When you look back at the golden era of La San Marco, the conversation usually jumps between two extremes: the wild, UFO-like curves of the 1950s Disco Volante, or the sharp, squared-off modernism of the Tipo 69. But sitting quietly between those two giants is a fascinating, transitional piece of Udine’s espresso history—the Olympic.
Sometimes referred to as the Meteor, this 1960s lever machine is the missing link of mid-century cafe design. It borrows heavily from the sweeping, space-age chrome cues of the Disco Volante, but grounds them in a slightly more robust, architectural frame. It is a machine that perfectly captures the original vision of Pietro Romanut and the bustling officine—stubbornly perfecting the heavy-duty, tactile mechanics of the traditional spring lever while the rest of the industry rushed toward automated pumps.
Finding one of these models intact is not impossible, but getting it onto the workbench is where the real journey begins. Beneath that mid-century exterior lies an uncompromising, overbuilt mechanical soul, and the goal will be to get it back to puling shots.
Details of this La San Marco Olympic
La San Marcos are renowned for their high build quality, and well thought through repairability. Below are some of the details and unique features of this Olympic
So whats next?
Thats all for now for this machine until I can clear a few other projects off the workbench. In the meantime, I’ll be on the lookout for any information available to help restore it:
- sources and details on seals and gaskets for the group, piston, valves, heating element, etc
- any other tips/tricks or observations I may have missed?
Check out some other classic espresso machine projects here!
Leave a Reply