I went to look at this bike claimed to be a Paramount. It wasn't, but I still couldn't resist buying it. If the frame fits...

The seller said it belonged to his father, who had bought in between 1969 and 1971. The bike is clearly very French. The NR derailleur marked "Patent" and the Universal 68 brakes probably narrow it to a similar range. My guess is a Gitane Super Corsa. It has Stronglight headset, bottom bracket and Model 93 cranks, Campy NR seatpost, derailleurs and barcon shifters, Nisi rims laced to LF Record hubs. The serial is stamped on the left dropout: 552024. If this is a Gitane, there seems to be no obvious way to decode it.

The paint is in horrible shape, and looks to be a repaint. At least the fork crown seems to be chromed under the paint. I am a believer in keeping the original "patina", but I think this one is too far gone. I am thinking of using some chemical paint stripper to see what is under. Any recommendations?