Classic Scooterist

This 1967 Vespa T5 125cc scooter was used by actor Marlon Brando during his visits to the UK – and it’s now up for auction.

Regular readers will know that Editor Mau not so long ago became the owner of over 300 trophies and racing mementos that once belonged to scooter racing legend, Nev Frost. The collection is something to behold and from time to time I’ll be pulling a trophy or item from it and telling you the back story. After all, these trophies represent part of the scooter racing heritage.

One man who seems to have the ‘Midas Touch’ in unearthing vintage classic machines is a Northern Ireland scooter enthusiast who has requested that we don’t reveal where he’s located, or give his full identity – so we’ll just call him Frank…

The Nobel 200 is classed as a trike and was produced in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during the late 1950s. Approximately 1500 were made, of which there are believed to be only 30-40 models surviving. The one featured here has been lovingly restored by Winston Phair.

September 27th, 2019Maidstone Market Hall Event organised by Medway Aces SC in conjunction with Medway Scooters. See Classic Scooterist issue 130 (Dec 19/Jan 20) for

August 17, 2019 Organised by the VCB, the event was held in the picturesque town of Llangollen, North Wales. Ticket sales were limited to 500

Road testers in the 1950s and 60s provided a veritable wealth of road tests on all manner of scooters. Don’t forget, the world wasn’t solely the preserve of Innocenti or Piaggio-built machines. Those eras also seemed to give testers the right to describe things like gear changes as delightful and pleasant!

When building a Lambretta engine, carrying out upgrades or just general servicing, it’s vital that the ignition timing is set correctly. This is the point at which the compressed fuel/air mixture in the combustion chamber is ignited to give optimum performance and reliability.