Bristol’s Carole Nash Classic MotorCycle Show always brings out rarities and the 2016 event was no exception with a host of unusual scooters on display. Rubbing handlebars with an IWL Berlin, and a rare Coswio Jika Pandora on the Vintage Motor Scooter Club stand was one with a curvy Latin lovely adorning the legshields.
Finished in a stunning red and white livery the beautifully restored scoot could on first glance have been a typical model from one of the ‘big two’, but closer examination revealed it was an Iso Milano (or ‘Diva’ as it was known in the rest of the world). It was only built between 1957 and 1960 – when the parent company then decided to concentrate its efforts on the Gran Turismo car market.
It’s regarded as one of the best scooters of its generation, and one which is now highly prized among collectors and aficionados. Imported into the UK by Stuart & Payne Ltd of Broad Street, London EC2, and later sold by Doug Miles of 75 High Street, Droitwich (interesting, that was four years after the last one rolled out of the Bresso factory) the Iso Milano is now owned by West Country enthusiast John Cross, who later in the year invited me along to take his rare beast for a spin. However before we fired it up John told me a little about how he came to get the Milano; 40 years after he had his first one:
“When I was a kid, our scout troop inherited a go-kart powered by an old Villiers engine. We soon got to know a lot about the mechanics, as it needed plenty of tinkering to keep it going. I decided to get a motorbike to tear around the fields behind where we lived and then one day my mate Jed alerted me that while he was doing his paper round, he’d seen one dumped in a backyard. The following Saturday we went round to see it, but on arrival I discovered it wasn’t a motorbike, but an old scooter with the name of Iso Milano on the legshields. The main thing was it had an engine (which was seized) but the owner was only too pleased to get rid of it, so we started to push it home.
Denne historien er fra February/March 2017-utgaven av Classic Scooterist.
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Denne historien er fra February/March 2017-utgaven av Classic Scooterist.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Vespa On A Vindaloo (And A Few Beers, Too)!
Over time my sanity has been tested by Vespas, including the PX125,PX150, LML150, a T5, a T5 Classic and PX200.
Simon's DKR Capella 175cc
It’s probably fair to say that in the 1950s most British scooters were well short of the styling and panache of their Latin rivals, but this all changed in 1960 with the launch of the DKR Capella - a sleek Villiers-powered two-stroke which period road testers described as being ‘the most beautiful small-wheeler ever made by a British manufacturer’.
Mark's Model B And Sidecar
You don't see many early Lambretta and Tittarelli sidecar outfits, so when you come across someone who owns two the same matching colour – wow!
Mark's 1980s Classic Custom
Revisiting one of the UK’s best-known custom scooters from the 1980s, which still remains in the possession of its original owner.
Barry's Dayton Albatross Continental Twin
In my younger days, as well as motorcycles, I had a Vespa 90 and a Vespa 90SS, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I returned to scootering (after having several classic cars) with a 1965 Vespa VBB, but I had always hankered after a Dayton Albatross since I was about 12 or 13. Last year I decided to finally fulfil that dream…
Have records will travel
How many DJs do you know who would travel to a music gig on their trusty 2-Tone Vespa PX with a huge box of rare vinyl records strapped on the back?
Model (D) behaviour!
Visitors to the Newark Scooter World halls couldn’t fail to notice the line-up of machines being shown by Martin Robinson.
Rob's Heinkel Tourist
After receiving another phone call from bike collector Rob Carter of Barton upon Humber, Rich realised it would be something special of superb quality and condition; so he decided to investigate.
Iso Milano (Diva) De Luxe 150
Bristol’s Carole Nash Classic MotorCycle Show always brings out rarities and the 2016 event was no exception with a host of unusual scooters on display. Rubbing handlebars with an IWL Berlin, and a rare Coswio Jika Pandora on the Vintage Motor Scooter Club stand was one with a curvy Latin lovely adorning the legshields.
Tabby's Indian GP200
To see it within a crowded scooter compound or lined up at the side of the road at a busy rally, you’d possibly not pay Tabby’s Indian GP200 too much attention or perhaps even feel it was worth a second glance. But that’s precisely where you would be wrong...
