Dealer spotlight
Scotland is the home of golf, whisky and Glasgow Lambretta. We sent Stan to see what’s on offer at one of the UK’s more northerly scooter workshops.
Don’t let appearances fool you – inside the HQ of Glasgow Lambretta.
From the outside Glasgow Lambretta is a rather anonymous building situated in the city’s Maryhill district but inside it’s an absolute treasure trove. The name is also misleading as the workshop carries a full range of parts for all models of Lambretta, but also Vespa and LML Scooters too. It’s a story which, like so many others, starts with the humble Vespa 50. “We were all Mods at school,” said founder David MacKenzie. “Around 1982 I bought a 50 Special, caught the scootering bug and never looked back.” Glasgow Lambretta is the result of David’s lifelong passion, one shared with the other members of the team, Jon and Alastair. Founded over 20 years ago the brand has grown from humble origins to become one of the largest dealerships in Scotland. An authorised stockist of many leading brands including both SIP and AF Rayspeed, Glasgow Lambretta also specialises in supplying a wide range of tyres fitted to tubeless rims.
Exclusive products
In addition to being stocking the major scootering brands, Glasgow Lambretta also carries a range of unique products. “We want to bring quality at an affordable price,” said David. “Wherever possible we use British companies, for example, our stainless steel Lambretta fork link pivot bolt sets are all machined in the UK but some items have to be produced overseas to remain competitive.” By working directly with manufacturers Glasgow Lambretta can ensure quality is monitored and by avoiding wholesalers can pass those savings on to customers.
The firm’s exclusive range includes ‘chrome finish’ Ulma style racks, a range which David and the team have based on an original piece, updating the design to fit a wide range of scooters. In addition to period Lambrettas and Vespas the result also fits modern Vespas and the often overlooked LML 4t machines.
At the time of our visit David was proudly showing off the latest arrivals, a range of reproduction Giuliari dual seats produced in black and red. Even on close inspection the quality of manufacture and materials is obvious as they stand close comparison to an original item. At £82 including seat post, fastenings and postage they’re exceptional value and demonstrate David’s determination to offer value for money.
The team were so proud of their mail order service that I set up a ‘mystery shopper’ test and, exactly as promised, the correct order arrived within 48 hours well packed and exactly as described. Glasgow Lambretta has a large internet presence with the website listing a wide range of items while a selection of more popular lines can be found in their eBay shop.