‘Wolfie’ Smith… in the classic TV comedy Citizen Smith on a S1. Apparently, Robert Lindsay may be making a comeback, wonder if he’ll still ride a Lammy? I wonder if actress Cheryl Hall will still be riding pillion?
Readers with good memories may remember that Wolfie later moved on to riding a GP in later episodes. Freedom for Tooting!
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?
Any ideas anybody?
Its always a pleasant moment when an A4 (ok, C4, envelope pedants) envelope drops through my letterbox with a french postmark… It’ll be the next issue of Scooter & Style magazine, hot off the press…
Issue No 6 is a quality product as ever, with another wonderful scooter collection (it seems every other Frenchman has a garage full of rare and beautiful scooters!) a pristine GP 200 Electronic… various Vespa related articles, and a Maico Mobile feature. But perhaps this issues standout feature is a comparison between two Peugeot scooters… the classic s57, and it’s modern counterpart the Django, both of which have featured in my blog recently. (0k, the Django was a custom build by Deus Ex Machina) .
I’ve got to say, the Django – which I initially wrote off as just another, bandwagon jumping retro styling exercise – is growing on me. After all, Peugeot has a proud history of producing scooters. If Vespa can continue to trade off their heritage, why can’t other marques?
Anway, back to Scooter & Style… another strong issue… if you want to widen your reading materials from the obvious, I’d highly recommend it. You can get it online, here.
So, there’s been a bit of a buzz around ‘something’ called SLUK – all was revealed today at Scooterist Meltdown by Martin ‘Sticky’ Round… well-known scooter expert, journalist and adventurer…
SLUK PRESS RELEASE
Do you love scooters but are fed up with dead-tree scooter media?
Would you like something that was more up to date, faster with the news, more interactive maybe?
Would you prefer it if you could obtain quality scooter content in a format that you could access anywhere, at any time, with the phone in your pocket or the computer in front of you?
What about going beyond a static format and adding video content designed both to inform and entertain?
How about your scooter media not being a one-way street, but by you being able to actively take part in real time?
How would you feel about all of this being brought to you by forward-thinking scooter riders like yourself?
Would you like to still get the quality of writing that only comes from knowledgeable and experienced writers?
Would you like to see big, powerful images displayed beautifully on a revolutionary website that blows the competition into the weeds?
How about if there was one place on the net that acted as a hub for scooterists worldwide? Somewhere you can find out about forthcoming events and post reports of those you’ve attended in video or photographic format.
How about a site that allowed you to get a better deal on insurance, clothing or simply to find your nearest dealer?
What would you pay for such a service? What if we said that you do not need to visit a newsagent to pay £4 every month or take out a subscription for this?
How about if we told you that the price for all this is FREE?
If that sounds like a good deal then you need SLUK.
SLUK is short for ScooterLab.uk and it’s coming to you soon.
Sign-up online to be the first to know when it kickstarts…
Sounds pretty good to me! Of course, you can still keep reading and interacting with your favourite Lambretta blog… 😉
I’d just like to give a personal nod to Sticky, I’ve been thoroughly entertained by his writing for Scootering over the years, and he’s even made me smile when reading his “Complete Spanners Guide” how many workshop manuals do that? He’s been a friend to the blog, and I wish him and the team every success in their new venture!
When it comes to scooter magazines, there are only really two players for most people.
Scootering, and Classic Scooter Scene. Well, now there’s a third. There’s a new kid on the block, and they’re French. Scooters & Style magazine is now on issue 5, and the tagline ‘Yesterday’s Scooter Today pretty much sums up what they do.
It’s a really classy affair, printed on good quality stock (with a nice thick, glossy cover). The contents, and I’ll run through the full contents of issue 5 in a minute, are very much photography led. I’m not knocking the photography of the ‘big two’ mags, but Scooter & Style does things slightly differently, with the photography really being the hero of every article. There are often full bleed, full page photographs, and a couple of double page spreads, which coupled with the superior stock really make the images look fantastic. It’s the sort of thing you want to leave open on your coffee table, preferably next to a large cafe au lait!! You’ll get an idea from the images below.
The articles are very good, and the magazine in laid out nicely, although being a graphic designer in my day job there’s always things I’d do differently. The fact that all the text appears in both french and English must present the designers with a few challenges, but it doesn’t get in the way for the reader.
Issue five has some great articles; listed below.
First is an amazing ‘secret’ collection of 170 scooters by a mysterious figure known only as Claude. This is a guy who has six, yep six, Lambretta LD’s in his collection (the French built ones, I assume), as well as every single model Motobécane made in the 50’s, and many other marques such as Peugeot, Terot, Magnat-Debon (a new one on me!) Rumi, AGF (Nope, don’t know that one either) Triumph, Durkopp, Maïco and Scootavia (another I’ll have to look up). Fantastic.
The next feature was on a dude from Lyon, Lucas, aka Brus Custom, who makes some really cool ‘LoFi’ hot rod style customs based on a ’57 LD. The kingsize ‘moon-eyes’ gearshift on this machine looks great. There’s a superb double-page spread of this machine in front of a VW bus he’s also ‘done’.
A truly stunning Arthur Francis S-Type style SX 225 is given the respect it deserves, ten full pages on this beaut.
Even if your not a Lambretta fan (unlikely, I know, if you’re reading this blog) Scooter sport features in the form of the Scootentole 10h de Magny-Cours. Vespa fans get their fair share, as well as four pages on Vespa World Days 2015 there’s a lovely Primavera in the tried and tested Gulf racing colours. Always works that combo. When you seat upon it a nice French lady showing more than a little leg, it works even better. Then there’s a great article on the battle-ready Vespa 150 TAP, with its 75mm cannon. Nine full pages on that one.Tech articles, rally news and music complete the offering.
Scooters & Style is a very different magazine from Scootering and Classic Scooter Scene. It’s got more of an ‘artsy’ vibe about it, and the superior paper stock and layout really make the high-quality photography come alive.
To conclude (nearly) I’d highly recommend this stylish mag. It’ll make a great addition to your reading list. It might even help you learn french. Find out more on their website here, and check out how to order your copy now.
I’ll end this post with an apology (I was going to start it with one, but it didn’t seem to hit the right note) Sorry, it’s been a long time in the writing. Thank you for bearing with me Laurent! Now I’m off to look up Magnat-Debon, AGF and Scootavia scooters…
A cute set of three bikes, one of them clearly based on a Lambretta, from a 1960’s fairgorund roundabout. Some scrapes and knocks, so if ‘it’s gotta be perfect’ maybe not for you (see what I did there?) but you might think, for a bit of period fairground memorabilia for £875, (for all three) ‘It’s gotta be worth it’.
Check them out on eBay here.
I don’t know much about this DVD (If you publish it, send me one, and I’ll write a review), but I think the title translates to what I’ve put in the blog post.
Here’s Google Translate’s attempt at the (Italian) Amazon translation… “After the war almost all automakers tried to develop new models of scooters, but the only one that was able ‘to develop a vehicle competitive with that of Piaggio was the innocent with his scooter. the success of the two models proceeded hand in hand and development for all the fifties and sixties. I was born so ‘categories of Vespa and Lambretta, constantly competing with each other, each willing to swear on the superiority’ of their vehicle to the antagonist.”
It runs to 52mins, and has English and Italian subtitles. If you want to take a chance (it’s only £8, at the moment, anyway) here’s a link to the DVD below;
Lambretta – Ascesa E Declino Di Un Miracolo Italiano – On Amazon
Spotted on eBay, and something I’ve never seen before. A couple of different Lambretta concessionaires instruction booklets for that most desirable of Lambrettas, the TV200… also known as the GT. £60 each… and not exactly in pristine condition, but a ‘nice to have’ if you’re lucky enough to own a GT!
Here's the first one…
and here's the second…
Love the copy in this period ad for the new Grand Prix. Can’t help but thinking they were pronouncing “Prix” wrong in their heads when they wrote it though!
Interesting decor in the Vinyl Bar in London’s Hanway Street. W1T 1UP.
Open Monday to Saturday 5pm till 2:30am
The gents toilets are particularly interesting!
More on their website… where if you sign up for a membership, you could win “A brand new Lambretta scooter” (no further details available at the moment, but I suspect it’s an LN).
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