There are many scooters labelled as ‘rare’. (especially on eBay!) Among the rarer Lambretta models are the Eibar Winter Models, GP Electronics, TV200’s (especially Spanish ones) which have a justifiable claim to the tag ‘rare’.
Of course, it’s not just Lambretta models… the Vespa SS90 springs to mind from the Piaggio stable. And if we move away from the ‘big two’ the rarity value may step up a notch… with all the motorcycle (and car) manufacturers who tried to jump onto the ‘scooter boom’ of the fifties… Triumph, BSA, Peugeot even Harley Davidson and Ducati tried to get a piece of the action. But I honestly think I found the most exclusive scooter ever. It’s Italian (always a good thing when it comes to scooters), and is one of the most iconic marques in automotive history… Maserati.
The story of the Alférez – the ONLY Maserati scooter in existence, starts when Maserati began a collaboration Iso Rivolta. Iso are probably best known today for developing the Isetta bubble car, but also had a history of producing sports cars, motorcycles and scooters.
Together, Maserati and Iso Rivolta produced two concept / prototype scooters in 1957, the M1 (now unfortunately lost in history, but probably a 125cc) and the M2 – the 150cc Alférez.
Although a ‘prototypes’ you can tell from the pictures that this scooter was not far from being a finished production machine. Stylistically it’s not a million miles away from a Series 2 Lambretta, with more than a hint of Vespa around the front wheel set-up. The only thing that jars a little with me is the headlight, which is not quite as elegant as that of a Lambretta Series 2… but then again this model was out two years before the Series 2.
The frame and engine numbers are simple “M2”, and the Maserati logo on the crankcase are worth taking a second look at. The horncast Maserati badge is unique too… with a red racing car alluding to their Grand Prix heritage, and the name Alférez… a link to the Maserati founders name (Alfieri), but tellingly translated in Spanish… a hint to their ambitions in Latin America, where scooters were popular, but prehaps the Lambretta and Vespa names were not so embedded as Europe or the USA. But a promotional trip to Mexico ended badly, Maserati abandoned the scooter market. The M2 prototype remained too, finally ending up in Texas, where it resides today.
Iso continued making scooters, and while being less commercially successful than Innocenti and Piaggio, are one the few manufacturers a run for their money in styling – in my humble opinion of course.
Find out more about Maserati M2 here, where it’s for sale, if you have deep pockets. To quote from the website “The value of the scooter, a unique part of the history of the ‘Made in Italy’ is for serious collectors to personally judge, the reason why I leave the scooter price open to fair / reasonable offers. As this is a unique collector’s item, I will not answer openly low offers.”
If you want to put in a (serious) offer in here’s the website again Update: the original site has now disappeared, I guess the scooter has been sold! If anybody knows of it’s current whereabouts / ownership, I’d love to know. If you’re the new owner, I bet you’ve got some other lovely scoots too (or perhaps a Maserati collection?) care to share some pics on the blog?
Quick update on the ‘Being’ short film project that
Here’s another piece of beautiful Lambretta art, in a graphic novel meets art deco illustration style. It’s by Carlos Fraile, and you can see more of his work on his Instagram, here: 
Sometimes, when Lambrettas were manufactured outside their native Italy, strange things happened. The models were ‘tweaked’ to better suit local tastes and markets. Occasionally, these changes are aesthetically pleasing, the turning mudguard on Spanish Series 2’s built in the Eibar factory for example.
But – despite virtually every owner having their own idea of what the perfect Lambretta should look like – it’s hard to improve on the original Italian designs. It also seems that the further the manufacturers were away from Italy, the more they had free reign on creating their own, unique models. Nowhere more so than Brazil.
I’ve got a folder on my mac of pics I’ve collected over the years… I don’t know where most of them came from, but each of them must have a story behind them. I’ve done a Google image search on this one, with no joy – so if you’ve got any idea who this lot are please let me know! They’re clearly a mixed bunch of machines here, so not a Lambretta club – if they’re a club at all, and not just a random meet up! I’m guessing early 60’s from the S2 Lambrettas – (Vespa experts will know when that GS ‘came out’) though pre-mod or just ‘not mod’ with just ‘sensible’ accessories and proper riding gear! Number plate experts might be able to pin it down from the MN suffix… Isle of Man? Manchester? Does the structure in the background give any clues… is it a bus/coach station?
It’s finally here, the new ScooterLab.uk website launched today. I’m not going to write reams about it, until I’ve got my head round it a little, other than to say it’s quality product from a team of professionals who know what they’re talking about. There’s something for everybody, whether you’re into classic geared scoots, or modern autos. So, for now I’d just like to give a hearty Lambrettista welcome to the new kid on the block! Check it out for yourself, 
Featuring a young carer (Buddy) inspired by 60’s music and the film Quadrophenia. Buddy meets an out of work actor, Doley who was in Quadrophenia (played by Mark Wingett) an they become friends. From original cast members and the Brighton location, right down to the replicas of the scooters and clothing, Being has strong cultural references to the original Quadrophenia movie.
Here’s a bit of a rarity I stumbled across on eBay, a dual Lambretta/Serveta branded scrambler style 
With all of this electric stuff I’ve been posting over the last couple of days, you might think that I’m anti-2stroke. Far from it… I find the classic Innocenti engine almost as iconic as the bodywork – the heart of a classic Lambretta.
lambrettista.net 