Gulf Scomadi
It’s a favourite film, actor and paints scheme for many... and this Le Mans based Scomadi looks every inch the race thoroughbred in this livery.
One that numbers among the few is the 1971 film Le Mans, starring Steve McQueen. In box-office terms it was a disaster, however, over time, Le Mans, which features footage from the 1970 Le Mans 24-Hour race has become something of a cult classic. Vince Lunn has been riding scooters since his early teens in his native Nottinghamshire. During the halcyon scooterboy era of the 80s and beyond he relocated to the deep south west, riding with ISCA in Exeter to rallies all across the UK. Although Vince is now based back home in Notts, he remains a life member of ISCA. When the call went out to crowd fund the development of the Scomadi 200, Vince got on board early on, eventually becoming an owner of one of the first 100 FP200 Scomadi scooters to arrive in the UK. Vince’s other interests, outside of scooters and the scooter scene, include motor racing and just about every film the king of cool, Steve McQueen, and has appeared in.
This includes Le Mans, which for Vince is something of a double-bubble: a movie with motor racing providing the main subject, including on-track footage of an actual endurance race plus Steve McQueen in the starring lead role, and, at times, literally in the driving seat. After taking delivery of his FP200 Scomadi following a two-year wait, Vince hatched an idea of a theme around which he wanted to customise his new steed.
Go, go, go!
One problem Vince had to overcome was budgetrelated. Like the majority of us scooterists, he had plenty of dreams, plans and aspirations, but he knew that realising them to their full potential would probably require a budget beyond his means. Before taking a look at how Vince’s custom Scomadi evolved, a brief rewind to his earlier days on the scooter scene: “I’ve had no end of scooters over the years, one was a ’64 small frame with a Primavera 125 engine. I’ve had quite a few Lammys, which were not the most reliable. My Scomadi is similar. There’s been a number of small fails I’ve encountered. At the moment as well as my Scomadi I’ve got two GTS 300 Vespas. An absolute passion of mine is the T5 Mark 1 Vespa, which I’ve owned a couple of years. I’d been riding an old, clapped out E reg T5, which I had more or less rode into the ground. Before going off on honeymoon I sent that scoot off for a respray. I got back from honeymoon expecting to have to pay for the respray. I found it had been resprayed,
It’s worth pointing out that the murals were all hand painted as opposed to airbrushed.
rebadged and had been given an engine rebuild too. Paid for, as a wedding present, by a good mate of mine Steve Sharland. He’s an absolute legend. If I could find a Mark 1 T5 for sale at a sensible amount, I’d buy it. I’ve got a definite idea, although maybe a bit controversial as to what I want to do to it. It would be linked to my Notts roots, should I get one for the right price. Although I’ve never been able to finance a full-blown custom scooter, I pride myself in almost always having had tidy scooters. Some of which, like my Weller PX, have been customised using vinyl wraps.”
Thrills and spills
When the call went out asking for crowdfunding to finance the development of the Scomadi 200FP, Vince was one of the first to answer. He put down the required deposit and waited patiently until the first batch of 100 eventually arrived in the UK; one of which had his name on, so to speak. Being the owner of one of the first Scomdi 200FPs, what were his initial impressions of what was, in June 2016, a brand new scooter model?
“I put my £500 down via Midland Scooter Centre and the wait seemed to go on and on and on. It was something like getting on close to two years I waited for the first Scomadi 200s, it seemed longer too. I’d asked for specific colours and initially I was disappointed – the toolbox was wrong. MSC were very good, they sorted everything out, after which I was happier. Like any scoot, my Scomadi had a bit of vibration when I first got it, apart from a few minor fails early on it’s proved to be reliable so far. Compared to my GTS 300s I’ve found the dampers, the damping to be a bit harder. I’m still running in my Scomadi, as while it was having custom work done, it obviously wasn’t being ridden. So far I’ve clocked up about 400 miles. It’s totally standard, it goes great without any tuning. If it’s not broke don’t try and fix it I say. I’ve been told once it’s been run in after all the engine parts have bedded in my Scomadi should sit at 70mph plus. Currently, it sits comfortably all day long at 60mph, which I’m happy with.”
Taking the chequered flag
Vince wanted to personalise his new Scomadi 200FP, treating it to a makeover that would put his own stamp on his acquisition. As previously, Vince had gone down the route of vinyl wrap. He opted to follow that path on his Scomadi. It’s a pocketfriendly option that produces a decent end result without invoking irate calls and summonses to meetings from the bank manager. Thing was, in mind, he planned a custom job that encompassed a couple of his interests. With an interest in motor racing as well as being a fan of the big-screen superstar, Steve McQueen’s cinema roles, the 1971 movie Le Mans, combined the two. In a parallel situation to when Vince embarked on his Paul Weller P-range Vespa, by chance he ran into Phil Appleyard at The Monster Forge.
“I didn’t like the vinyl wrapping on my Scomadi much, so in the end, I took it off. It had been a process that I’ve used on a few on my scooters, for some reason I wasn’t as happy as I’d been previously with wrapping seeing it on my Scomadi. By then I’d met Phil Appleyard, I’d shown him my ideas and we’d discussed the practicalities. The Gulf Oil car, which was in the film Le Mans, in its distinctive turquoise blue and orange, has inspired a lot of scooters already. (At least six I know of, probably a lot more?).
“As the basis for my customised Scomadi, I wanted something that took that theme of the Gulf car from the Le Mans film to create something unique. Me and Phil threw ideas at each other over a couple of months. We settled on a 70s style design, with a sexy, cartoon pit girl and Steve McQueen, in the character of racing driver Michael Delany on the legshields and panels.
“There’s lots of logos, stars and stripes and other evocative reproductions synonymous with the film. Phil took on the project, carrying out all the work required to strip it down, paint it and then rebuild. He was as enthusiastic, passionate and at times excited as I was in transforming my ideas into reality. And at a price that my limited budget could cover. It’s worth pointing out that the murals were all hand painted as opposed to airbrushed. John made the chip guard legshield cover, which more or less matches the spare wheel cover and is in keeping with the blue and orange seat, both made by Lee. I’ve had a crash helmet painted to match, but as I’m skint at the moment the planned one-off twist grips, wheel cover and mirrors are on hold. I’ve been a regular reader of Scootering magazine for as long as it’s been around, having a scooter of mine featured in it is something I’d always aspired to. But never thought it would actually happen!” Words: Sarge