Rare 1970 Lambretta GP200 Electronic on eBay

Lambretta GP 200 Electronic“rare” is a word that is much overused in eBay listings relating to scooters… But those of you who know your Lambrettas will know this is something a bit special. Nobody knows how many original Electronics there are left, but there’s only going to be a few. “Rare as a Spitfire” is the line used in the description… that’ll give you some perspective. With machines like this, provenance is everything. This scooter is documented way back, and has a certificate from the LCGB. But, if you are thinking of putting a bid in, please do your own homework and satisfy yourself that it’s the genuine article. After all, your probably end up paying at least a £5k premium for that coveted ‘Electronic’ tag.

The seller bought the bike on eBay in May this year, (how did I not see that!), in bits, and although it’s only July, it looks like he’s done an excellent resto on it. All the parts and processes are listed on eBay, along with the cost of everything, and the history of the bike. Now, I don’t know the guy, but everything seems pretty open, up front and honest. But as the saying goes, caveat emptor. Go and have a look. It’s in Sidcup, Kent.

Here’s the link.

Lambretta GP 200 Electronic

Lambretta GP 200 Electronic

$T2eC16N,!yUE9s6NDMWdBR3F(3OSjQ~~60_57 $T2eC16d,!ysE9sy0jK3nBR3F(8(LLw~~60_57 $(KGrHqR,!oQFG)JjhMZFBR3FYDQTvg~~60_57 $(KGrHqJ,!qgFHJY60(7)BR3FYH4q-w~~60_57

Lambretta LN ‘Pure Smithy’ Dealer Special

I haven’t posted anything about the LN or it’s sibling modern Lambrettas* recently, as they’re not really my bag… and there hasn’t been anything new to report. I don’t know how they are selling, and I certainly haven’t seen one on the road, but I wish them well. If the marketing department at Motom* had any imagination, they’d sign up a Lambretta blogger, and let him (or her) have one for an extended test drive. Say six months. By the way… on the last count The Lambrettista blog is read in more than 70 countries. Just saying.

Lambretta LN Pure Smithy media-2 media-3 media media-4Anyway… at  but I thought this was quite interesting. Had to look twice at this LN on eBay. I thought it was an official Paul Smith licensed product, but it’s clearly a fairly clever knock off. I wouldn’t be totally surprised if Mr Smith had been involved, as he was allegedly a mod as a young man, and his work retains a certain ‘mod aesthetic’… but if he had it would have been all over the papers. Another marketing opportunity missed? There I go, off on a tangent again. Back to the original point of this post, which was, that the LN is now starting to appear in different incarnations, customised, much as dealers would customise ‘proper’ Lambrettas back in the day… I’ve no particular opinion on whether this is a good, or bad thing… it’s just interesting. Mildly. Well, I thought so. If it floats your boat, and you’ve got a spare £3k knocking around, you can get one here. And they’ll give you a fiver change. It’s being sold by the Pure Group, in Harrogate if you don’t do eBay.

Lambretta LN Union Flag $T2eC16F,!yME9s5qE+8bBRwI(Z6J+g~~_12 $(KGrHqNHJFYFG99q-4lfBRwI(,VRi!~~_12And if the Paul Smith look isn’t up your strasse… there’s a distressed union jack version. A bit ‘comedy mod’ for me, that one, I’m afraid.

*Motom Electronics Group are one of the claimants of the Lambretta name. There’s a trademark/license document here that explains it all in legalese. My thoughts can be found on this site if you stick Lambretta LN into the “handy searchbar” (that’s one for the “stuffyoushouldknow” podcast listeners).

Automatic selection

Another couple of nice scoots on eBay at the moment… if you like auto’s that is. Ok… they are not everybody’s cup of tea… especially the purists… but were a broad church here at Lambrettista, and I don’t mind them.

After all… where does ‘tuning’ stop. And if you can get “Lammie looks with automatic reliability” which is often the way these things are sold… well… why not.

Anyway. on to the machines. Bike one is the more classic Lambretta looking scoot… Classic SX good looks with a very smart Abarth paint job and a Typhoon 125 power unit. A nice touch is the bar end indicators. Neatly done. It’s had a few bids, but if your desperate to get your hands on it, the buy it now price is £4000. Here’s the link.

Lambretta Abarth Auto

Lambretta Abarth Auto – Front view

$T2eC16Z,!)QE9s3HFhhmBR0y,2TDb!~~60_12Bar end indicators

The second bike is a bit more radical… and there’s a bit of an issue with the photo’s on eBay, so maybe you can see them here and then stick your bid in if your interested. Built on a Lambretta Innovations frame, it runs on 13″ wheels. The power is provided by a Gilera lump with a Mallosi 172 top end. It will (allegedly) “sit at 80mph all day long” and has all round disc brakes to bring you to a swift halt if the need arises. If Kawasaki Green and a swift ride is your thing, you might want to get a bid in on this scoot. Here it is on eBay. Even if you’re not interested, and you’ve got five minutes, check it out because it’s written in a thoroughly engaging style. I like what he’s done with the shed, too.

GP Gilera Auto $T2eC16h,!yUE9s6NGYqzBR2R(3HwEQ~~60_12 $(KGrHqNHJDkFG)SOV-ppBR2RT,Zv4Q~~60_12 $T2eC16V,!zoE9s5nf!FGBR2RVLE3)g~~60_12

My only caveat about autos is, being a hybrid, when things go wrong… where do you take it? A Lambretta specialist? A Gilera (or whoever has made the engine) specialist? Hopefully back to the place that built it. But the permutations of things that could go wrong rise rapidly. Saying that, if you’re even thinking about it, your probably a little handy with the spanners yourself, and a little tinkering may not worry you. If that’s the case, go for it.

One for the road. And another one.

$T2eC16V,!ykE9s7tw3RVBRzF4QYbiQ~~60_12 $T2eC16VHJI!E9qSO8)WfBR0VEjhCQw~~60_12Browsing eBay, as I do, just on the off chance my lottery numbers come up, I came across a couple of rather nice Series 1’s… each with a completely different look and feel. First up is this restored example in turquoise and white… 175 AF Rayspeed kit and a Clubman exhaust… it’s got a fixed “Buy it now” price of £3,150. Very tidy, very nice. If it’s your cup of tea, here’s the link: Lambretta Series One on eBay.

$(KGrHqFHJE!FGvm0HOzNBR0VEz5vNg~~60_12 $(KGrHqNHJEIFGv3URz74BR0VEsZUug~~60_12

But I think I actually prefer this one… “The Swiss Shitter” Based on a Swiss model* Series One, and also dating from ’59… this ‘rat look racer’ has a lovely patina about her… love the “stickerbomb” look and the chrome horncast. It’s got a Rapido 225 lump, GP 200 Gearbox and the carb and exhaust (a Fresco) to go with it. Currently sitting at £2,250 but with four days to go, and this one will go higher. Here’s the link.

$T2eC16R,!w0E9szNYhFVBRzF4rgFfQ~~60_12 $(KGrHqR,!qwFG66qp0G,BRzF4iecy!~~60_12$(KGrHqN,!rkFG9sdFYFPBRzF4pOUl!~~60_12 $(KGrHqF,!lMFG7gyrHKYBRzF5Mp87w~~60_12

*Swiss model? No, I didn’t know they made one either. I can feel a bit of research and a blog post coming on! From the eBay listing, there was hand pinstriping as standard, as well as side panel and front mudguard embellishers, and running board protectors.