Estermann Gold Plated Classic Bicycle 1980s

Leo Estermann was a famous framebuilder from Zurich, Switzerland. He founded his workshop Cycles Estermann in 1939.
In the years of his successful working he made frames for a whole bunch of famous champions, including illustrious names like Hugo Koblet, Ferdi Kübler, Gino Bartali, Van Steenbergen and several olympic gold medallists and world champions.
By reading the names of his customers you can already suppose what a master he must have been even without having yet seen a bike of his.
And indeed he was an innovative and technical thinking man. All of his bikes seem to be some years ahead of their time as is our exemplar.
As if it was not enough to build a beautifully lugged frame from Reynolds 531 tubing with an inner cable routing, he had it gold plated and painted.
However the technical attraction on this Estermann is the rear hub which was modified not only to be a high-low-flange one but also was transformed from a 7-speed to a 9-speed. This completely custom built must by then have been the first 9-speed bike in Switzerland! Just as a reminder: It was the mid 1980s and 7 speed was still kind of new. The shifting on the big cogs might not work as well as on later industrial 9-speeds but it works and that with nothing but a tuned Campagnolo Record shifter!
This is a unique bike which is worthy of any collection or someone who knows to cherish the pioneering spirit of Leo Estermann.