73, the Bocama medium point lugs.
During the bike boom fad of the early 70's Gitane used 6 different types of Simplex dropouts plus Huret dropouts on European models wit Huret derailleurs.
Campy dropouts cost more than twice the price of French made dropouts in France! The frugal French were loath to spend a few Centimes much less several extra Francs on Italian dropouts. At the height of the boom, European bike manufactures,especially the French ware so hard pressed to push bikes out the door, they used anything that they could get their hands on!
TdFs came with Simplex, Huret and rarely Campy fork ends.
All in all, it's a spectacular frame
at a killer price!
I have a 54cm 1972 Super Corsa with a Campy headset repainted by Ed Litton that I'd like to get ~$400 for.
verktyg
History is written by those who weren't there!