Monthly Archives: July 2011

Lambretta art

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John the Mod is a striking oil painting by Irish artist Gary Bonner. See more of Gary’s work here… and read about how, and why he came to create this image in The Donegal Democrat
Unlike the Lambretta Cuckoo Clock featured previously, this is something I wouldn’t mind hanging on my wall!

How Lambretta defined 1960’s design

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Great article on the Influx blog by Gary Inman on how the Lambretta, along with the E-type Jaguar and the original BMC Mini, defined 1960’s design. My favourite part is where he compares Lambrettas to their great rival Vespa… “Lambrettas are cool and beautiful. And better. End of.”
Couldn’t agree more Gary. Read the whole thing here.

Oh, and thanks to Vespamore for the heads up… although you no doubt agree to differ, eh Paul? 🙂

Lambretta Cuckoo clock

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Really. This is NOT a wind up. Well, I suppose being a clock, it might be a bit of a wind up 😉 I featured Bradford Exchange Lambretta Egg a while back, and I was a bit uncertain about the concept. Well, I’m not uncertain about this little gem… It’s absolutely crap! Why would you want to style a cuckoo clock of all things with Lambretta trim and branding. 

I can only imagine anybody buying this for kitchy novelty reasons… and £125 is a bit much for a bad joke. it’s sooo bad I initially thought it was a Viz style wind-up. The sad thing is, the quality of the modelling of the actual scooters looks pretty good… I haven’t seen one in the flesh of course. Just flog the scooters as a model on a wooden plynth like this  and forget about making crappy cuckoo clocks. If anybody has the good taste to own a Lambretta, they ain’t going to buy one of these… 
If I’m wrong, (and please tell me in the comments if you think I am!) and you would be delighted to own one of these “mastercrafted wall-hanging tribute showcases’  …would thrill to seeing appear and scooter rotate every hour, accompanied by the authentic, throaty roar of an original SX 200 engine… you can get hold of one here. Or you might want to check that the whole things not a joke.

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Scoot the Thames Rideout

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Family commitments have meant I haven’t been able to make it to any rideouts this year, but I really fancied this one. Family commitments struck again however. What I did manage to do was get to Hampton Court Station to meet up with the contingent leaving from there, and ride the first few miles with them, before heading home. There were a fair few of us, all but one on Lambrettas. A couple of gorgeous Series II TV175’s put my LI to shame! I’d forgotten what a great feeling it is to ride ‘en masse’… the noise, the smell of the two stroke, the smiles and stares from pedestrians and other drivers, and the camaraderie of a great bunch of lads. I’m rubbish with names, but there was Mark, Bill, Garry, Stumpy, Jim the Mod, and a fair few others. Next time I’ll try and make a proper day of it.

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The New Lambretta LN. It’s official. Or not…

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The new Lambretta LN (and LS) models may not be as official as we originally thought…

Official warning statement LN and LS models

Lambretta enthusiasts will undoubted be encouraged by the news of the introduction into the market of the new “Lambretta” LS and LN models as reported. Buyers must however be very careful that they are indeed witnessing the launch of a true, authentic and legitimate Lambretta, approved by the Lambretta Consortium, the international owner of the Lambretta brand.
The two new models, the LN and LS, have been produced by GAMAX Moto Corporation (Charles Huang) in Taiwan under the authority of DBM and two companies, CLAG International Limited (Ireland) presenting itself underhttp://www.lambrettamotorcycles.com and MOTOM Electronics Spa (Giovanni Cottone) in Italy presenting itself under http://www.lambretta-italia.it respectively. Both these models are unapproved and unlicensed for the global market as a full inspection of their authenticity and quality has not yet been conducted by Lambretta Consortium. Additionally contractual issues still remain to be resolved. Our highly valued international consumers (Lambrettisti), distributors and resellers should take care to ensure that DBM, CLAG and MOTOM receive official approval from Lambretta Consortium before entering into any financial arrangements to acquire or distribute these models. Lambretta Consortium obviously cannot afford to allow unlicensed scooter models enter the market that bear the name Lambretta. Lambretta Consortium will continue to take the appropriate legal actions against unauthorized distributors and resellers, like Moof and WKBikes, to prevent counterfeit products entering the market.
Please notice that a general, non exclusive license agreement has been entered with CLAG for the territory resticted to Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Russia, Georgia, Thailand and Cambodia. Please contact us for additional information. All license agreements with Motom have been terminated.
Lambretta Consortium wishes to ensure that it will do all it can to bring you a genuine, high quality, Lambretta scooter in the best traditions of the Lambretta heritage as soon as it can. We are endeavouring to clarify the situation on both models with both parties in the very near future and hope to issue a statement which ratifies both models. If you require further clarification or information please contact info@lambrettadistribution.com or visit http://www.lambretta.com.
more information
Lambretta Consortium
Lambretta International
Well, that’s clear… not.
C’mon guys, get your act together.

Lambretta Helicak

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An unusual Lambretta/Rickshaw type contraption from Indonesia, these Helicaks (because they look like a Helicopter, presumably) are one of the odder Lambretta conversions I’ve seen.

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They were introduced in Jakarta in the early ’70s, but by the late ’80s were deemed unsafe, as in an impending accident, the drivers tended to abandon ship, leaving the passengers trapped in the fibreglass cab to take the brunt of the collision.

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Genuine Trojan helmets

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I know open face helmets aren’t up everybody’s street… but I wear one. And there are some great options to choose from these days. I featured the St. Georges cross version of Heritage Helmets impressive Lambretta range a while back. Now they’ve added to the range with a  mashup with the truly iconic record label Trojan. Anyone who who’s there British reggae will know Trojan records… a brand synonymous with early ska, rocksteady and soulful reggae. So these helmets make a strong statement about your musical tastes… whatever flavour of Lambrettista you are…  mod, skinhead or suedehead… or just a Lambretta riding reggae fan. Hell, there’s even a version you could get away with if you ride a V*spa!. Although for full effect I suggest you ride an orange DL/GP! For the full spec, and the full range, check out the Heritage Helmets website. 
UPDATED with new high res imagery, 3/8/11

LD BOGOF

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Used to seeing BOGOF’s (Buy one, get one free) down at Tesco’s on cans of beans and the like, but here’s the opportunity to buy one classic Lamby and get another free.
I wish I had a spare Series 2… (actually, I wish I had a spare Series 1, I’ve got some plans drawn up for that… anybody got a straight wreck they want taken off their hands?)
Anyway back to the LD’s… here’s they are on eBay. Let me know if you buy ’em!