Lambretta Model D MkIII

Restoring a scooter can be a challenging task, but even more so for someone who has never attempted it before

John Adamson made his first venture into the Lambretta world back in 1966 by way of an Li150 Series 2, which got him to and from school. He continued on the Lambretta journey long after leaving school, frequenting northern seaside resorts in the 1970s. As he put it: “With petrol only 20p a gallon a 100-odd-mile journey to the coast and back was perfectly acceptable.” Lambrettas have remained a part of John’s life ever since and the opportunity to take on another restoration in retirement age was too tempting to ignore. The Lambretta in question was a Model D and, though it would take John out of his comfort zone when it came to working on it, couldn’t be refused. It was a case of rescuing, as he put it, “the poor little thing” which had stood idle for more than 30 years. Hidden away in a shed helped preserve it apart from the fact the shed had no roof left, subjecting one of Innocenti’s finest creations to the elements. In 2018 it was released into John’s safe hands at a cost of £300 which, by today’s standards, is extremely cheap and, though it needed money spending on it, was good value. Keen to get started on the restoration, John decided it was time to bring in outside help.

John has a good friend called Andy Wade who spends most of his time restoring British motorcycles so seemed the right person to ask for help. To start

with Andy didn’t show much interest until he saw the old buff logbook. Names and addresses were handwritten on the document back then and also signed by the owner. The Model D had been sold by Freddie Frith Ltd, a big motorcycle dealer and Lambretta agent located in Grimsby. Freddie Frith himself was a renowned motorcycle racer, having won the Isle of Man TT several times and was famous for his exploits. Not only did the Model D come from Freddie’s shop, he was also the first owner of it – making it something quite special.

Andy was oblivious to the fact until now but once he saw who the first owner was, his opinion of the Lambretta changed and he accepted the challenge of working on it. This is where it became more complicated as both of them knew very little when it came to the workings of a Model D. Now they’d realised they were saving a piece of history that didn’t matter and they set about the task at hand.

Keen to get on with the project, John started to look for someone who could help, both with spares and information. Though parts are available for the early open frame Lambrettas it is more of a specialist thing and help came from Patch at Scooter Surgery. Renowned for restoring them in the past he not only supplied many of the parts required but also gave a lot of advice when it came to the build, something John is very grateful for. Despite Andy not having any experience with the Model D and any other Lambretta he managed to get by, using his engineering skills developed working on old British bikes and the information Patch supplied. The rest of the work, such as the paint, was farmed out and a great job was done by Impact Refinishers in Hull. Though some of the scoot was okay, items like the petrol tank and wheel rims required a great deal of work due to excessive corrosion. John decided not to stick to the original factory colours, instead choosing a two-tone option and one that makes it stand out far more than the original.

The project has taken two years to complete and the emphasis was on getting things right, however long it took, rather than rush the whole project. Having a bit of patience is the best plan of approach according to John and that includes when you’re out on the road. The Model D wasn’t the fastest Lambretta ever built, not by a long chalk, and he admits any journey will be done at a snail’s pace. Not that it matters; preserving its history was the most important thing and John, Andy and all those that helped have certainly done that.

Above: The simplistic l i nes and easy to bolt together construction made the Model D very economical to build.

Below l eft: The advert for Freddie Frith Ltd, where John’s Lambretta came from back i n 1957.

Right: The appalling state of the machine when John first bought i t. Lying for more than 30 years i n a shed with a l eaking roof had taken i ts toll.

Above: Despite its small size there is enough room to fit two people, it’s just whether the engine has the power to pull it. Left: The high standard of workmanship from John and Andy is clear to see. Note the ‘ coffee pot’ exhaust which originally came out on the earlier version of the D. Left: Open frame Lambretta models are much easier to work on when it comes to the engine.