Reminds me of this 1960-ish Bianchi that Bob Freitas was in the process of restoring.



The lugs were extensively thinned, beyond what a normal Specialissima got, and it was chromed (chrome removed for restoration, too rusty) so Bob was pretty sure this was done at the Bianchi race department, i.e. orignal not aftermarket. So, must have been a "special", for a top pro racer, or the CEO's wife or some such.

Also the deraileur hanger had been removed, so it's fun to think this could be one of 'Le Bici Di Coppi'. Unlikely, but Coppi did have his track Bianchis made with road dropouts, gear hanger removed. More likely made for a "Coppi cat" (see what I did there?), someone who wanted his track bike to look like Coppi's. The bikes Coppi actually rode are probably all accounted for.

I've worked on a few Specialissima headsets and they did not have those filed scallops for removing the headset cones. (I almost wrote "cups" out of habit, but those headsets had the cones pressed in the head tube. The crown race was a cup.) I was always able to knock the cones out, but it's definitely not easy, just a thin ledge exposed for hitting with a punch. The punch needs a sharp edge, any bluntness and it'll just skip past the ledge without budging the cone. But I digress!

Anyway back to oneclick 's Nervex question, I kinda doubt it's for headset removal, or I hope it's not. Headsets are so much easier to remove by hitting them from inside the headtube. And you'd probably have to file the flats with the headset installed, probably knicking the chrome on the cup or cone in the process. Who would do that? Even if you were throwing away the headset as soon as it's out, that's still more work than just hitting it with the same screwdriver, but from inside the HT.

Ugh, maybe just because your screwdriver isn't long enough? Is anyone that lame a mechanic? (Rhetorical, yeah I know there are.) Sad story if true.