Classically Devoted
A love of scootering and classic scooters inspired Rhiannon Donnelly who, with the help of her husband Steve, has nurtured and developed two beautiful scooters…
Since being a teenager Rhiannon has always been into scooters and the scene. “When I was at school a few of my friends who I hung around with had scooters. My first scooter was a Vespa ET4, which lasted around two months until I decided I wanted a proper scooter. Before that I’d always been on the back of scooters, but that changed one day when I came home to Stephen saying he’d booked me on to a CBT course the next day. As he dropped me off I said: ‘If I hate it you’ve got to come straight back for me.’ I had the best day learning to ride and I absolutely loved it!” Rhiannon bought her Lambretta Silver Special in April 2017. “I’d previously had a V90 Vespa which I loved riding. I rode it all over the country, then one day when I was riding home from a rally I was knocked off it and lost confidence in it. After that I kept pinching a GP which we owned and after riding it I decided that I would sell the small-frame and get my own Lambretta.”
Something Special
The Silver Special was in working order when Rhiannon bought it. “The paintwork was okay, but someone had painted the floor area in what looked like an anti-slip paint, which I hated so I asked Stephen if we could do something about it. Because I wanted to keep the scooter as original as possible we decided that we would only paint the panel-work while keeping the aged look. I was really happy with this until one day when Stephen knocked a
I’d previously had a V90 Vespa which I loved riding. I rode it all over the country, then one day when I was riding home from a rally I was knocked off it and lost confidence in it.
BMX off its hanger, which fell on to the scooter, chipping the headset, mudguard and a few other body parts. So to make the repairs we added the graphite grey to damaged areas and added the flashes to the panel-work.” Stephen organised the engine build. “I came home from work one evening and Stephen had the engine out of his scooter and the Silver Special. I asked him what he was doing. He said: ‘Well, I decided that if I was rebuilding my engine I might as well rebuild yours.' Each year we roughly ride about the same distance as each other so Stephen built the engines to match each other. "Initially I hadn't wanted to make my changes to the engine, but the way it goes now I have to say I love it!”
The scooter runs on an Imola Ultimate 186 with an AF High Power 58x107 crank. The carb is a Dell'Orto 28mm open-mouth item and a BGM V4 Clubman exhaust keeps the original look. “Stephen's done a fantastic job; I've no idea how much he's spent on it; probably a lot more than I think, because during the build every now and then he kept saying to me: ‘I've got you a present,' which was usually a scooter part!
“I sometimes think I would have
preferres a nice handbag!" Rhiannon joked.
Take Two
In July 2019 Rhiannon bought her eye-catching Lambretta Series 2. “Stephen was working on the engine of the scooter for the previous owner, who was thinking about selling it and as soon as I saw it I fell in love with it. I asked Stephen if we could buy it. He said: ‘No, we already have enough scooters.' However, a week or so later as I came out of work I received a text from Stephen saying there was a surprise waiting for me at home. He'd
bought the scooter for me, what a present!” The scooter was originally built by Iain Wilkins (aka Arfa Francis). “When the previous owner first brought the scooter to me it was a Mod-themed scooter but he was unsure in which direction he wanted to go with it, so basically I was given a free rein. I had a paint scheme in mind, which I’d been planning for years for one of my TV2s and thought it would be a good time to try it out.”
Iain explained that the idea for the paint came from some new old stock Plastifilm body-liners stickers which
he had. “These were a ’60s easy option for the ‘go faster look’ stripes and numbers. However, unfortunately adhesive on 60-year-old stickers tends to dry up so the best option was for the painter to spend many hours stencilling and painting them on.” During the process other period influences were applied.
“After years of collecting original photographs and magazines I’d noticed the progression from fully laden Mod machines of the early ’60s to the skellies of the early ’70s. During this time there was a period in
the mid to late ’60s of bolt-on tuning goodies being offered by dealers such as barrels, carbs and exhausts etc. along with dealer paint schemes, some of which were quite sporty.
“I put all these ideas together and the end result was to achieve a full-on period ’60s-style street racer.” Other well-known specialists were also involved in the original build.
“Keith Newman made some of the custom items and supplied some of the parts, Matt at I-Paint was responsible for the paint, and I have to say credit to the previous owner for having such good taste!” Rhiannon smiled.
Eager to get on the road a few days after she’d got the scooter, Rhiannon was on her way with Steve to the Welsh Rally in Llandudno.
“I rode it down there with a big smile on my face all the way. A week later I rode it to the Prodigy Scooter Rally near Manchester in the worst rain ever. I then rode it to the Brighton Mod Weekender where it got a lot of attention on Madeira Drive. Some people probably think it isn’t ridden because it’s such an eye-catching scooter, but it is. I ride it and Stephen cleans it!”
Rhiannon and Steve have taken two fantastic scooters to another level; yes, it’s fair to say that both scooters came with good foundations to work from. But since they’ve owned them they’ve made their own personal touches, adding numerous specialised one-off parts and completely re-organising and rebuilding both engines.
“For me, the final outcome is that they’re both perfect!” Rhiannon smiled.
Words: Stu Smith
Photos: Richie Lunt