Project Description

I’ve restored and rebuilt quite a few Lambrettas over a 40 year period. Seems I did most in the 80/90’s. I was young and keen and full of energy. Looking back I built everyone as a love affair and made no money! You can’t do this forever, you get older and you need money so things changed before I burnt out. Enjoy……..

1980 Marks first rebuild at 16 years old, Lambretta Spanish 150. It was taxed and tested ready for my 17th birthday. Hand painted this one. Used this for work and riding everywhere. Ended up building a 200 motor for it to do the rallies on.

1981 A modernised version to increase speed over the 150 standard engine. This used a Tv200 casing and cylinder and the tuning started. Yes it blew up a few times, well quite a lot of times! But it was all in the name of tuning. This was over geared and did 60mph in 2nd! I was always taking it apart and re painting it, or doing a rebore. I even recovered the seat to save money – those were the times and spare pennies went into this bike as I was so skint.

1983 Mark’s own Lambretta Gp 200. I was 18 when I did this one, I sprayed and built it as my Rally bike, it was built from a frame upwards. Originally an air cooled bike, it was converted to a Watercooled a quest that was perfected over 20+ one one engines.

 

1983 Mark’s own Jet 200. I restored, painted and built this as a spare bike if the Watercooled was off the road. Ended up doing a few rallies and used it for work. Of course it was used as a test bike for my tuning work.

1983 Lambretta Gp125 Shaun Westgarth, built a couple of engines for him since and we’re still friends today only living a mile away and can nearly se his house from the front window.

1983 Marks own Lambretta Jet 200. This was before I painted it White with the strips on the panels. Pink and Green – sounds horrible but I loved it.

1984 Marks own Lambretta Gp230 Water cooled a development of the Blue and Red metallic air cooled that was then Watercooled. This had a few cylinder kits to test out.

1985 Marks own Lambretta Gp230 Water cooled. The final development as a bit more custom. It was eventually burnt in my fire at Grimsby in the late 80’s.

 

1985/6 Lambretta Gp230 water cooled. I did this for a local from my house town Mexborough and was finished off in Grimsby.

1986 Lambretta Gp 200. Again a full spray job and restoration and tuned by Mark for his old friend Adi Roberts who I see every now and then.

 

1986 Lambretta Vega 135 Reed valved, Water cooled. Apart from the chrome, engraving and paint I engineered it all. A total one off Vega, good for over 80mph but shuck your eyes out.

 

 

Early 1990s Lambretta Sx200 Cutdown, Yamaha Water cooled 200 cylinder mounted on a standard casing. Designed and build by Mark for his old customer Ted, who again we still bump into each other every now and then.

 

1990 Li 125 Series 1. Restored for Mick Benson to replace his Gp200 sidecar that was destroyed in the fire at Grimsby.

1990’s Marks own Lambretta Sx190 work house. Restored as the run around and Rally bike. I used this most days for 6 years until it was sold – note the one off outboard disc which still set standards to this day.

1986/7 Lambretta Sx 230 Water cooled, Reed Valved. ‘Eddie Cockran’ Built for Steve Ash, this was the first rebuild, way ahead of it’s time and a bike I learnt so much on.

Late 80’s early 90’s Lambretta Gp 250 Ts1. Built for our old customer and mate Darryl Milnes. The Pink wasn’t shocking enough for him!

Mid 1990’s Lambretta Sx230 Ts1 Water cooled, Reed valved. 2nd or 3rd rebuild for Steve Ashes ‘Eddie Cockran’ Steve still has it like this.

Early 1990’s Gp200. This was built after our fire in the late 80’s in Grimsby it was done to replace a Lambretta Gp200 and sidecar. This was the first of our custom dealer specials, we progressed with extra pin stripes and colouring. We also did a Li125 Series 1 also shown on here.

Early 90’s MB Dealer Special Gp200. Built for a customer, in the end the frame was painted Blue and it’s still around.

Mid 1990’s Lambretta Gp 200. Deigned and built by Mark. A few people have owned this over the years and has had a few Ts1 engines in it built by different dealers. Again still around as it is. Should have been a lighter British racing Green – came out near Black!

Early 1990’s T5 Suzuki 170. Built by me and Paul our old employee who is still a friend today.

Mid 90’s Lambretta Li 150. Built for a customer who went to the first Gulf war, he returned but didn’t want it. Nigel Cox saw it at a custome show, he said it was a great restoration, bought it and sent it to Japan!

Early 90’s Lambretta Gp225. Ex brother in laws custom Lambretta. We bought this in 1983, it was one of the first SIL Indian Gp150 to come into the country in the 1970’s – it was within the first 30 bikes and was mostly all Italian. We played with the engine a few times. In the late 1980’s we rebuilt it as a custom scooter called ‘love slipped through my fingers’ one of my personal favourites. For some reason we stripped it again to do this ‘Brothers in arms’. It’s still around today 35+ years later. The 1988 engine was a Suzuki 225 30mm and MB expansion we later found out it was 25bhp – higher than the Group 4 race 200 motors of the time.

Early 90’s Lambretta Sx200. I bought this off an old friend who I still bump into now and then. A good came to buy it, we agreed a price, then he said, how much to restore it. So it was fully rebuilt with a Honda engine in. I do believe he still has it to this day. The last time I saw him was coming back from Bridlington in torrential rain when I passed him on a sweeping corner.

Late 1980’s Lambretta Cutdown 230 Reed Valved. The first Lambretta I restored for Darrell Milnes, apart from Chrome plating I did everything including the paint. Lots of one off parts went into this bike. The frame is still around in a garage down south.

Mid 90’s Lambretta Sx/Jet 200. Restored for an old friend from the 80’s. Still see the customer to this day and do the odd job for him.

Early 90’s Lambretta Gp200. Fully rebuilt and restored for a customer from Doncaster. Was sold to a customer around the road and think he still has it. I ended up building a Ts1 engine for it after it was painted.