Category Archives: Not a Lambretta

Double Bubble

Posted on by
5

attica1I’ve got a bit of a thing for microcars, or ‘bubble’ cars if you will. You may have spotted a couple of posts, spread through blog. It’s a bit of an odd fixation…but I suppose I look upon bubble cars pretty much like the Germans do when they call them Kabinenroller – which translates as “Cabin Scooters” …and that’s pretty much how I see them, rather than cars, scooters with roofs. And when my waterproofs are leaking (again) they seem eminently sensible!

Anyway… there’s the usual suspects of Messerschmitts and Isettas, which are probably the best known of the bunch (The Lambretta & Vespa of the microcar world, if you will), but, as with scooters, there are a whole bunch of lesser known marques… including the next rank, Heinkels, Subarus (Post coming soon on these) and even one from Piaggio, the Vespa 400. One I had never come across before though is this Greek bubble… (hence the Double Bubble title for those of you who know their CRS).

It’s called a Attica 200, and was produced in Greece from 1968 to 1971, with a fair degree of success in the greek home market. To my mind it’s got some nice lines, kind of like the offspring of a Heinkel Trojan and an old Saab 93. Which is a good thing. Should you wish to know more, Wikipedia provides a few facts as usual, I won’t trouble you with them here. I will give a shout out to the excellent Sake Racers blog, where I found the image originally, and just to get things back on track, here’s a link to the Lambretta Club Hellas, our Lambretta riding friends in sunny Greece. So that’s two Greek flavoured posts in one week… funny how things work out.

The amazing cardboard sculptures of Chris Gilmour

Posted on by
2
This post is reblogged from http://crocodilejock.wordpress.comZoom_17a

Well, after a couple of posts about wooden Vespa’s… I thought it was time for a cardboard Lambretta!

Zoom_17
It’s kind of hard to believe, but this beauty is made out of two things only. Cardboard and glue. And that’s it. No wooden frame. No hidden supporting metal structure. It’s one of the self imposed restrictions artist Chris Gilmour adheres to when creating his art. And it art, of the highest quality in my opinion. There’s something about taking cardboard, that humblest of materials, so often overlooked and discarded and creating something beautiful. Something that makes you look afresh at the original objects too. I don’t know if I’ve got Chris’s vision… but that’s my personal take. And it’s not just scooters and other vehicles (although they are my favourites) … Chris has created everything from wheelchairs to typewriters… microscopes to lifesize sculptures of Queen Victoria. Amazing stuff. Find out more on his website.
Zoom_001Zoom_2Zoom_13Zoom_15Zoom_16
Zoom_17b

Rumi Formichino

Posted on by
4

tumblr_mcc3f1W6CT1rvk338o1_400
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.

Cool electric concept from ’68

Posted on by
3

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.tumblr_myglnt81RB1r8dlh9o1_1280

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.amcelc02I 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!

800px-1968_AMC_AMX-GT_ShowCar_Type2QCars 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.amc-gremlin-01

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 🙂

Sporting OSA – The Polish Wasp!

Posted on by
1

tumblr_mxokaqgBhJ1r6cetxo1_500tumblr_mxoqljKpu41r6cetxo1_500

The OSA was a Polish scooter (or Skuter in the native Polish – who knew!) manufactured by WFM (Warsaw Motorcycle Factory), between 1959 and 1965. Taking a cue from Piaggio, Osa is the Polish word for Wasp (as Vespa is in Italian of course). It was a well engineered machine, and performed well in sporting events, particularly off road rallies such as the famous Scottish 6 Day Trial (Top pic). UPDATE & CORRECTION: Reader Redstar-TV points out the top pic is NOT of the Scottish 6 Day Trial, but the International 6 Day Trial in Bad Ausee in the Austrian Alps. Thanks mate; I make more than a few mistakes and am always grateful for my readers putting me right. I also don’t always click the “allow comments box” which is off by default… so if you can’t see a way of commenting get in touch through the Contact page. Anyway Redstar-TV’s excellent Tumblr blog Scooter-Pooper is well worth checking out for some great Lambretta (and other scooter images).

There is a good following behind the Osiara are indeed the Polish version of Lambrettista, and there is a great club dedicated to the preservation of these machines, you can even get a Osa 2014 Calendar if it is your wont!

The line-up below show a fine range of Osa Skuters at one of their events.

Screen Shot 2013-12-28 at 09.57.48

From the WTF? files…

Posted on by
Reply

1497623_547385542013050_1966654019_nThe back-end is definitely, definitely Lambretta, or Lambretta under license… (such as NSU) An LC, or an LD, it’s hard to tell. But definitely, definitely Lambretta. But the front end is definitely, definitely NOT. Various suggestions have been made on Facebook, such a a Peugeot or maybe a FEBO from Spain. So what’s doing on? Is it the scooter version of a “Cut-and-shut”, some weird hybrid mutant? or was this a production machine? Can anyone shed any light?

From another look at the pic, I don’t think this is an original vintage shot, rather a modern shot made to look old.

The darkside. Your chance to vote.

Posted on by
2

Vespas
This is a first. I generally don’t post pictures of Vespas. I’ve got nothing against them, other than a general low-level bitterness that out of the two GREAT Italian scooter marques, Piaggio’s Vespa survived and the clearly superior Lambretta didn’t. And I’m not a “scootist”. Some of my best friends ride Vespas. In fact, Vespas are (probably) my second favourite scooter marque. But they are all over the web, and there’s some great sites covering both (try Scooternova) or that cater to the poor deluded souls who actually prefer Italy’s second best scooter  (my personal favourite, being this one; Vespamore). And, much as I may have huge gaps in my Lambretta knowledge (I literally learn something new nearly every day), I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to the Vespa. I’ve never owned one*, and I’ve never even ridden one. So I can’t really write abut them.

Anyway, this long, unfocused and rambling diatribe is needs to get back on track. Here we go. I generally don’t post pictures of Vespas. But occasionally, I come across a picture so good it’s hard to resist the urge to post it. Above is one such shot.

So… here’s the deal. Should I post the occasional pics of a Vespa, or are they truly off limits on a Lambretta site. This is your chance to vote, below.

*I nearly bought a GS160 before I saw my current Lambretta – this would have been a very different blog!

Free Nelson Mandela

Posted on by
1

MandelaI’d never heard of Nelson Mandela, until I heard this song (video below). I don’t think most of my peer group had either. At the time words like ‘terrorist’ were being used about him, although initially he was a follower of the non-violent school of protest, he became a the militant. But who wouldn’t be, against a regime as oppressive as that of the South African one. Anyway, because of Jerry Dammers, and the Special AKA, I read deeper than the stories in the Daily Express, and found another side to the story. On a side note, whenever I walked past South Africa House, in Trafalgar Square, back in the day… (as I did last night too), I was never asked by the demonstrators to sign their petition… I assume because of my close cropped hair, Flight jacket, and polished cherry red DMs. But stop and sign I always did, despite their prejudices.

Anyway. Enough of that. This is about Mr Mandela… and how he helped transform South Africa from a racist, aparteid regime into a rainbow nation. Without the “bloodbath” that was not only predicted, but seemed to be a forgone conclusion. Are things perfect in South Africa? Probably not. But they are certainly better that what the majority of the world thought was going to happen. How much of this was down to Jerry Dammers and the Specials? I suspect more that we think. After this song everybody knew the name Nelson Mandela in the UK, and the UK played a huge role in leading world opinion. The song went on to be known and sung around the world. Can ‘pop music’ change the world? Not very often. But sometimes, sometimes it can. RIP Mr Mandela, thank you Mr Dammers.JerryDammers

If you’ve just found the Lambrettista blog, this is a far from typical post. Normal service will be resumed ASAP

Mad Bixby Moto’s Deathdealer II Scootercycle with Sidecar

Posted on by

No, it’s not a Lammie. But it looks a lot of fun. The result of a “build-off” competition run by Dues Customs, and made from a Honda Z50 found in a skip, and a junked engine from a Chinese scooter, along with a bunch of other scrap (total budget $158), produced this wonderfully original little machine. The “hilarious” video (you may want to substitute the word “hilarious” with the word “annoying”) shows the scoots capabilities off pretty well. Although I preferred to watch it with the sound off after about 30 seconds, although I may just be experiencing a temporary sense of humour failure.BixbyMoto1 BixbyMoto2Bixby Moto specialise in monkey bikes, customs and racers… check out their website here. There’s some lovely little beasties on there.

Via Scooterfile,

Scomadi update… with rough pricing and first delivery dates

Posted on by
2

558962_10152043825888545_1737298289_nMy post about the Lambretta lookalike Scomadi scooter from Lambretta Innovations was the most popular single article I’ve ever posted on the Lambrettista blog, so there’s obviously a great deal of interest in this lovely looking GP inspired machine. 1461457_10152026457263545_1650804399_n

Below are some more pics, showing, I think, the general high level of finish, and quality of materials used. This isn’t something that’s been bolted together from a parts bin, it’s been designed (albeit based on a Bertone original, but hey, if you’re going to imitate somebody Bertone is not a bad place to start), refined, and refined again. The refining process isn’t quite finished yet, as there are a few more tweaks before the Scomadi hits full production. And that’s not far off. They’re talking about “early spring” for the first deliveries, and seeing as we are nearly in December now, that’s not too long to wait.1479480_10152043825688545_1004903713_n 1464667_10152043825493545_1211942085_n 994957_10152043825643545_2014980406_n 1460014_10152043825508545_404014742_n 1460042_10152043825683545_1752958225_n 1476477_10152043825858545_1396063568_n 1455898_10152043825533545_1179825614_n

Regarding pricing, word is that the 50cc should come in at around £1800, the 125 version at something over £2000 depending on the exact spec required. So not outrageously expensive, and certainly more affordable than I was expecting. No word yet on the flagship TL300, although that will clearly be the most expensive of the range. These aren’t official figures yet, so hold fire before popping down to see the bank manager. As before, keep track of the latest developments on the Scomadi website, or their Facebook page.

UPDATE: There’s a good article in this months SCOOTERING Magazine, with an interview from Paul Melici, one half of the partnership behind the Scomadi scooter. There’s a bit more info there, so get down to your newsagents and bag yourself a copy. But remember where you read it FIRST 🙂

On a related note, fans of the “new Lambretta” the LN, may be pleased to hear that there may be positive news on this soon. Legal battles with holders of the Lambretta brand name seem to be finally coming to a conclusion, so we may be seeing more about these well reviewed machines again soon. Not everyone’s cup of tea, I know, but an official Lambretta is not a bad thing in my book, even if it simply serves as a “gateway drug” to an original classic 🙂