Time for the next installment from our trip to the
LeMay Museum. We caught word of their vintage scooter display and were intrigued.
We found the display on either the second or third level down and split into two sections, one on each side of the main walking aisle.
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| (Looking to the left) |
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| (And looking to the right) |
Lets look a little closer shall we.....well as close as we could with them roped off. I do wish they would have provided a little history on the particular scoots on display.
I found the most interesting scooter to be the 1960 Lambretta L1-150 I hinted at in my previous post. Not only did it have a sidecar, but came complete with sparkly gold vinyl seats.
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| (1960 Lambretta L1-150 on loan from a private collection) |
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| (1960 Lambretta L1-150) |
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| (complete with checkerboard mirrors) |
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| (And sparkly gold vinyl seats) |
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| (1960 Lambretta L1-150) |
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| (1962 Lambretta L1-150 Series III) |
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| (1958 Lambretta L1-150 Series I) |
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| (I forgot to snap a pic of the display placard to identity the white one) |
Over to the other side of the aisle.....
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| (1963 Vespa VBB 150) |
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| (1958 Sears Allstate Cruisaire) |
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| (1980 Vespa 100 Sport) |
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| (Vespa and Sears scooters) |
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| (1961 Vespa GS with trailer) |
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| (and a view from the front) |
That was all for the scooter display. They did have one other really cool mode of transportation - the Penny-Farthing. The bicycle itself said 1863, but the informational display had been changed to 1883.
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| (1883 Columbia Expert Ordinary High Wheel Bicycle) |
To quote the placard: This bicycle was also known as the penny-farthing because of the comparison between an old British penny and a farthing (quarter penny). It was later called an "ordinary bicycle" to distinguish from a "safety (modern) bicycle." This one was manufactured in 1883 by Pope Manufacturing, the parent company of Columbia Bicycles. They were expensive (about $95 in 1870 currency) and mostly urban upper-class men rode them. "Taking a header" was very common, which meant the rider was thrown off the bicycle head-first upon quick braking.
- Au Revoir
"I drive around in Milan on my scooter alone - we don't have bodyguards or anything like that. I am a fashion designer, not a celebrity, and although I get stopped for autographs and the like, I don't think I am famous." - Stephano Gabbana
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Dad used to own a Lambretta when I was growing up. It was like the white and blue one in your first picture, except it was mostly blue with some black trim. I have some good memories of some rides on that scooter with my dad, me standing behind the handlebars, with the family dog (a spaniel) in the cargo basket by our feet. Fun times! :)
ReplyDeleteI like how seeing the scooters brings back memories. It would be fun to see the dog in the cargo basket.
DeleteThat little blue and white trailer would fit with your bike just fine... The question "is there enough room for ..." will never come up! Just make sure that you never need to back up,
ReplyDeleteCome now, I don't need to haul that much with me.....
DeleteLove those scooters. We're seeing a lot of them here. Mostly with helmet less riders
ReplyDeleteI am not surprised at the helmet less riders you've seen in FL. For the life of me I couldn't imagine riding without one.
DeleteI love the old rusty scooters, they have seen a lot of road and I think that means they are well loved. I also really love the restored scooters are lovely as well. That old bicycle is beautiful, I think I would be more afraid to ride that than my bike, particularly with me being so vertically challenged.
ReplyDeleteI too like the patina on the old rigs. The Penny-farthing would be a challenge. Talk about tippy-toes.
DeleteLovely collection. Every time that I spot vintage scooters, I want one... but there's always lack of wrenching talent and space in the way of obtaining one.
ReplyDeleteIt was a larger collection that I expected, but it would have been nice to get a little closer to them.
DeleteLove the psychedelic helmet on the '63 "Love Machine"
ReplyDeleteCan't you just see someone tripping down the road listening to tunes wearing that helmet.......
DeleteI am regressing. I get more pleasure out of riding my old restored Vespa than I'd have thought possible. Of course a P200 barely qualifies as old in a world of rounded, prettier older Vespas. But my ugly duckling does 60mph and seems to be holding its own in the daily riding stakes. I'd still like one of each of the above to gloat over and ride on Sundays.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are enjoying your Vespa. Puttering around on it brings you great joy and it suits you. If you had more than one you'd have a hard time choosing which to ride.
DeleteI think I'd be over at the British Invasion exhibit. MGs...mmmmm.
ReplyDeleteThey were piping different music int that section which was cool and the informational wall murals were also interesting. Some cool MGs and old Triumph cars with of course Mini Cooper added in for good measure.
DeleteGreat post Brandy! When we lived in the UK, the next door neighbour had a scooter with heaps of lights and mirrors and he was definitely a Mod, complete with fur-trimmed parka. In those days, there were pitched battles between Mods and Rockers (bikers) but we got on really well :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Geoff. My first thoughts when I saw the scooter with the mirrors was Mods and the Rockers. To me it just screamed it. Could you imagine riding it. I think those rear views would be distracting.
DeleteVintage Vespas might be the iconic scooter, but I think that Lammies almost always had superior styling.
ReplyDeleteAnd do I spot some eye-popping linoleum on the floor of that sidecar? If so, that's a damn fine complement to those simply fabulous seats.
I was thinking the same thing with the flooring of the side car; no subtleties there.
DeleteYep, I like the Lambretta with sidecar best....rust and dings and all!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pics....
I think the rust just adds to the look of it. Seems to suit it.
DeleteThanks for the photos - they brought back some memories! My first scooter was an LI-150 series 1, but I spent most of my time pushing it, never did get it to run properly. I sold it on and bought a TV175 with special paint, it was an Eddie Grinsted special, I fitted it with a long megaphone exhaust, got into fights everywhere with those Rockers jealous of my bird-pulling powers. That was a long long long time ago! Thanks again for the photos (and the memories of 1966)
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome. Very cool that your first scoot was an L1-150.
DeleteI'd pour that '63 over Ice Cream ...or....maybe I'd pour the 'cream over the scooter!!
ReplyDeleteGlad you like it.
DeleteI had a blue and white Lamby...1958.... much like the one in your post...shed find.....sat for over 35 years.. restored it.. in a " Mod " style... tossed it on ebay.. it went to China. As a kid I had Vespa's and currently have a 08' Stella,,, I used to live about a mile from the Lemay museum. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by. Those Lambrettas are popular.
DeleteHubby has been really ogling a Stella that is for sale locally, but hasn't acted on it yet.
Beyond COOL! I love old historic scoots and bicycles!
ReplyDeleteImagine a world without cars and just these to ride around on all day long.
What a slower, more pleasant pace of life there would be.
Thank you for sharing that great display!
Glad you enjoyed them Deb. I think life would be a better pace without all the cars zipping about. It would be an adjustment but I think we'd get used to it quite quickly.
DeleteThe gold seats on the Lambretta are cool, but I also love the white-wall tires. And the Vespa with the trailer is awesome except for all those mirrors. Any idea why so many? I'd never try a penny farthing. Hard to believe anyone ever thought that was a good idea.Fun stuff to see. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'd try the Penny-Farthing without ATGATT for safety.
DeleteI've seen other vintage scooters covered with mirrors like that. Like Geoff said - it was part of the Mods vs Rockers thing in the UK back in the day. Here is a little blog article I found on it. http://parkaavenue.blogspot.com/2010/03/why-do-mods-have-so-many-lights-and.html
great variety
ReplyDeletelove the originals with no restoration done and then the penny farthing tops it off for me
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed. I have to say, the Penny Farthing was one of my favorites.
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