• 8 months ago
Embark on an exhilarating adventure alongside scooter expert Dick Humpty as he traverses from the Isle of Wight rally to Italy, exploring the intriguing world of "auto jumble sales" in his quest for elusive scooter models and rare components. With an abundance of knowledge and an infectious zeal, Dick has established himself as a true authority in the field. Prepare for an unforgettable experience as his profound expertise and unwavering enthusiasm captivate audiences, regardless of their affiliation with Vespa fandom.

Setting aside a mere hour to observe Dick's endeavors ensures an enthralling and captivating experience, as you become fully immersed in his unwavering passion, leaving you thoroughly entertained.

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Transcript
00:00:00 [Horn]
00:00:07 [Music]
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00:00:56 I hope you enjoyed that, seeing all those Lambrettas flying around in the Isle of Wight Scooter Rally.
00:00:58 We're on the train now, we're going to be in the airport in about 10 minutes time,
00:01:02 where we're going to be jumping on a plane down to Italy to discover what is left of the legends of Lambretta.
00:01:07 While we're going through all the palaver of checking in and passports and queuing and tickets and all that malarkey,
00:01:15 sit back and enjoy Nigel Cox's beautiful collection of old Lambrettas.
00:01:19 Hi, my name's Nigel Cox and I've got the world's biggest collection of Lambretta scooters.
00:01:24 Let me show you around.
00:01:26 Right, this all started I think back in about 1986, when like everybody, I saw an SX200,
00:01:35 which was the scooter that I really wanted and that's what started me going.
00:01:39 As we walk around I'll show you some of the scooters.
00:01:41 This one here, TV175 Series 3, this is a classic scooter with all the mod accessories on it.
00:01:47 This is the sort of era that I remember back in '67, people had the scooters and then you bought bits,
00:01:54 mirrors, lights and everything and every spare bit of money you had.
00:01:57 Moving on to this, another classic scooter, TV200.
00:02:01 This is in very nice condition, this is actually done less than 5,000 miles, it's completely original.
00:02:06 I've not seen a nicer one of these.
00:02:09 Right, moving on from that, this is still in the '70s now, or the late '60s, '70s.
00:02:14 We've got the Vega or the Luna range.
00:02:16 This is a range of sort of step-through scooters.
00:02:19 Today they look fairly fashionable but in the time when they were being sold new,
00:02:23 in fact they were sold for £99, so really Lambretta lost a lot of money on these scooters.
00:02:28 Had they been around now today I think they may have sold.
00:02:31 Now, you'll see two scooters here, the green and the brown one.
00:02:35 These are the Model A model or the 125M.
00:02:38 This is how Lambretta started and these were actually designed just after the war.
00:02:42 1944 was the prototype and they actually came onto sale in 1947.
00:02:47 And although the scooters have got tiny seven-inch wheels,
00:02:52 they've got a three-speed gearbox with a foot gear change, very unusual,
00:02:56 it's the only Lambretta that had that.
00:02:58 No suspension, they had rubber bushes in the front and the back was just solid
00:03:02 and they just relied on the tyres.
00:03:04 Basically this was just to get people moving after the war.
00:03:07 They wanted to get their nation rolling again and this is what happened.
00:03:10 You had Piaggio which was about six months before them in 1946,
00:03:13 they'd already got a scooter and this is what Lambretta came back.
00:03:16 Like everything, anything new, they didn't keep this model for very long.
00:03:20 In 1948 they brought out the B model.
00:03:22 Similar looking scooter, although many, many things are different.
00:03:25 You've upgraded to eight-inch wheels, you now had a hand gear change
00:03:30 like all the other Lambretta scooters.
00:03:32 You had suspension now, you had suspension on the front which was cantilever
00:03:36 and you had a torsion arm suspension or a bush suspension on the rear.
00:03:40 All these are 125cc scooters, top speed of 40, 45 mile an hour.
00:03:46 Moving on from that, you had the model C which was an open model again,
00:03:52 bearing in mind scooters up until this era, 1950, hadn't really come into the UK then.
00:03:58 A few private ones had come in, it wasn't until '51.
00:04:01 So they were a warm climate.
00:04:02 However, if I can just take you over to this one here, not restored yet,
00:04:06 but originally this is an LC.
00:04:08 So this is the same model but a clothed version.
00:04:10 This has got panel sledge shields but the mechanics, the engine, the forks
00:04:14 and everything are the same.
00:04:15 From the C they went to a D model.
00:04:18 This again had torsion suspension with a, basically that is a thick bar
00:04:22 of about half an inch in diameter with a spline either end.
00:04:25 And this, as it went up and down, the bar actually twisted and pivoted
00:04:28 and that's with suspension on it.
00:04:30 This is a 125 model D.
00:04:32 You had a 150 model D.
00:04:34 This is '52.
00:04:37 This one's '57.
00:04:38 This is still in the mid to late '50s.
00:04:40 Also in that era, '53, '54, you had the E model and the F model.
00:04:45 These two models never came into the UK.
00:04:47 Those scooters that were now being sold in England, they didn't import the E
00:04:50 and the F model because with our climate we wasn't very nice.
00:04:53 Now at the same time, we're going to cross over.
00:04:56 We'll miss these ones out for a second because I just want to show you
00:04:59 some other models.
00:05:00 They had a whole range of scooters which were the LDs then,
00:05:04 which are now very similar to these open models and the same mechanics,
00:05:07 but they were clothed scooters with panels with leg shields.
00:05:10 Now they made the LD from '52 through to '58, '59.
00:05:16 I'll show you the last Italian one, but next to it is interesting.
00:05:19 This one here is a French LD made in Troy in France.
00:05:23 This was made in '59, '60, and the reason we had these in the UK
00:05:27 is because Lambretta Concessionaires had sold their quota of Italian scooters
00:05:31 and there was no more.
00:05:33 So sales were booming in that era and they were looking to get other scooters,
00:05:37 and this is why it came into the country.
00:05:39 This is one of the last LD Italian scooters, but unlike the normal scooter,
00:05:44 this is an electric start.
00:05:46 Now they made three versions of the electric start, 1954 through to this one.
00:05:51 But by the time they came to this one, which was the Mark III version,
00:05:54 they were competent enough then to not even put a kickstart on it.
00:05:58 And this is the plate here which would have had the kickstart.
00:06:01 And how they worked this was they had the clutch bell
00:06:03 and the little starter motor ran here underneath,
00:06:05 and it just literally drove the clutch bell.
00:06:08 Two 6-volt batteries in the back to make a 12-volt system.
00:06:11 Same ignition as a car, so you had 12-volt lights,
00:06:13 but you had them as soon as the engine--
00:06:15 sorry, as soon as it was switched on and it charged the battery up.
00:06:18 After that, they went very quickly to this model,
00:06:20 which was in 1957 came out, which is a TV Series 1.
00:06:25 Now this was a flagship for Lambretta.
00:06:27 They were then competing with Vespa, which had Vespa GS160.
00:06:31 Now this came out as a 175 version.
00:06:33 In fact, it was actually 170, but they called it a 175.
00:06:36 It was a completely different design.
00:06:38 You had now four-speed gearbox.
00:06:40 A big advantage because with these three-speed LDs,
00:06:43 you came to a hill and it was very, very difficult to--
00:06:46 if you had a steep incline, you were down to first, up to second, down to first.
00:06:49 With a four-speed gearbox, it was much better.
00:06:51 Unfortunately, the layout of this engine wasn't that good.
00:06:54 They had a center kickstart with a very big spring that was wound like a cloth,
00:06:58 and that used to give a lot of trouble, so it was only brought out for a couple of years.
00:07:02 And the 125 version, which you can see over there,
00:07:07 and the 150 version, which is here, it's restored,
00:07:11 was the same-looking scooter.
00:07:13 Let me just--sorry, let me have to excuse everything
00:07:15 because we have a lot of parts here as well as the scooters.
00:07:18 This was a 150. Although looking at it, it's very similar,
00:07:21 the engine was completely different.
00:07:23 And if I take a panel off to show you,
00:07:27 what you had here was the basis of all the other engines
00:07:30 that Lambretta made, even to the Spanish and the Indian.
00:07:33 You had the main crankcase, which now had the gear cluster at the back.
00:07:37 The crank drove from the front, and this was driven by a chain.
00:07:39 And this was internal. You had an oil bath in it.
00:07:42 And obviously, this was a combination, whether it be a 125 or 150-200,
00:07:46 all that Lambretta's had running on this engine now.
00:07:49 And this came out, as I say, in 1958 for a Series 1.
00:07:52 And they ran this only for a short time
00:07:55 because basically the problem they had with the Series 1 is,
00:07:59 if you look at it, when you turned the steering, the headlight didn't.
00:08:02 So as you went around a bend, you were turning around
00:08:05 where the headlight was facing.
00:08:06 So they very quickly bought--this was made for 18 months.
00:08:09 And they very quickly bought it out, and then you had the Series 2 range.
00:08:13 Again, a 125, a 150, and a 175.
00:08:17 The TV 175, which is the top-of-the-range version,
00:08:21 you had shock absorbers on it.
00:08:22 You had a more powerful engine, a dual seat.
00:08:25 Still the same type of engine as the other one,
00:08:27 the same four-speed gearboxes, different ratios, but the same setup.
00:08:32 That was the Series 2.
00:08:33 This was made from sort of late '59 to '61, '62.
00:08:38 And after the Series 2s, you went to the Series 3s then,
00:08:41 which was--they did a lot of what we call a slim-style scooter.
00:08:46 This is an LI 150 Series 3.
00:08:50 And then they did, at the same time, they did a range of SX 150s,
00:08:55 which are here, and an SX 125.
00:08:59 And then, again, a very, very classic scooter.
00:09:02 You'll see on the top of this is an SX 200.
00:09:05 Now, that's a really classic scooter, very rare, very sought-after.
00:09:09 So they made the SX 200, and then this went on until about '69, '70,
00:09:13 and they bought out the GP range then.
00:09:15 And, again, you had a 125, a 150, and this one, a unique scooter in itself.
00:09:24 This is a GP 150, but it's only done about 276 miles from new.
00:09:28 Everything's original on it, and this is the nicest example
00:09:31 of an original scooter I've ever seen.
00:09:33 So rare to find one in this condition, especially a British one.
00:09:37 And then this would have finished the Lambrettas in the way
00:09:40 Lambrettas were being built.
00:09:42 This one here is a 200 GP, but an electronic.
00:09:45 You see the sticker on there.
00:09:47 This was electronic for the ignition, only for the points,
00:09:49 not electric start or anything.
00:09:51 Lambretta did that and finished in '58.
00:09:53 So now this is a 200cc scooter.
00:09:56 They modified the crankshaft, a bigger, thicker crankshaft,
00:09:58 by way of an electronic ignition rather than points,
00:10:01 a nice pickup and a contact.
00:10:03 They also did a whole range of three-wheelers.
00:10:05 They started off in 1948 with this one.
00:10:08 It's very cluttered, but you can get the basic gist of it.
00:10:11 This is an FB, which is basically the back end is the same as the B models,
00:10:15 but you steer the two front wheels.
00:10:18 This is only a 125cc.
00:10:20 As you can see, this was fry screens, but you could carry a flat box
00:10:23 or whatever you can carry, coal, whatever they wanted to do.
00:10:26 So it's very, you know, in Italy, a lot of people used to pot around
00:10:30 on these little things.
00:10:32 Then this came out. This is an FD version.
00:10:34 '57-'58, and now the steering is just one wheel at the front
00:10:39 like a conventional scooter, and actually at the back with a little
00:10:42 drive shaft with two rubber doughnuts on it.
00:10:45 And they made this in lots of versions with a cab or with not a cab,
00:10:50 flat beds and extensions, whatever.
00:10:53 The name Lambro comes from the River Lambro, which actually runs through
00:10:57 the site in Italy where the scooters were made.
00:11:00 This one here is a 175cc.
00:11:02 Got the same controls as a scooter.
00:11:04 You've got a four-speed gearbox, but you've now got a cab,
00:11:07 you've got a windscreen wiper, so you've got doors,
00:11:09 you've got weather protection.
00:11:11 In Italy, most people took the doors off. It was an option.
00:11:13 This is a different setup with a box with two doors,
00:11:16 and they had roller shutters or whatever.
00:11:18 Now, one set of scooters I've missed out altogether is what they call
00:11:21 the J range, and this was a range of scooters brought out in the mid-'60s.
00:11:25 It never really caught on in England.
00:11:27 In fact, they were brought out for the ladies.
00:11:29 However, in Italy, they had the J50, which was the same body but a 50cc engine.
00:11:35 Now, this was very popular because, obviously, 50cc mopeds were very cheap in Italy.
00:11:39 In fact, they didn't even run a number plate on them,
00:11:41 so a lot of people had a 50cc.
00:11:43 So in Italy, they sold well. In this country, they didn't.
00:11:45 And there's a range of them here.
00:11:47 There's a 100cc, a 125, and a Starstream,
00:11:50 but nowadays not really very collectible, but nice.
00:11:54 Another thing here that's interesting we'll show you,
00:11:57 which is another SX200, but as far as we know, it's the earliest one we know of,
00:12:01 and at the moment, nobody knows of an earlier version,
00:12:03 so interesting to have and something, obviously, I don't want to sell.
00:12:06 Well, I hope you enjoyed that.
00:12:17 Nigel's collection, fantastic.
00:12:20 Probably one of the biggest collections in the world.
00:12:23 At the moment, we're driving down the Napoleonic Grand Corniche.
00:12:27 I'm about 15, 20 minutes away from Italy.
00:12:29 We're just over the frontier.
00:12:31 We've been tipped off that there's a small auto jumble.
00:12:34 Hopefully, there's going to be loads of interesting parts there
00:12:37 and probably a couple of bikes as well.
00:12:39 You never know. There could be loads, there could be nothing.
00:12:42 It's a chance you take.
00:12:44 We can't get our hopes up too much.
00:12:47 In all my visits to Italy, I've never actually seen a Lambretta riding down the road.
00:12:52 It's more of a historical phenomena, but a phenomena nevertheless,
00:12:57 and the passion for it is still alive.
00:12:59 With any luck, we'll be able to find the remnants of a once thriving culture.
00:13:07 You've got to remember there's 30, 40 different types of Lambretta and Vespas.
00:13:14 You're not going to find everything that you look for.
00:13:16 It's your once and one still, but you can find one bit.
00:13:20 You might not find anything that you're after,
00:13:22 but the great thing about these Italian auto jumbles is you've got more stalls over here
00:13:26 and more stalls over the other side.
00:13:30 They're great for people who really are serious about the restorations of their bikes
00:13:35 and want original pieces.
00:13:37 These are the places to come.
00:13:39 There we go.
00:13:41 A Mark 1 LD 125 cylinder.
00:13:48 I've needed one of those for about three months now.
00:13:51 I haven't had any joy finding one in England.
00:13:54 Bang! I've got one now though.
00:13:56 No, tell a lie. I've got two.
00:13:59 That is absolutely amazing.
00:14:02 Grazie, signore. Perfetto. Amazing.
00:14:06 Goodbye.
00:14:07 I've been looking for one of these.
00:14:09 It's a Luna 50 headlamp rim all over England.
00:14:12 I've had no luck whatsoever.
00:14:14 I just strolled up to a store.
00:14:15 Here it is. Problem over. Job done.
00:14:17 I've still got change. Fantastic.
00:14:20 Oh, wow.
00:14:23 Now this is a bit of a find.
00:14:25 Not much of a find, but a bit of a find.
00:14:28 This is obviously an LD 125.
00:14:30 It's a Mark 3B.
00:14:31 You can tell that.
00:14:32 You look at the cowlings on the handlebars.
00:14:34 The only other ones to have cowlings as standard were going to be the Mark 4 French LD.
00:14:39 Slightly different design on the ferrule.
00:14:41 Was it the horn casting? Slightly different.
00:14:43 No badges there.
00:14:44 But this is generally a pretty complete bike.
00:14:47 It's okay. The mudguard's dented around.
00:14:49 Try and find an LD mudguard that isn't.
00:14:51 It's a bit of a pain in the arse.
00:14:52 You buy something like this, you're going to expect it.
00:14:54 It is a rare old gem.
00:14:55 It's the sort of thing that in a few years' time you're not going to find any of at all.
00:14:58 So if they're there, you've really got a bit of a historic duty really to try and get it and try and preserve it.
00:15:04 Look at that.
00:15:05 This is the sort of thing that should put people off.
00:15:07 Oh, look. It's all seized up. All nasty.
00:15:09 No surprises there.
00:15:11 Typical late LD kickstart mechanism.
00:15:15 We've got an Ambreto series 2 here.
00:15:17 Now this is the first bike I ever owned and I think they're absolutely fantastic.
00:15:21 First thing that attracts me to this one is the fact that it looks straight, it's clean, the mudguard isn't bent around.
00:15:26 You've got this nice little sort of stripey, tutti frutti, handy leg shield rubbers.
00:15:30 You've got a floor mat on there.
00:15:32 Everything's reasonably solid.
00:15:34 It's complete. It's had a blowover.
00:15:37 You could be forgiven.
00:15:38 You look at this and you think, "Wow, it looks all very original. That must be worth a packet."
00:15:42 Well, the reality is it costs a packet, but it is an original paintwork.
00:15:46 Things you look for, like the bolts here on top of the forks, they've been painted.
00:15:49 Little bits of over-spray on the running strips here.
00:15:53 This is pretty much your bog-standard model.
00:15:55 Produced between 1959 and 1961.
00:15:58 Very popular here.
00:16:00 Very popular in England.
00:16:02 You can get loads of bits for Lambretta's investments now.
00:16:05 All the bits you generally need to restore, you can get from catalogues.
00:16:08 You can buy brand-new reproductions.
00:16:10 But there's some stuff you just cannot get.
00:16:12 Now, where are you going to find a Lambretta Model E plate like that?
00:16:17 Absolutely amazing.
00:16:19 I don't need one, but if you needed one, there's only one place to come, and that's an Italian auto jumble.
00:16:24 Now, this is interesting.
00:16:27 This is the size of the wheels.
00:16:28 A seven-inch wheel from a Model A.
00:16:30 You bought it here? This morning?
00:16:35 Wow!
00:16:37 Now, this was bought in the morning.
00:16:38 This is a 350 by 7 tyre.
00:16:41 Only myself and people like myself think this is incredible.
00:16:46 Now, the end of the day.
00:16:50 It's getting a bit chilly now.
00:16:52 We've put an extra layer of clothing on.
00:16:54 It's worth hanging around and carrying on, because you never know.
00:16:57 Another five minutes, I might find that carburettor for my GS.
00:17:00 I may find a light switch for my Model B.
00:17:03 You never, ever, ever know what you're going to find in these things.
00:17:06 Here I have an exhaust for my Lunar 50.
00:17:09 Brand spankers go straight on there.
00:17:11 I'm really chuffed with that.
00:17:13 I've got a rather tatty exhaust for my Model LC here, but I need one.
00:17:17 It only costs a couple of quid, and I can get the thing on the road now.
00:17:20 That's absolutely amazing.
00:17:21 As far as I'm concerned, this is a great day out.
00:17:24 That was the end of the auto jumble.
00:17:26 We're heading off now.
00:17:27 We've got to find a hotel for the night.
00:17:29 We're driving down towards Rimini,
00:17:32 where we've got another auto jumble tomorrow.
00:17:36 It's going to be about four to five hours driving.
00:17:39 It's a very satisfying day.
00:17:41 It's a shame it's dark now, because everywhere you look, there's somewhere interesting.
00:17:47 All in all, an amazing little auto jumble.
00:17:51 [Rimini, Italy]
00:17:54 It's the next day. It's Sunday morning.
00:18:05 We've just rested and recuperated.
00:18:08 Now we've got about half an hour before we get to Rimini.
00:18:11 Here we are in Rimini.
00:18:13 We're just coming up to the National Motorcycle Museum.
00:18:16 Inside here, we've got another big auto jumble to go to.
00:18:20 It's a big two-day event.
00:18:21 A lot of the smaller jumbles you don't find a great deal of stuff at anymore.
00:18:25 The jumbles are certainly dying out.
00:18:27 The commercial element to it is almost over now.
00:18:30 If you have a Lambretta now, hold on to it.
00:18:32 Watch the price. It's going to go up and up and up.
00:18:34 The only place to replace these old bikes comes from Italy.
00:18:38 The supply is drying up here now.
00:18:40 You won't find SX200s. You won't find TV175s.
00:18:43 Very, very rarely. If you're very lucky, you may.
00:18:46 But you'll certainly find plenty of parts.
00:18:48 Incredible. Here we've got, as I mentioned earlier,
00:18:52 the bike that I didn't think we were going to find.
00:18:54 A TV175 Series 3.
00:18:56 It's nice to find. It's quite original.
00:18:58 It's battered about. It's knackered.
00:18:59 This is the sort of thing that really you've got to restore yourself.
00:19:02 It can't be got on the road as is.
00:19:04 What's a nice touch is the fact that it still has a disc brake down here.
00:19:07 The window's in it.
00:19:09 The front mudguard.
00:19:11 If you can hear that, you can certainly see that it's split.
00:19:14 It's fiberglass.
00:19:15 Classic TV175 Series 3 front mudguard.
00:19:18 And the engine turns over, true to Italian form.
00:19:23 Absolutely fantastic.
00:19:25 I've just arranged to buy this bike.
00:19:28 So there's no point in anybody else coming to Italy to see if they can buy it.
00:19:32 It's mine.
00:19:40 This is your bog standard Lambretta.
00:19:43 Your LI150 Series 3.
00:19:46 In my opinion, the best Lambretta they ever built.
00:19:49 You get your SX200, your TV200 with expensive disc brakes.
00:19:53 Costs a fortune to buy.
00:19:55 And, oh, just not worth it really.
00:19:58 This, perfect size engine.
00:20:00 Very economical, very reliable.
00:20:02 You can get absolutely everything for them. Amazing.
00:20:05 Just checking the engine. Lovely.
00:20:07 Very rarely have I found one in England in this sort of condition where the engine turns over.
00:20:12 I guess it's all to do with the humidity, temperature, water in the air and all the rest.
00:20:16 The engines tend to turn over here, which is great.
00:20:19 Because that not only means that it's going to be easier to strip down,
00:20:22 but it means you're less likely to have had moisture inside the crankshaft,
00:20:26 which affects all the big end journals and stuff like that.
00:20:29 And then you're talking 78 quid for getting ahold of a new crankshaft.
00:20:33 Wow, look at that.
00:20:35 Now this is a Luna 50 CL.
00:20:38 Now this was a very popular model.
00:20:39 Now remember, in Italy you could ride a 50cc bike at the age of 14.
00:20:43 So you imagine, the late 60s, loads of groovy, funky, fashion-conscious, gorgeous Italian girls
00:20:49 were riding around on this really spacey sort of thing.
00:20:52 Now it does look a bit spacey, but you remember what was happening at the time.
00:20:55 World history dictates, yeah, we were having the race to the moon.
00:20:59 And this was known as the Luna line.
00:21:00 This one, the Luna 50.
00:21:02 Then you had the Vega, the Star, the Commeta,
00:21:05 the first bike I ever had legally on the road at the age of 16.
00:21:08 I restored it at 15.
00:21:09 A bit bizarre, really, but I don't regret doing it.
00:21:11 I've just found a Lambretta stall here.
00:21:14 Now, this is not a Lambretta stall to be taken lightly.
00:21:18 You won't find this at any English auto jumble.
00:21:21 Look at this.
00:21:22 Rear hub nuts, air filters, everything for Model Ds, LDs,
00:21:31 the proper little nuts, the little shafts with the split pin holes in them,
00:21:36 air hoses, grips for every single model,
00:21:40 brand new LD levers and its top quality reproduction stuff as well,
00:21:45 Stanfite rubbers, Kickstart rubbers, all the other rubbers,
00:21:48 everything that you possibly need.
00:21:50 More rubbers, rubbers and rubbers and rubbers.
00:21:53 Amazing, if you like rubbers, that's the place to be.
00:21:56 Here, now look inside here.
00:21:58 We have got speedometers, we've got--
00:22:00 That is an ammeter, an inner-chente ammeter.
00:22:04 That is just absolutely outrageous.
00:22:06 It turns over. It's a little bit gritty,
00:22:14 but there probably hasn't been any oil going through that engine for 20 years.
00:22:17 It's complete, it's got the panels, the panels are straight.
00:22:20 Compared to the one we saw yesterday, this is a fantastic restoration project.
00:22:25 And sometimes this might only cost an extra couple of hundred quid.
00:22:28 It's worth doing, it saves you about an extra three, four hundred pounds worth of work
00:22:32 and bashing panels or replacing panels.
00:22:34 It's nice.
00:22:36 Notice here, we've got a little blanking plate down here.
00:22:39 That's just for the speedo.
00:22:41 They're quite often fitted as optional extras,
00:22:43 and if you didn't have a speedo drive,
00:22:46 you had a little inner-chente blanking plate.
00:22:48 True to form, this one's been taken off and put on upside down.
00:22:52 A 1954 Model D here. Absolutely amazing.
00:22:56 As you can tell, it's a 1954.
00:22:57 You haven't got a battery tray on there,
00:22:59 you've got the coffee pot on the exhaust.
00:23:01 Got a lovely accessory speedo over here.
00:23:03 The standard St. Christopher badge there on your little Lambretta logo.
00:23:08 That's a beautiful speedo. I've never seen one of them before.
00:23:11 That's amazing. This is the great thing about Italy.
00:23:13 Stuff you just don't see in England.
00:23:15 Or if you do, it's in the hands of collectors and they want hundreds of pounds for it.
00:23:18 They're expensive here, but they're not astronomical.
00:23:22 Beautifully restored. A lot of original parts.
00:23:25 The floor strips, rather than using reproduction ones,
00:23:28 have actually had the originals buffed up and plated again.
00:23:32 Running in instructions.
00:23:34 Beautiful job all round.
00:23:38 I've got one of these myself, but it doesn't look quite as nice as this.
00:23:41 I just wish I was a bit more patient and could do a better job.
00:23:44 Incredible. Look at the condition.
00:23:47 The Model Ds, as opposed to the LDs, all have painted engines.
00:23:50 Anything that didn't have panels had a painted engine.
00:23:52 Same as that. Lunas, the Lunar Lines, the Model Ds, the Cs, all of them.
00:23:57 General rule. Absolutely fantastic.
00:23:59 And this one's been done really well. Real attention to detail.
00:24:02 Look at this. These aren't reproduction adjusters either.
00:24:05 These ones have been replated.
00:24:07 The switch doesn't look like a repro either.
00:24:10 Lovely job. Beautifully done. Nice touches as well.
00:24:15 I like this HT lead here. It's transparent.
00:24:18 It's got this strange psychedelic, flexi-coloury thing in the centre of it.
00:24:23 I think that's really wild. If I could buy some of that, I'm going to and I'm going to fit it to a bike.
00:24:27 Absolutely incredible. Great little bikes.
00:24:32 Now this was known as the sports model in England.
00:24:34 A bit of a con, unfortunately, because it didn't actually go any faster than the model that had all the side panels, the LD and the bigger leg shields.
00:24:42 But you've got to market it somehow.
00:24:44 And aesthetically, it's probably a bit of a tricky job.
00:24:49 They cost a little bit less, didn't go any faster.
00:24:51 But people went on expeditions on these. People went all around the world on them.
00:24:55 The publicity stunts were wild.
00:24:57 I've got pictures of these at the top of the Himalayas.
00:25:00 It was broken down on the side of the road in Caracas.
00:25:03 Absolutely incredible.
00:25:05 They're not fast, but they're sturdy and they go on until the cows come home.
00:25:11 Beautiful job. Absolutely bellissima.
00:25:15 A little J50 Deluxe.
00:25:19 Look at all the little flashes on there.
00:25:22 There's about four or five different types of J50.
00:25:25 Same thing again, you could ride them at the age of 14. They're fantastic.
00:25:28 Speedo blanking plate here.
00:25:30 Rubber floor mats. They did come with plastic strips, with rubber strips, with end caps like the Li.
00:25:35 A variety of versions.
00:25:37 Not many of them in England, but great little bikes. I really like one.
00:25:40 I actually got one for my wife and it was fantastic.
00:25:42 She didn't want to ride it, so I ended up scrambling it.
00:25:44 But it went really fast and it was really fantastic.
00:25:47 And if your nipple wants a bike, this is the sort of thing to go for.
00:25:52 You can pick them up reasonably cheaply here as well.
00:25:54 If you go to the trouble of coming to Italy to actually get one of these J50s,
00:25:58 you're going to be able to find all the parts for them as well.
00:26:01 So it's not that much of a chore.
00:26:03 We've been here all day. There's just so much stuff, I just can't believe it.
00:26:07 I've managed to find a few odds and sods here and there.
00:26:10 But for most of my Lambretta stuff that I haven't found here,
00:26:14 tomorrow we're going to the Vatican City of Lambretta, to the Lambretta God himself.
00:26:20 We're going to Casa Lambretta in Milan.
00:26:22 It's to see Vittorio Tessera's own private collection and to pick up some odds and sods
00:26:28 so I can finish off all those bikes that I'm still halfway through restoring.
00:26:33 It's been an absolutely exhausting but an amazing day.
00:26:37 Interesting, virtually empty.
00:26:41 But look at that.
00:26:45 A Lambretta Model A.
00:26:48 Yeah, a lot of the parts for this you can still get hold of.
00:26:55 They've still been remanufactured.
00:26:57 Yeah, you've got the foot gear change here.
00:27:02 Yeah, original switches.
00:27:04 Oh, look at that.
00:27:08 Wow, everything original.
00:27:15 That's incredible.
00:27:18 I would bet a thousand pounds that one of these in this condition is not in England.
00:27:27 You will not find one.
00:27:29 Look at that.
00:27:31 Now, that is a...
00:27:34 There's even more to go on there.
00:27:36 My God.
00:27:38 From what I can understand, he bought this bike for the side panels
00:27:46 because he could take all the badges off that were all worth a few bucks.
00:27:49 But if that is not the most Mad Max Lambretta side panel you've ever seen,
00:27:54 then I'm just not in this garage and this is all just one incredible dream
00:27:58 and I'm going to wake up in England any morning to a gas bill.
00:28:01 No, is that three or four? Wow.
00:28:07 Yeah.
00:28:11 My God.
00:28:15 That's a Model B, a Model B racer.
00:28:18 That is a Lambretta.
00:28:21 I've never seen anything quite like this before.
00:28:23 Only in picture books.
00:28:26 That's incredible and it's not pristine either and I like that.
00:28:30 It's got a usable thrash it around, have a laugh quality about it.
00:28:36 Holes drilled here, help ventilate the drum, disperse heat.
00:28:40 Look at that.
00:28:44 Everything, all these little extras, little plate here.
00:28:52 Yeah, we've got foot gear change over the other side which you can't see very clearly.
00:28:56 We've got this box here which is channeling air in,
00:29:01 which will be blowing over the cylinder to keep it cool, it's direct cooled.
00:29:05 Little foot pegs.
00:29:08 Look at that.
00:29:10 That is lovely.
00:29:21 We're about five minutes away now.
00:29:23 We're actually just entering Rodono which is where Casa Lambretta is based.
00:29:30 A few squiggly little roads, a left and a right and a straight on,
00:29:35 probably a couple of circles and we'll be there.
00:29:39 Just gone past Lambretta where the Energetique factory is based.
00:29:43 Now a lot of people think that because Vespa was produced
00:29:48 just over a year earlier than the Lambretta that for some reason
00:29:52 Piaggio must have been a more visionary company.
00:29:56 The reality is that during the Allies' advance,
00:29:59 it took the Allies longer to get further north.
00:30:02 By the time they arrived in Milan,
00:30:05 half the factory had been bombed and half the machinery had been taken by the Germans in their retreat.
00:30:12 The factory itself, like Piaggio, had been part of the Italian war effort
00:30:17 and had been handed over to making missiles, shells, general munitions.
00:30:22 After the war, the Allies took control of the Lambretta factory
00:30:28 and the Energetique plant as it was, as the Lambretta,
00:30:32 it still had to be invented for an indefinite period.
00:30:36 And there was a lengthy legal battle where Fernando Energetique
00:30:40 had to negotiate the return of his company in order to get people employed and working again
00:30:45 and minimise the discontent felt within the area.
00:30:48 These points largely explain the delay between the start of production for Lambretta and Vespa.
00:30:55 But essentially they were both based on the same idea,
00:30:59 the same needs and the same desires of an Italian people
00:31:03 in a grim period of history where everyone just wanted to get on and work.
00:31:11 Energetique, classically, descended from a scaffolding company
00:31:17 that had done very well under the fascist rule of Mussolini.
00:31:22 Eventually used what amounted to a scaffold pole as the central stem of their machines.
00:31:29 Just as Piaggio, who had been making planes, engines, cable cars, trains,
00:31:35 a pressed steel company, relied on the pressed steel construction for the model of their bike.
00:31:42 All common sense really.
00:31:45 And both bikes worked.
00:31:48 Maybe this goes to show the extent of the demand
00:31:53 for a cheap, affordable, fun, economical little bike.
00:31:59 Right, here we are.
00:32:03 Casa Lambretta.
00:32:05 Very exciting.
00:32:07 Straight away you see J-ranges, frames, brand new frames, half-restored LDs,
00:32:14 Series 1s, 4.2L2s.
00:32:17 Fantastic.
00:32:21 And here we are.
00:32:24 That's it, Casa Lambretta in style.
00:32:27 And here is our man, Vittorio Tessera.
00:32:31 The main man.
00:32:33 Welcome to Casa Lambretta.
00:32:37 Here we are. Everyone's really lovely who works here.
00:32:40 And they're all really very friendly.
00:32:41 We are surrounded by all sorts of odds and sods here.
00:32:45 Here we have a Mark 1 LD frame.
00:32:48 You can see the innocenti origins of the scaffold company.
00:32:52 Utilising a steel tube to make the frame for their bikes.
00:32:59 Up here we have all the original sales signs for the Series 3 J-ranges.
00:33:05 Absolutely incredible.
00:33:09 Now how many companies do you find where a member of staff will paint the boss?
00:33:16 Only in Italy. That is absolutely incredible.
00:33:20 We've got the nose.
00:33:22 And above this we have an assortment of spares.
00:33:27 We've got LD hubs, mag flanges, clutch covers.
00:33:33 Absolutely incredible.
00:33:35 Tyres here, there and everywhere.
00:33:37 We have a bottle of Lambretta wine.
00:33:40 Look at that. That's fantastic.
00:33:43 A bottle of German NSU wine.
00:33:46 Now that is absolutely incredible.
00:33:48 There we go. This is amazing.
00:33:52 This is the best shop in the whole world.
00:33:55 Over here we have a Mark 2 LD.
00:33:58 1955.
00:34:00 It's not absolutely bang on but it's a nice looking bike.
00:34:03 It's got some interesting accessories.
00:34:05 Especially this rack on the back which I've never seen before.
00:34:08 I'm glad it's not me that's working on it.
00:34:13 This is my work.
00:34:16 This is the one that would be preferred to be shown to the camera.
00:34:22 This is lovely.
00:34:23 This is a 1969-1970 GP200.
00:34:29 Known as the DL in Italy.
00:34:31 Fantastic.
00:34:32 You notice disc brake, dampers in its original okra.
00:34:36 Absolutely beautiful.
00:34:38 Chrome is fantastic but this is something special.
00:34:42 Look at that.
00:34:50 Look at that.
00:34:52 It needs a clean.
00:34:56 It does need a clean.
00:34:58 But that's ok.
00:35:00 Oh, oh, oh.
00:35:05 Carretto Siciliano.
00:35:07 Siciliano?
00:35:09 Sì.
00:35:10 Andate in Sicilia.
00:35:12 Vittorio, andate in Sicilia.
00:35:14 Sì.
00:35:15 Carretto Siciliano.
00:35:16 Yes, Siciliano.
00:35:18 Carretto Siciliano.
00:35:20 Yeah, oh.
00:35:21 We have a Sicilian cart I believe here.
00:35:24 This is absolutely incredible.
00:35:26 This is a cowboy Indian scooter and I think it's one of the most interesting bikes we've seen.
00:35:33 Lambretta.
00:35:34 Yeah, this goes to show what you can do with a Lambretta and a drink problem.
00:35:40 Absolutely.
00:35:45 That is beautiful.
00:35:48 Look under here.
00:35:52 Oh, yes.
00:35:55 Yeah, oh, little Lambrettas there.
00:36:01 And a picture of a lemon on the toolbox.
00:36:04 I wouldn't dare to attempt a copy of this.
00:36:08 Oh, oh, oh.
00:36:13 Let me get the seat up.
00:36:15 Prego.
00:36:20 This is normal series two side panel fitting.
00:36:32 That's it, yes.
00:36:34 It'll click.
00:36:35 Any second it'll click.
00:36:37 There's your click.
00:36:41 Absolutely lovely.
00:36:43 There we go.
00:36:44 Personal Vittorio.
00:36:46 Yeah.
00:36:47 Really, oh, it's Vittorio's.
00:36:50 Really, well this is one of Vittorio's, but Rodolfo's got to take the blame for this.
00:36:56 Egypt.
00:36:59 Egypt.
00:37:00 Egypt.
00:37:01 Egypt.
00:37:02 Yeah, oh.
00:37:04 We have palm trees, pampas grass.
00:37:08 We can see some little pyramids down the side here.
00:37:11 Pyramids.
00:37:12 Pyramids.
00:37:13 Egypt.
00:37:14 Egypt.
00:37:15 Yeah.
00:37:16 Oh, that's fantastic.
00:37:17 We've got an Egyptian front mudguard.
00:37:19 Now, I love this little bit because I generally buy one or two bikes from Vittorio.
00:37:24 Now, round this corner, you never know what's actually going to be there.
00:37:29 It could be a whole line of ten old LDs or old LIs or J-Ranges.
00:37:34 It's a scooter graveyard, but it's fantastic.
00:37:37 And this is where the restoration starts.
00:37:40 Looks like we've got a good crop on this visit.
00:37:43 Here we go.
00:37:46 J-50.
00:37:49 J-50.
00:37:50 Series 1 LI.
00:37:53 I'd imagine most of these are usually for customers,
00:37:59 as you have brought them in to have them restored.
00:38:01 We have an LD.
00:38:04 We have a Vega 75 here.
00:38:08 Now, this one will be about 1964.
00:38:10 This is an interesting bike.
00:38:12 This was produced by a company called Ibar and had the turning front mudguard.
00:38:16 Now, and an extension down here on the horn casting.
00:38:19 The mudguards you can find occasionally.
00:38:21 The horn castings are difficult to find.
00:38:23 It is.
00:38:24 It's definitely a very Spanish machine.
00:38:27 And the LD-style badges here.
00:38:29 This would be about a '64.
00:38:33 But the turning front mudguard, interestingly,
00:38:35 was used in Britain for a model called the Rallymaster.
00:38:38 Bolle.
00:38:39 Bolle.
00:38:40 Yep, these are the tax discs here.
00:38:42 If you're looking for a restoration project,
00:38:45 this is the sort of thing that you want to be going for.
00:38:48 Unless you've got a very rich father or you're rich yourself,
00:38:53 because things like the SX200s and TVs have just become far too expensive.
00:38:58 Now, this is still an economy model,
00:39:00 and this is what this was all about right from the very beginning.
00:39:02 It was what it was about when I first got into them.
00:39:04 It was just a cheap, affordable form of transport which got you from A to B.
00:39:08 And once you'd earned your first bit of money,
00:39:09 you'd put an MOT and bought some insurance.
00:39:12 Fantastic.
00:39:13 Oh, we've got a GP150 or an Italia 150DL.
00:39:19 We can't look at this without noting the ink blot on the front here.
00:39:24 Now, rumour has it that Bertone, the guy who designed Ferrari,
00:39:28 he was brought in to redesign the Lambretta
00:39:31 to give it some extra styling and to also save on costs.
00:39:35 But when his plans were actually presented to the Innocenti family,
00:39:40 they looked at it and they said, "Well, yeah, that's okay,
00:39:43 but can we cut this and can we cut that?"
00:39:46 And Bertone was so hacked off because he'd been asked to design a machine
00:39:49 and suddenly someone's just throwing costs at him
00:39:53 and he wanted to change everything.
00:39:55 So the story goes that he threw his pen down in disgust
00:39:59 and it left a big ink blot on the plans.
00:40:02 As a tribute, I guess, to Bertone himself, we have this sticker.
00:40:07 Here.
00:40:10 Here I am with Vittorio, who's giving me a sneak preview
00:40:14 of the new museum that will be open in a week.
00:40:16 We're very privileged and he's also here to help me
00:40:19 if I make any mistakes and to point them out to me.
00:40:22 Sorry, I'm not finished.
00:40:24 No, it's okay.
00:40:25 Two weeks.
00:40:26 Two weeks, he's going to be finished.
00:40:28 But there's no need to apologise.
00:40:29 We're just lucky to be here and it's great.
00:40:32 Here we have a beautiful 1947 Model A Lambretta.
00:40:38 Hooked gear change.
00:40:40 Nice bare handlebars.
00:40:43 That will tell you straight away it's an A and not a Model B,
00:40:46 which we have next door.
00:40:48 Absolutely beautiful machine, this one.
00:40:51 You've got the gear selector up here.
00:40:53 If we have a look in here,
00:40:55 we've got first, second, third.
00:40:58 As you twist, this indicator moves up and down.
00:41:01 Same frame, but something that's been introduced to this one
00:41:05 is the rear suspension.
00:41:07 If we look down here, this is our suspension.
00:41:12 Other differences, we've obviously got the gear selector box here.
00:41:17 Now this one stayed the same and was carried through
00:41:19 onto the early Model Cs and LCs.
00:41:22 Nice machine.
00:41:24 In this sort of condition, this sort of original condition
00:41:27 is really rare and a real privilege to have a look at.
00:41:30 If it wasn't for machines like this,
00:41:32 you wouldn't actually have a guide in order to be able
00:41:35 to restore these in the future.
00:41:37 Just little things.
00:41:38 Worth seeing zinc-plated, nickel-plated, nuts, bolts.
00:41:42 Fantastic.
00:41:46 The front wheel here was also enlarged from a 7-inch
00:41:51 to an 8-inch wheel and was held in place by the front mudguard
00:41:56 rather than what we would know as an ordinary set of Lambretta forks
00:42:00 where the wheel would be bolted in tightly into two links on either side.
00:42:05 This, fantastic.
00:42:09 This is an unrestored 1950, 1951 Model C.
00:42:15 LC, rather.
00:42:18 Beautiful condition.
00:42:20 We can see here, we have the beginnings of your standard Lambretta forks.
00:42:26 We've got springs coming up here in the cantilever effect.
00:42:30 This was a great improvement on the Model B
00:42:33 but still had a little way to go.
00:42:35 Here we have a Model B racer.
00:42:38 Private customer, privately built.
00:42:41 Lovely example.
00:42:42 Here we have a very important part of the car.
00:42:45 Here we have a very important machine.
00:42:48 This is a Model C racer and the engine number is actually number 1.
00:42:52 This was built by the Innocenti family and never sold on.
00:42:56 A very special machine.
00:42:58 Everything has been remodified on it.
00:43:00 Crankshafts, gearbox, this carburettor.
00:43:04 Absolutely gigantic.
00:43:07 Absolutely unique.
00:43:13 Not another one in the world.
00:43:15 This bike has a completely remodified engine.
00:43:17 It has stronger gears, stronger crankshaft, an accessory tank.
00:43:22 This seat cover is an original one.
00:43:24 The bike itself has been repainted.
00:43:26 The tyres, we have proper Corsa racing tyres.
00:43:29 And down here, a larger front brake.
00:43:32 Obviously, if you're going faster, you need to stop faster.
00:43:36 Now this is a very good condition.
00:43:40 1957 Mark 3 LDB.
00:43:43 As we've already said, it was the Mark 3 that had the cowling here.
00:43:48 Very good condition.
00:43:50 Very interesting, but not as interesting as the Ribot next door.
00:43:56 Now this came out in about 1954/55.
00:44:01 This is the last model.
00:44:02 Because it had two cables for the gear.
00:44:05 Uh-huh.
00:44:06 This is the second series.
00:44:09 1958/59.
00:44:10 That's it.
00:44:11 This is the second series.
00:44:14 As we've already said, two gear cables here.
00:44:17 We also do not have an external coil here.
00:44:20 And a different air filter.
00:44:22 Exactly.
00:44:24 This bike is capable of doing over 200 miles to the gallon.
00:44:27 And is popular nowhere else in the world, except for Venice.
00:44:32 Venice.
00:44:33 Yes, Venice, Veneto.
00:44:34 Yeah.
00:44:35 Vieste is popular.
00:44:36 Yeah.
00:44:37 And nowhere else in the world.
00:44:38 Except my house.
00:44:40 And Vittorio's museum.
00:44:43 What we have here is a cutaway.
00:44:45 These machines were actually used for publicity purposes.
00:44:48 Back in, well, when the vehicles were being produced.
00:44:51 In order for people to be able to see how they worked and how they've been put together.
00:44:55 A lot of...
00:44:56 Hey, it all turns over.
00:44:59 Look at that.
00:45:00 We can get the camera in here.
00:45:03 We can...
00:45:06 Sorry, no gasoline.
00:45:07 There's no petrol in it.
00:45:09 But we can get an idea as to how the engine runs.
00:45:13 Piston up and down here.
00:45:15 Vertically, obviously, rather than forwards and back.
00:45:19 We've got the clutch here.
00:45:21 The gearbox.
00:45:23 The kickstart mechanism.
00:45:25 LD kickstart.
00:45:27 Not my favourite.
00:45:28 No, nobody's favourite.
00:45:31 And the shaft drive.
00:45:33 No chain on here.
00:45:34 And you can see the shaft in the centre here.
00:45:37 This is an LI 150 Series 2.
00:45:41 Very nice.
00:45:43 You can tell it's a 150 from the badge and the running strips that are rubber.
00:45:47 Now this one on the side has got written Lambretta Servizio Olimpiadi Roma.
00:45:54 Yeah.
00:45:56 What's going on here?
00:45:59 What?
00:46:00 Yeah.
00:46:01 Hang on, yeah.
00:46:02 Let's pop it on there.
00:46:04 There we go.
00:46:07 It's a long...
00:46:08 The Olimpiadi.
00:46:09 It's a Lambert 12.
00:46:10 Yeah?
00:46:12 It's a 19, not 12.
00:46:16 So an official tour bike.
00:46:21 Yeah.
00:46:22 80 pieces.
00:46:23 80 pieces and 20 motor rickshaw.
00:46:25 And 20 rickshaw, yeah?
00:46:27 20 rickshaw.
00:46:28 And that was Lambretta as well.
00:46:31 Yeah, Lambretta.
00:46:32 The one big one.
00:46:34 Mm-hmm.
00:46:36 This is a 1952?
00:46:46 '51.
00:46:48 '51.
00:46:49 '51, '52.
00:46:50 A '90.
00:46:52 This was built under licence by the Germans.
00:46:55 You don't mention that.
00:46:57 If you...
00:46:59 There we go.
00:47:00 There's loads of little differences.
00:47:02 We've got a bigger horn here, an NSU badge.
00:47:06 A different light rim.
00:47:10 Locks.
00:47:12 Locks there.
00:47:14 The mudguard has got a ridge in it here.
00:47:17 This is very interesting.
00:47:19 What NSU did, they built these machines under licence,
00:47:26 and after a short time, they decided that they didn't really want to be paying Innocenti a lot of money for building these things,
00:47:35 so they just built their own.
00:47:37 They changed the engines, made a few other alterations,
00:47:40 and just stopped paying what they owed Innocenti and started producing their own.
00:47:45 And there is a big argument between the two companies.
00:47:49 But this is a very early one.
00:47:51 This is a proper Lambretta built by NSU.
00:47:55 Very rare.
00:47:56 Well, I think this is about a 1954.
00:48:00 '53.
00:48:02 '53.
00:48:03 The last model.
00:48:04 Yeah, the very last model.
00:48:05 Very interesting.
00:48:07 Very rare.
00:48:10 And I'm going to let Vittorio explain all about this.
00:48:13 Oh, sorry.
00:48:14 Because, no, you know more than I do.
00:48:16 This is the first product in the '50, in the '51.
00:48:22 It changed three times in this type.
00:48:26 But the engine is the first.
00:48:29 The number one modified in two years.
00:48:32 It had two plugs.
00:48:38 Two plugs in there.
00:48:40 The carburetor.
00:48:43 Shaft drive.
00:48:46 Just a very change.
00:48:48 12, 14, 48, 11, 46.
00:48:51 And that's the ratio.
00:48:53 That's the gear ratio inside.
00:48:55 Yeah, that's a good idea.
00:48:57 Yeah, that's interesting.
00:48:59 So change the ratio and you just cross it out and stamp the new one on there.
00:49:03 I'd like one of these.
00:49:05 Very beautiful.
00:49:08 And a strong warning to the motorcycle industry that if they produce scooters,
00:49:13 Innocenti would come back with something like this and give them something to worry about.
00:49:18 That's beautiful.
00:49:20 This is a 1969, 1970 J125 Super Starstream.
00:49:32 It has a false horn casting here.
00:49:34 A turning front mudguard.
00:49:36 More closely trying to resemble the Vespa, I guess.
00:49:40 Two-tone paintwork.
00:49:42 Had an awful lot of money spent on the advertising campaign to try and get it to sell.
00:49:47 Not many machines were actually built.
00:49:49 But this is a fantastic example of one.
00:49:53 This was the last in the line for the J-Range series.
00:49:57 Cento 100.
00:50:03 Done in a lovely ivory.
00:50:06 Is this paintwork original?
00:50:08 Original paintwork.
00:50:09 Lovely shine for original paintwork.
00:50:12 Not perfect, but very good enough.
00:50:14 The handling on these isn't particularly good.
00:50:16 The steering is very light.
00:50:18 The steering head bearings are really small on them and they're fiddly.
00:50:23 Getting the cables through the frame is...
00:50:26 That's an advantage of a Lambretta.
00:50:29 It shouldn't be a disadvantage when you get with a J-Range.
00:50:33 In '75 I bought two years ago from a woman.
00:50:39 She bought new in '69 and never used it.
00:50:47 She sold me two years ago.
00:50:49 For me to discover, I put it in sale.
00:50:53 Very, very good, original paint.
00:50:55 Original paint, silencer.
00:50:57 All original.
00:50:58 That is absolutely fantastic.
00:51:00 Very, very good.
00:51:02 Look at that.
00:51:03 Well, what a privilege.
00:51:05 The museum isn't even open yet.
00:51:07 Vittorio's had to go back home now.
00:51:09 He's left us with the keys to lock up.
00:51:11 A fantastic collection.
00:51:14 Lots of little stories attached to them as well.
00:51:17 The little Lambretta Vega back there that was given to Vittorio
00:51:21 on the condition that he put it in the museum.
00:51:23 It has virtually zero miles on it.
00:51:25 The Olympian Lambretta LI Series II here.
00:51:29 One of 80 that was used for the Olympic Games.
00:51:32 These, the cutaway machines lent by the Innocenti factory to the museum.
00:51:40 This cutaway poster here, an actual size of an LD.
00:51:46 Also lent by the Innocenti factory.
00:51:49 We've got the Model C Racer over here.
00:51:52 Only three of those in the world.
00:51:54 All of them owned by Vittorio.
00:51:55 The warning to the motorcycle industry.
00:51:59 And what an awesome warning it was to keep out of scooter production.
00:52:04 A little bit of extra history here.
00:52:07 It's time to end it now.
00:52:09 But we're going to finish off tomorrow by going to the Innocenti factory itself in Lambretta
00:52:15 and see what's left of the factory that built this amazing scooter.
00:52:21 [Music]
00:52:38 Well, we're nearing the end by Pilgrimage now.
00:52:41 Another three, four minutes and we're going to be at the Innocenti plant.
00:52:45 With any luck we're going to get some storming coverage.
00:52:51 It's very exciting.
00:52:53 Almost never, for years I didn't even dream that I would ever come and visit the plant itself.
00:53:00 And here we are, minutes away.
00:53:03 When I got my first Lambretta at the age of 15,
00:53:08 and I started restoring it and got it ready for my 16th birthday,
00:53:13 a Lambretta Commeta, registered dodgily as a 50cc.
00:53:17 I'm sure anyone in England will understand.
00:53:20 I never thought that 18 years on,
00:53:25 I'd be driving to the very factory where it was built.
00:53:30 It's funny.
00:53:34 It's funny that I'm feeling emotional about this.
00:53:40 It should be just a factory.
00:53:43 I've no idea what we're going to find there.
00:53:46 It may all be knocked down,
00:53:48 or maybe nothing at all.
00:53:50 But one thing's for sure, I'm really excited about it.
00:54:03 [Laughs]
00:54:04 We're outside one of only four remaining buildings at the old Innocenti plant.
00:54:24 This is the main gate and office area.
00:54:27 This is where the story began,
00:54:30 and over here are the gates, which were closed in 1971,
00:54:35 never to be opened again.
00:54:37 The buildings that are left, I'm sure, are soon to be demolished.
00:54:43 Most of the plant has been knocked down,
00:54:45 and we have a huge great housing project going on behind us.
00:54:49 Homes for thousands of people.
00:54:52 Mixed feelings now.
00:54:54 It's exciting to be here,
00:54:56 but it's also rather sad when you look at the state of the building now.
00:55:00 You can imagine painters, polishers,
00:55:06 assembly plant workers,
00:55:08 cleaners, chromers,
00:55:10 everyone flooding through these gates,
00:55:14 dispersing throughout the whole of Milan.
00:55:17 We have marble walls here.
00:55:21 In its heyday, these would have been gleaming.
00:55:26 Classic 1940s, 50s architecture.
00:55:30 Still here, but not for long.
00:55:33 Rotting, stained,
00:55:37 covered in graffiti.
00:55:39 But there's still some majesty.
00:55:47 The way that the gates are constructed.
00:55:52 Stainless steel.
00:55:54 You could still polish this up.
00:55:57 I'm feeling very emotional.
00:56:01 On one hand,
00:56:04 it's upsetting
00:56:09 that something that was once so vibrant
00:56:13 is now just a shell.
00:56:18 It's making me think about all sorts of other things unrelated,
00:56:21 but other things that are happy as well.
00:56:25 I was just thinking
00:56:28 about all the different staff coming out.
00:56:31 More about the polishers
00:56:34 who would have had cuts all up their fingers.
00:56:37 The press workers,
00:56:44 the cleaners,
00:56:46 the press workers.
00:56:48 Absolutely exhausted.
00:56:51 From lifting huge great lumps of steel around into presses all day.
00:56:57 You look at this, you can bring this place to life.
00:57:04 If you stand here
00:57:06 and just use some imagination,
00:57:08 you can see it as a bustling plant.
00:57:15 And I guess that's where the feelings of sadness come from.
00:57:19 It's that the more you try to do that,
00:57:24 and you're trying to do that to enhance
00:57:29 the feeling of being here,
00:57:32 inversely,
00:57:34 it just makes you sadder
00:57:39 when you look at the state of it now.
00:57:43 The more you try, the sadder it looks.
00:57:46 I guess in a way,
00:57:48 everything moves on,
00:57:50 as we all have to,
00:57:53 throughout our own lives.
00:57:55 It's just a shame that something
00:58:00 like this factory that
00:58:03 built motorcycles that,
00:58:06 certainly for me,
00:58:08 and for many other people as well,
00:58:11 has got so much fun and so much happiness.
00:58:14 Those darker adolescent moments,
00:58:19 you just go outside,
00:58:23 and you go and work on your Lambretta.
00:58:26 Those joyous moments,
00:58:29 of meeting a new girl
00:58:32 and taking her out on your bike.
00:58:40 She might not have cared.
00:58:42 She might not have known what she was on.
00:58:45 But you did.
00:58:47 And all throughout my life, certainly.
00:58:51 I've had long hair,
00:58:54 short hair,
00:58:56 dreadlocks,
00:58:57 Mohicans,
00:58:59 as an accountant,
00:59:01 as a foreign student.
00:59:05 I've always had a Lambretta.
00:59:09 I can't quite identify where
00:59:11 all my feelings are coming from here.
00:59:15 I can't quite identify where
00:59:17 all my feelings are coming from here.
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