It’s a bit crowded in the Louge girls. And the buggers haven’t put any tables outside. We’ll just sit on the scooters. Sidesaddle. The hanging baskets are looking a little sad too…
From the Redstar-TV’s Scooter Pooper blog.
Since posting, I’ve noticed this was my 400th post. Which is nice. If you’re new here, and are of an obsessive nature, you’ve got another 399 to check out.
The Moto Rumi Formichino is a really nice little scooter that I have posted about before*. A true original, when many manufacturers were trying to copy Lambretta and Vespa, and on the whole, making a pretty poor fist of it, or trying to shoe-horn their motorcycle technology into a scooter chassis, Rumi went their own way. I think it’s a really clever, elegant design too. It attracted a loyal band of owners, especially of the sporting fraternity, and is still an admired and sought after scooter today. The current Moto Rumi club has over 100 members from around the world.
*I’m certain I wrote a piece about Moto Rumi’s before, but I buggered if I can find it in the blog archives. If I do, I’ll repost.
With a 186 Imola kit, a pair of pathfinders and lots more. For sale on eBay now. If you think it’s as nice as I do, check it out here.
The weather is pretty grotty here in the UK, not too cold, but wet. Very wet. And windy. So here’s an old publicity shot to warm the cockles. Going out to anybody in the UK who is under water, or anyone in the States who’s having it a bit chilly at the moment!
Pic shamelessly stolen from the Girls & Machines Tumblr blog.
This great bit of scootering history has just been posted on YouTube… The Lambretta Club of Great Britain racing at the Thruxton circuit in Hampshire, back in 1969. I’m assuming they hired the circuit for the day… they seem like they had a decent membership back in the day! The footage features several names that may be familiar to aficionados of the racing scene, Roy Bradford, Nev Frost, and the Ronald Brothers.
GP225WildCat has posted a number of other South Devon Lambretta Club vids on YouTube, all of which are well worth checking out! There is even more great stuff over at the Retrobubble website, mainly from the late ’50s to the 70’s, but some 80’s stuff too. All available to buy on DVD. As I have only just discovered this site myself, a full ‘review’ will be forthcoming, shortly!
https://vimeo.com/83098639
Beautifully, really beautifully shot video of the Italian National Lambretta Rally. Lovely piano soundtrack, that really works. Stunning. Watch it in full screen, please. That’s it, other than I found it on Vimeo, and it’s by RDigital Salerno
It seems that electric vehicles are finally becoming a reality… with even companies like BMW getting in on the act. There is, of course the eBretta (1st tenuous Lambretta link), the electric reincarnation of the Lambretta, being developed in Vietnam.
But this is not a new thing… Back in 1968 the US car firm, AMC, now long defunct produced this concept. With a top speed of 50mph, and a claimed range of 150 miles (remember, this was the 60’s) this looking like a viable city commuter vehicle. Perhaps if petrol (or gas, as our American cousin’s insist on calling it) had got more expensive stateside, and they’d managed to make the Nickel Cadmium and Lithium Nickel Fluoride batteries more affordable, we might have seen these go into production.
I love the whole retro futuristic vibe of these, and design wise, they remind me of the Bond Bug, with a bit of Bertone thrown in (2nd tenuous Lambretta link). They were actually designed by Dick Teague, who’s finest moment, in my book was the ‘hot wheels’ looking AMX-GT. How this never made it into full production is a mystery to me. I’d always assumed it had… maybe it’s the Hot Wheels effect made me think that!
Cars that did make it into production are the Pacer, you know the one with the huge, bulbous rear window… and a superfunky “compact” called the Gremlin, both clearly sharing some AMX-GT DNA.
And, although as well as being a stunning piece of design, the Gremlin was purportedly a good, reliable, and inexpensive motor… but I can’t help thinking the marketing department could have come up with a name that didn’t suggest that it was full of faults. Anyway, it’s a shame the AMC brand, which seemed so innovative and forward looking didn’t achieve more sustained commercial success… but it was fighting a losing battle against the US “Big 3” of Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, as well as European and Japanese imports.
Find out more about AMC on the excellent and entertaining Musclehead blog, here.
This is one of my irregular “not a Lambretta” posts… normal service will be resumed soon 🙂
You’re riding a GT! One of the finest machines to roll out of Mr Innocenti’s factory! I know it’s a bit lazy, just posting pics, but when they’re as good as this, it’s hard to resist. Via the fictions Tumblr blog.
Oh, they had style back in the day. The men wore suits, and the ladies rode side saddle. Or looking backwards! When it was on the stand, anyway… those were the days.
I love these shots. Nicky Bubbles, a name well known to London Scoote scene, and one of the key movers and shakers in the Bar Italia Scooter club (Facebook page here), was kind enough to let me share these great shots of a brace of Lambrettas… Nicky and a loose collective of like minded individuals who ride together under the moniker of “The Blackheath Panthers”, not so much a scooter club, more a bunch of mates. The only problem I had with the shots was choosing which pics to post – as there were so many good ones. Great looking scooters, with a great patina about them… these machines obviously get out and about, “ridden not hidden” as the title says…and that’s exactly as it should be in my book. Thanks for letting me share these Nicky, appreciate it!
At Leadenhall Market, The City of London.
You’d be hard pressed to date this pick… it could have been shot anytime from the 70’s onwards… It’s December 2013!
And to conclude, a couple of pics from a solo ride around Greenwich… Docklands and Canary Wharf making a great backdrop!
Your Studio for Books, Business English, and Beyond
Towards a catalogue of London’s interdimensional gateways
Musings and books from a grunty overthinker
Specialising in Lambretta restorations, repairs & parts
independent scooter magazine
High quality ads for WordPress
They've done the hard work. Can YOU finish it?
Business & Marketing Consultant
Classic Motorcycle Restoration in Scotland
You’ve earned it. You deserve it. Buy it now.
1979 to 1986
lambrettista.net 