Feature Scooter: Let’s Twist
The Rallymaster is an iconic Lambretta scheme, one that’s more than capable of adapting to a 21st century makeover.
The Rallymaster is an iconic Lambretta scheme, one that’s more than capable of adapting to a 21st century makeover.
In the summer of 1961 Lambretta Concessionaires, the company acting as Innocenti’s British distributors, were fighting a battle on several fronts. The minor drop in sales they’d recently experienced was no blip, it was in fact the motorcycle industry in decline. Managers could be forgiven for not comprehending this fact as, in Parliament, they faced a looming danger in the form of the Cronin Bill, which would make motorcycling more expensive and therefore less popular. (Nothing really changes!) Meanwhile over in Bristol, their main rivals Douglas Motorcycles had announced a price cut across the entire Vespa range. The Concessionaires needed to fight back and fortunately they had been working on the perfect weapon for some time. It was a special edition based on the Series 2 Li150, and it was called the Rallymaster.
Sixties star
Ever since Henry Ford offered his Model
T in a colour other than black, the special edition has been a popular way for motor manufacturers to stimulate sales. Unlike the questionable stick-on graphics which car buyers suffered in the 1980s, the Rallymaster was a work of art. From the beginning there was no other way to describe it than perfect. For the Concessionaires it
was a bold move; the Rallymaster catered for the sports rider at a time when scooter sport was in its infancy. It also required real engineering, not just a lick of paint, and all of this would be completed in the Concessionaires’ own workshops. Although the official launch was spoiled when national newspapers spotted a prototype in action at the Welsh Three Day Trail, the unexpected publicity pleased both Concessionaires and dealers alike. Priced at £183.15s.5d, the Rallymaster featured a turning front mudguard and reshaped horncast, both possibly sourced from Spain. There was also a 400x10 rear tyre, a dual seat, a spare wheel and ball end ‘safety’ levers. Other additions included a Perspex windscreen, rally number plates and a GB plate. Its off-road credentials were enhanced with a ‘heaving handle’ at the rear and a special dashboard that incorporated a rev counter, stopwatch holder, illuminated map board and a spotlight switch. The engine featured a mild ‘stage 2’ tune, comprising a larger carburettor and ‘high performance’ exhaust. Optional extras were a low ratio gearbox and spot lamp. The Rallymaster was advertised as being available in all standard Li colours but with the addition of distinctive black horizontal stripes on the side panels. Sadly few records survive regarding sales of the Rallymaster and to date no one has unearthed paperwork to prove how many Rallymasters were produced. One thing’s for certain, over the years more ‘tributes’ have been built than there ever were originals. Here’s the trap for any potential Rallymaster builder – how can they stay true to the original while making the finished machine their own?
21st century toy
This was the dilemma faced by Basingstoke-based Clive Pollock. A lifetime scooterist, Clive has owned plenty of machines over the years but, as he explained, a Series 2 had been on his list of ‘must own’ scooters for some time. “I purchased this Italian Series 2 with the sole intention of building a Rallymaster,” he began. “But it took some time for me to settle on a concept for the build. There are some really well-executed reproductions out there, I could have possibly equalled them but they left no real room for improvement. I’m also very keen on building scooters that are to be ridden, so it had to be practical. I was looking at photos, thinking how the original had incorporated the best technology of the time when inspiration struck. I decided to twist the idea and build a Rallymaster for the
21st century.”
Thanks to the efforts of Keith Newman at K2 Customs, it’s probably easier to source Rallymaster parts now than it ever was in the 1960s. Over the past decade Keith has hunted down original components and can now offer full Rallymaster kits ‘off the shelf.’ “For anyone seriously contemplating a Rallymaster build, Keith is the first port of call,” said Clive. “I was slightly concerned he may take a purist’s view and try to steer me down the route of a reproduction but from the very first phone call he’s been brilliant. I wouldn’t have trusted anyone else with the build.”
Together Clive and Keith worked out a list of modifications that would keep the original essence of a Rallymaster while bringing it up to date. After more emails than either cares to count, they finally settled on a selection that includes K2’s own GPS speedo in a Smiths style housing, a Scootronic tacho and an exhaust gas temperature gauge. While the map light and spotlight switches pay homage to the original design, Keith’s also incorporated charging points for accessories such as a sat nav and mobile phone, technology that the Concessionaires’ design team could only dream of. Speaking of the chassis, suspension has been upgraded all round and a front hydraulic brake adds to the machine’s practicality. While Clive’s a big fan of the Series 2’s lines he has no love at all for the original ‘coal scuttle’ mudguard. The obvious route, particularly with a Rallymaster, is a Spanish mudguard. However with a little care it’s possible to rework one from a Lambretta LD. This isn’t a straightforward swap, the original needs to be widened and then moulded to fit over modern dampers. Fortunately this job just got a lot easier as, having created the master for this build, Keith fashioned a mould and now offers ready-to-fit fibreglass examples from stock.
Kit question
If the Rallymaster’s looks were perfect from the outset, its performance was less than spectacular. Having no desire to go off road, Clive started to research the multitude of currently available race/tour kits. “I ride my scooters hard,” he explained. “Whatever I fitted needs to be capable of absorbing some punishment. I’d been following Stan’s Quattrini build in Scootering and when I saw he’d made the trip to Poland without any drama I decided to replicate that set-up. In my opinion there’s none understands the Quattrini kit better than Chiselspeed, so I passed the engine build over to them. I’ve not had the chance to put too many miles on it yet but it pulls really well all across the entire rev range. I can’t wait until summer to explore its capabilities.”
Blue is the colour
The most distinctive part of the Rallymaster package was always its colour scheme and Paul at Retro Ride Paint Shop’s done a fantastic job of bringing that bang up to date. Gone are the solid colours from Lambretta’s back catalogue and in are subtle blue metallics. The exact shades were the subject of much debate but the finished result justifies every second spent poring over paint samples. With this build Clive and Keith haven’t just proved that the original concept was sound, they’ve also shown that it’s capable of taking on a modern twist. Considering that the Rallymaster was conceived as the solution to some short-term marketing problems, a 60-year lifespan isn’t too shabby. There’s no doubt that the Concessionaires would be proud.