Rare John’s Eibar TV
Setting off south and meeting up with John Twigger to view his excellent TV1 75, it wasn't until we got chatting that I realised it was a rare Spanish-produced model.
Although the Spanish Lambrettas have become more popular of late, I didn’t know that much about the tw two pretty rare TV175 and TV200 models.
Looking back through historical documents d it seems the Eibar factory had h to increase production in the mid1960s 1 while the Scooterlinea Series (Series (S 3 Italian) was being produced, with company c staffing rising from about 290 to t around 325. This was to accommodate not n only their scooter production, but also a alternative manufactured products like l furniture and construction items. Scooter S production continued alongside this t new venture and when the latest 200cc 2 scooters were produced in 1967, it’s thought that a number of the earliest units being exported from Italy were the TV175 T and TV200 with the earlier Li style side panels and decals/badges. They left the factory first before the eventual new model SX200 was officially badged as the Jet 200 which was produced from 1967 right through to 1981.
SCHOOLBOY MEMORIES
John’s earliest encounter with Lambrettas was back at school when the older lads had them; he was envious of them and was keen to have his own as soon as possible. His first Lambretta was spotted outside someone’s house, hidden under a sheet; and at the age of 16, he summoned up the courage to knock on the door to buy a Series 1 Li150 from the then owner for £60.
In 1985, John rode a standard GP150 to Morecambe Bay, which took him a very long time from where he lived, so when the more local Great Yarmouth rally was on, he made a much preferred relatively short journey up the coast.
MOVING ON UP
John was travelling in Spain when he came across the 1965 TV175 featured here; along with this, he also purchased two other Lambrettas plus loads of tools and spares, which he told me came to the princely sum of around £3500 – what a bargain price in 2017.
The Spanish TV175 was complete and perfect for restoration, but it still had to be turned into something he could use every day – reliable and upgraded a little. John’s profession is a surgical instrument maker, so in taking on the restoration of a Lambretta he had plenty of skills to help him along the way – although he entrusted John Balcomb at JB Tuning to build a durable motor that could be used on a daily basis.
The motor produced by JB is based around the RT195 top end kit and the whole project maybe took six months from start to finish. Along with the BGM RT kit, it has the AF five-speed gearbox fitted, plus a cassette clutch, an uprated GP crank and a Casatronic ignition for reliability. A 30mm Dell’Orto carb and the TSR Evo expansion pipe exhaust complete the engine upgrade.
The stunning Candy Green paintwork was created by Chris Hackett of Dowsett Classic Cars and any items that needed chroming were sent to Quality Chrome in Hull.
EVERYTHING COMES AT A PRICE
I always ask scooter owners to be honest when telling me what they imagine it has cost to produce something as special as this – and not many are, to be fair. But John’s estimate of around £9k is pretty near the mark (when his wife was well out of earshot, that is). He also explained with such specific paintwork, the hardest part of such a build is always waiting for parts to arrive and assembling them without scratching anything.