When I was 6 or 7 my dad used to carry my mother and me around Florence on a
125cc "C" Model. I
still have vivid memories of me, standing up on the footrest, hanging on to
the handlebars feeling the wind on my face.
One day, while climbing the "Viale Dei Colli" towards "Piazzale
Michelangelo", my dad kept on praising how well the little Lambretta was
climbing with three people on board. In those days the C was the only
vehicle we had and my mum used to sit sideways on the passenger seat, with
her legs hanging out the left side, holding on to the passenger handle
behind the driver seat.
When we reached the top we soon discovered the reason for the amazing newly
found power: My mum had fallen off and my dad, not realising the passenger
wasn't there, kept on going like nothing happened. I
still remember my mum's face when we turned around and finally found her on
the side of the road, nursing a bruised bum, and the heated discussion that
followed. It
is therefore only natural that, when I came across a C model here in
Australia I could not resist.....I
had to have it!
My dream: A 1951 "C"
125cc
I
found this scooter in Sydney and bought it just by looking at the pictures
e-mailed to me by the owner.
When it finally arrived this is what it looked like. I then did something a
bit risky but I could not wait any longer: I
bypassed the petrol tank and fed some fresh mix into the carby.
Well....after over 20 years gathering dust and getting rusty the little
beauty started at the 5th kick!!!
Over the following few weeks I proceeded to dismantle the whole scooter. At
the moment the engine is being Hydroblasted and the frame, after
sandblasting, is at the panel beater along with all the body parts
Almost
there.......
Video of the engine
first start...she is alive!
Well... the old girl is slowly coming back to life. I am waiting for some
parts for the front end to arrive from Italy. The rear mudguard had to be
removed and re-worked by the panel beater because, as I was pushing the
Lambretta backwards like a wheelbarrow, I hit a small step and damaged the
guard. It is easy to imagine what I said when it happened...#@@@*!#9))+=##
Shown below are some pictures of the engine rebuilding process I hope that the
final product will look like this picture from a book on the history of the
Lambretta.
What an amazing result!
The engine looks like new and the old magneto, with a new set of points, is
able to generate a very good spark just by turning the flywheel by hand .
And here is the engine
just arrived back from the Hydroblaster...what an amazing result!
Well... now it's up the
panel beater and the Hydroblaster to do their bits....
Well...after almost 6 months the long wait is finally over...The Lambretta
is back from Joe and I can start the rebuilding process
I cannot describe
my emotions when I finally drove the little Lambretta around the block. I
went back to when I was a 6 years old, in Florence, standing up the front
with my dad driving. One more thing.
When my dad bought something like a scooter, a car or even an item such as a
fridge, he always gave it a name after the saint that was showing on the
Italian calendar on the day of the purchase. Well...our Lambretta C was
called "Eufemia" (after Santa Eufemia) and it was only logical that I had to
use the same name for my little darling.
....and After so much work, frustrations, constant problems to be solved
and...a lot of money, finally here she is!