'73 La Pavoni Europiccola

1973 was a momentous year for La Pavoni, so when we came across this barely used (but long neglected) example, we decided it was worth spending some extra time and money on, even if we sorta knew we weren't really gonna "get it back."  Totally disassembling an early Pavoni is a serious pain in the ass (don't do it!)  But "the pay-off" in the Lever Underground, is obviously more than just about the money.  

The venerable Europiccola, largely unchanged since it's inception in the late 1950s, was overdue for some factory "modernizing" production changes.  Though it had already become a cultural icon, and synonymous with the "lever espresso machine" for most Americans,  it's legion of owner's (and people who had to work on them!) had built up a decade's worth of "wish list" items.  So in 1973, Pavoni began to answer some of them.

They finally removed the "fixed shower screen," so owner's could finally pop the piston out for servicing, without needing the "special tool" to remove the brass cylinder (and lots of patience!) 

It was also the last year of the "screwed in" group.  A feature that made taking the group off the boiler an almost impossible task (which and in turn, just added to the frustration of people trying to replace their piston seals!)  On the next year's model, you could remove four bolts and voila!, the whole group came off!  

This suddenly made keeping Pavonis going at home, and not having to take them to "the shop," way more of a thing.  It's probably no coincidence that finding a Pavoni still around built before this year is rare!   (That "ease of repair" has ended up keeping Pavoni espresso machines the values they remain today.  Soldiers against the approaching tidal wave of "disposable" consumer products, and steady reminders of beautiful mid-century industrial design and build quality.  Almost nobody has to "throw out" a vintage La Pavoni!)

It was the last year (for better or worse) of the cast aluminum base.  Pavoni probably thought they were reducing production cost with the advent of stamped steel bases, but they inadvertantly began the era of "rust bucket" drip trays for owner's who didn't keep them religiously dry.  Of course that took years, and Pavoni probably never thought we'd still be using their products a half century later!  They may have also thought they were "modernizing" the look, especially for chrome crazed Americans, with the more glamorous chrome plated bases!  But steel just doesn't hold up to years of water, and  electrolysis from mixed metals, the way aluminum does!  

'73 was the end of the "female" chromed boiler cap.  A knob with a threaded brass plug suddenly turned it "male."  (And we think changed the "look" in a more subtle way than one might expect.)

It was the last year of the "no off" hi/low power switches!  A crazy feature of Europiccolas til then, which meant having to yank a hot cord out of the wall to "turn off" the machine, unless you had a switched power outlet on your kitchen counter (which most American kitchens lacked!)  It was either hot or hotter!  (Molto Italiano!)

The portafiter itself also changed after this year, adding a beefier bolt for the handle, and a less "deco" style spout.

And '73 may have been "peak chrome plating" for La Pavoni boilers and groups.  This one was covering with dust and grime from being stored in a kitchen for decades without being used (or cleaned!) and actually had cobwebs under the base!  But with a little elbow grease and our "secret" chrome cleaning tricks (don't ask, ha!) it was able to come back "like new!"  

If fact, the chrome of this era is so deep and beautiful, we often say it looks "poured on."  Only after reassembling this one did it our to us to weigh the boiler and compare it to 90s on era Pavoni boilers.  (And no way we're going to take the flange nut off a second time if we don't have to!)  But if you pick up an early '70s Pavoni and then an early 2000s Pavoni, you can literally feel the difference.

The original hammertone blue base was a little scuffed up from decades of moving around, so we decided it had to match the boiler and powder coated it!  Which came out better than we've ever been able to achieve before!  Either we're slowing "learning" how to powder coat better, or the cast aluminum is just easier to work with (or a combination!)

Anyway, you obviously have to completely disassemble the machine to properly powder coat the base, so this ended up being a "ground up" restoration in ways even we seldom do.  And we're pretty happy with the result.

It also means all the seals, gaskets, descaling, adjustments and lubrication had been done, so the new owner is basically getting a "modern" 1973 Europiccola, that should be good to go for a long time!

Get yourself a one of a kind Pavoni lever AND a bit of history without having to worry about reliability or doing the work yourself!  

Comes with a double portafilter ("{Pre-Millennium" means 49mm!) and new custom wood tamper.

T