A bit self indulgent this one, but hey, so’s the whole blog. And what are you going to do when your eight year old son presents you with his drawing of a Lambretta? Stick it on the internet! I’ve seen lots of fantastic scooter art over the years, but this is my favourite.
Category Archives: Lambretta Imagery
Lambretta engine
For the Lambrettista, a work of art, not as obviously beautifully as the sinuous curve of a SX side-panel, or the voluptuous swell of a S2 headset, but pure sculpture none-the-less.
Reblogged from the Scooterist.
SX… Perfection?
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My last post featured a cracking “Rat Racer” Series one… and I thought it was just about perfect. Something I’d love to own. There would be a few little tweaks I’d make… and that’s the way it is with most of the scoots I find. Nearly perfect, but with a couple of tweaks… a bit of chrome there… an accessory added, or removed… but that’s the joy of Lambretta’s. The machines rolled out of the factory, close to perfection… but somehow owners (and dealers) managed to improve them.
But, I think I’ve found a machine where I wouldn’t change a thing. And it’s this stunning SX. Well, an SX 150 S-Type GT 186 to be precise. Everything from the paint colour, to the Ancillotti exhaust screams perfection for me. The raydots at the Smith chrono all add to the package. It’s a classic look, and I don’t think it’s been bettered, to be honest. Perfect.
This lovely scoot was shot by Christian Gentilini, and you can see more of his photography, here, on flickr. He’s a member of the Lambretta Club Teste Cromate S.C.
The pics are copyright (Christian was kind enough to allow me to use them here) so please respect that.
Oh. I’ve spotted it. The tweak I’d make to this scooter. The crankcase side panel has something missing… it needs “Owned and run by Crocodile Jock” discretely signwritten on it. Small in the bottom right corner. And maybe a small enamel union flag badge under the sprint rack. There you go… proved… Lambrettisti just can’t help tinkering with perfection!
Hot Rod Style Signwriting
I’ve noticed a bit of a trend for this on scoots recently… it goes hand in hand with the “rusto-ration” and “rat look” …and there’s a lot of crossover with punk and rockabilly styles too… hand lettered, humorous, personal, crafted, imperfect, but beautifully so… with an ‘authentic’ calligraphic feel… it’s teh perfect counterpoint to the airbrushed murals and perfect vinyl cut graphics we’ve seen on scooters for years. And I love it.
It’s only Rock’n’Loll, but I like it!
Ok, so that’s probably the worst pun ever… but that’s the way I roll.
Rock Huson, dressing to match his Series 2 Lambretta, with Gina Lollobrigida in the background. A publicity postcard from the film Come September I’d imagine…
Supertune Style
Nice 1967 125 Special with a Supertune paintjob for sale.
Specs look pretty good too… It’s had a complete rebuild by Scootopia in 2009 – around 600 genuine dry miles since then.
“Finished in Rover Metallic British Racing Green / Hawthorn White in Supertune Style. Working Smiths 120mph Speedo Stage 4 SIL 200 (Blank casing) LI150 Gearbox, AF Crank, 30mm Delly PHBH with Ram Air Filter, Brand New AF Clubman (New Style) – only done a couple of miles since fitting last year & sounds lovely. Original Innocenti Front Disc Brake Taffspeed Billet Ally Rear Shock
Scootopia Cut Back Ancilloti Seat (The waffle side type).
Lovely condition, has always been stored in a dry garage – has barely had any use over the last couple of years and has become an expensive ornament – would much rather it went to someone who’s going to make use of it.”
Just my cup of tea, to be honest, wish I had a few spare quid, I’d snap it up.
It’s for sale, in Cardiff, for £3,900. Which sounds about right to me.
Contact Matt on supertune1@hotmail.co.uk
Dino’s at it again…
Before Austin Powers, there was Matt Helm… a spoof secret agent played by Dean Martin. A hard drinking, womanising, wisecracking american counterpart to 007, Dino played it strictly for laughs, and took every opportunity to get his leg over. On this occasion, he’s given up trying to kick start the LD, and got his leg over a J Range… And riding pillion he’s looking for somewhere to hold on!
Lambrettas in South Africa
There’s barely a corner of the world without a Lambretta these days, if you look hard enough. Andy sent me this picture of this lovely little group of Lammies outside Café Sofia, in Greenside, Johannesburg, South Africa.They meet up there on a Sunday, for coffee and breakfast, which sounds very civilised! There’s some nice machines in that line-up too… a Series 3 TV 200 (I initially thought this was a150 Special – sorry Carlos), a TV2, Serveta (Jet 200?), and a couple of DL’s. All a long way from home, but looking good!
If you’ve got a Lambretta scene in your neck of the woods, send me a pic and let me know what’s going on, I’ll stick it on the blog.
1954 Lambretta F on eBay
The Scootographer
I’ve written about a scooter photographer before, Paul Hart, at Vespamore. His blog constantly features beautiful scooter imagery, a lot of it of V#spa’s though… oh well, you can’t have everything. Paul has recently published a book of his photography, which you can get hold of here. And of course, the other side of the channel is that talented frenchman Laurent Callot, whose work I’ve featured a couple of times.
Back in blighty, there’s a new kid on the block, and he’s giving Paul a run for his money. Domonic Hindle is a 17 year old student, with a penchant for scooters. Well, the whole mod lifestyle, the clothes and the music really, but mainly the scooters. And boy, can he take a decent snap. I reckon he’s got the eye of a scooterist too… focusing on what you really want to see, and bringing out things you’ve missed. As well as featuring on many blogs, Domonic’s work has featured on the Fred Perry and Rimini Lambretta websites.
If you’re a regular reader, you might recognise the rather lovely Series 1 in the top pick. It’s a scoot I featured in a post called ” Lovely Series 1” funnily enough.
If you like the images I’ve posted, and if you read this blog, why wouldn’t you… you can order prints. Some of these shots would look fantastic on your wall, I bet!
Or why not book Dominic to take some classy shots of your pride and joy. If you’ve spent a fortune restoring a scoot, aren’t some quality images worth spending a few quid on?
For details, availability and prices, contact Domonic by email on: domh@sky.com
His website is here: http://cargocollective.com/Scootographer
lambrettista.net 