Visitors to the Newark Scooter World halls couldn’t fail to notice the line-up of machines being shown by Martin Robinson.
Among the machines on show was a model D Racer that Lambretta racing legend Norman Ronald just couldn’t keep his eyes off. With its Ferrari red paintwork and its chrome Abarth exhaust, it truly was an eye-catcher.
The history behind Model D racers doesn’t appear to be documented in detail anywhere that I have found. Innocenti built a number of race machines that were then (depending on which account you believe) either given to Lambretta dealers who sold the most machines in a year, or were given to privateer racers. What is clear is that none were ever raced by an Innocenti factory team. So the term ‘Factory Racer’ should probably be better given as ‘Factory-Built Racer’.
All of that aside, Martin’s machine came to him from an Italian who had the scooter restored by Vittorio Tessera and Martin has told me that it was at the museum in Milan.
Martin liked the scooter for many reasons, most of all its rarity. Let’s be honest, Lambretta race machines aren’t a regular sight, either in the scooter classifieds, or in scooter dealers; so it’s easy to see the attraction of such a rarity.
EARLY DOORS
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Denne historien er fra April/May 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...
