Fantic Caballero 100cc Bonometti Special

This beautifull looking Fantic is 1 of 6 modified by Bonometti of Brescia, its is not UK registered, and has spent most of its life in a Pricate collection in Torino, Italy.

It does have a UK NOVA number as proof that all taxes are paid, and was imported in the UK correctly, rather than sneaked over the border hidden in the back of a van.

If you have always wanted a Fantic Caballero, this is the ultimate rare one to have, below is a little history of "Bonometti"

Bonometti of Brescia: The Regional Tuner and Dealer Dynasty

The presence of the custom "speciale BONOMETTI" badge on the polished engine casing directly connects this motorcycle to one of the most prominent regional motorcycle names in northern Italy. The Bonometti family has operated a network of motorcycle, scooter, and vehicle dealerships, mechanical workshops, and preparation centers in the Lombardy region—specifically centered around Brescia, Gussago, and Ronco—for over half a century.

During the late 1960s and 1970s, northern Italy, particularly Lombardy, was the global epicenter of off-road motorcycle racing. Regional workshops, known as preparatori, acted as much more than simple retail points. These highly skilled mechanical shops took stock factory lightweight motorcycles and re-engineered them to create custom competition machines capable of winning regional and national Regolarità events.

A Bonometti-prepared Fantic Caballero 100cc would have undergone several performance-oriented modifications designed to optimize it for competition. The engine cases were split, internal oil passages were optimized, and the ports of the Franco Morini cylinder barrel were hand-filed and polished to maximize gas flow and expand the powerband. The standard factory clutch and generator covers were replaced with high-polish aluminum variants, onto which the workshop's bespoke "speciale BONOMETTI" metal badges were permanently fixed as a mark of quality and performance tuning

Additionally, the exhaust system on this special is a beautifully executed, black-finished competition-spec low-slung expansion chamber that sweeps upward along the frame, maximizing two-stroke scavenging efficiency while protecting the exhaust from trail obstacles. The suspension was also typically upgraded to stiffer, competition-grade components to survive the punishing jumps of period cross tracks.

Over the decades, as the vintage off-road market shifted, the Bonometti enterprise transitioned into a prominent regional dealership network—operating as Bonometti Srl and Bonometti Scooters in Ronco and Gussago—distributing brands like Kymco, Peugeot, TVS, and Piaggio, while preserving their deep historical ties to Brescia's motorcycle heritage.

Collector Significance and Historical Value

The Fantic Caballero 100cc Bonometti Special is a highly significant machine for motorcycle historians and collectors of Italian off-road machinery. Its historical and monetary value is driven by several intersecting factors:

• Extreme Model Rarity: Because the vast majority of Fantic’s 100cc TX 92 models were exported to the United States under the Broncco brand, finding an original Italian-delivered, domestic-market Caballero 100 is exceptionally difficult.

• Bespoke Regional Tuner History: Unlike mass-production factory models, a "Bonometti Special" represents a unique, hand-crafted chapter of Brescia's local racing history. The custom "speciale BONOMETTI" engine plate and period modifications make it a physical record of the engineering ingenuity of 1970s Italian preparatori.

• Authentic Period Restorations: The motorcycle's immaculate yellow "Super Special" livery, polished engine cases, custom low-slung expansion chamber, and original "BER PRODUCT" competition number plates demonstrate a highly accurate, period-correct restoration that honors the custom racing colors of privateer Italian teams of the early 1970s

This machine stands as a stunning testament to the era when a local workshop could take a rare factory lightweight, apply their mechanical mastery, and create a "Super Special" capable of conquering Green Lanes and Trails