Vintage scooters have been around for over 60 years and the photos below were taken by me on various rallies, rideouts and custom shows. I love many different styles of scooter, from rat rods to choppers and lots in between. But there’s something about full-framed vintage scooters which are so classic, and their style is what got me into the scene over 35 years ago.
As it’s my blog and my rules I get to start with my own scooter! This is a Vespa 150 Sprint which was living in Cornwall when I bought it. It’s the same age as me, exactly, and is therefore truly vintage! It apparently lived on a US army base for a while and is sprayed with an odd colour helicopter paint which is one of those ‘is it grey or green’ debates. It could really do with a refresh, some 4 years later, as it’s not as shiny now as it was in the photo below, mainly due to a minor crash after an MOT on a wet road on our estate! It’s lovely to ride, except the lumpy seat which emphasises every pothole and bump after about half an hour on the road.
This is a classic Lambretta Series 1, one of the oldest of the Lambretta vintage scooters which were originally made in the late 1950s.
Here is a GP200, we assume it is Italian as it has an Innocenti badge, rather than Indian.
Here’s another Series 1, with chrome embellishers, badges and a leopardskin seat and spare wheel cover.
Another Series 1, in a nice blue paint job, with a few chrome accessories.
This is a really early Vespa from the 1950s.
Here is a TV175 Series 2, with chrome embellishers.
Now although most scooters are special for their owners, this one is extra special for its owner, Ana Fernandez. It is a relatively rare Spanish Lambretta and Ana brought it back to this country, authenticated it via LCGB and managed to MOT and insure it on its original Spanish number plate. What also makes it special is that it was registered to the province of Santander which is where Ana’s Dad was from.
The scooter belonged to a neighbour of Ana’s Spanish Uncle who knew Ana was into scooters, so when Ana was visiting her ill father in hospital over there he put her in touch with the owner who was storing it in his chicken house! It hadn’t been ridden for many years and he gave it to her for nothing, so she presented him with a bottle of her Dad’s whiskey as a thank you and brought it back to England. Ana lovingly restored it back to its former glory, and added decals to the side panels which are the emblem of Cantabria, and some on the toolbox which say ‘for my Dad’ in Spanish. It’s a lovely story and so nice to know the history of a scooter.
Here’s a Vespa smallframe, we guess it’s an SS90 unless anyone can tell us differently!
Here’s a Lambretta SX, one of the classic vintage scooters!
Here’s another early Vespa, this time in a lovely mint green.
This is a restored Lambretta LI125.
This is Lee’s old Series 1 Framebreather which he has now sold. This model is one of the early Series 1s, from 1958. Lee updated it with a race tuned engine and hydraulic front disk brake. This photo was taken at the top of Culver Down on the Isle of Wight, with Portsmouth in the background, one of my favourite spots!
Here it is on Ryde seafront. It was a great scooter but had to be sold to make way for the new project which is still being fabricated!
Another Series 1, this one is a cute turquoise colour.
This is a GP125 with bulldog accessory! The photo was taken at the Bulldog Run which takes place every May to raise funds for the Bulldog Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Midhurst.
This is a gorgeous Series 1 with single seats which I much prefer to the dual option – they’re so comfortable! This was taking at the Hayling Island scooter rally where it always seems to be sunny…
This lady is riding a lilac Vespa smallframe, I’m guessing a 125 Primavera, at the Isle of Wight rideout starting point.
Here’s another Vespa smallframe, taken at the Worthing Custom Show some years back.
I love it when people park scooters in a visually-pleasing formation! This colourful group of vintage scooters was lined up at the Bulldog Run in Midhurst.
I couldn’t resist adding my pink one to make it even more lively! It has now been sold but features in my Pink Scooters post!
This was taken at the Solent Cougars Rally and was Ben Channell’s green Lambretta which I think he has now sold.
And finally, an LI Series 2 taken at Worthing Custom Show.
And so concludes my parade of vintage scooters! I hope you have enjoyed looking at them. If you know the history of any more vintage scooters then please do comment below as I’d love to share them with my readers. Every scooter has a tale to tell, especially when they are 50 or 60 years old!
If you liked this post then you may like some of the other scooter content on this site. Here are a few links!
- Scooter Insurance Tips
- Isle of Wight Rally Tips
- Isle of Wight 2017 – write-up and photos
- Hayling Island Scooter Rally 2018
- Bulldog Run Rideout 2018
- Lambretta Choppers
- Mod Scooters
- Scooter Oddities
- Gorgeous Vintage Scooters
And here’s my blog about 80s custom scooters.
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