Chico & Rita

What can I say about the new film "Chico and Rita"? Well, not a whole lot actually, as I haven't seen it yet. But what I have seen of it looks, well, just lovely. The animation style looks fantastic, very graphic, very sensual, yet very precise. Set in 1950's Cuba and New York city, the music, which captures a real pivotal moment in the history of jazz, is stunningly good. It's already been called "one of the best fictional movies ever made about jazz". And there's a good story, which helps. It looks like a real labour of love. Check out the website (I LOVE the animation on the homepage when you mouse over the navigation) for much more.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ChicoAndRita

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Vintage Lambretta advertising

Well, I posted some vintage Vespa advertising and promotional material recently, and in the light of a "new Lambretta" coming in 2011, I thought it would be interesting to see some old advertising imagery from around the world. As before, if you have any other images, drop me an email and I'll upload them too.

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The Lambretta is back! (Sort of)

Forget the royal wedding, the good news today is there's a new Lambretta is back in production!  It's due to go on sale in 2011, and it's being made in Italy.

This new model (designated the LN) is very much a 21st century machine, with a modern twin valve, single cylinder, air cooled engine (in either 125 or 150cc incarnations). My sources don't say, but I expect due to European emission regulations it will be a four stroke rather than the 2-stroke engine the original Lambretta's were famous for. And while the mechanical are all very up to date, there is a definite retro feel about the styling… picking up cues from Lambretta's "golden age" of the 1960's when the produced such iconic machines as the SX200. 

So, so I like it? Well, yes, kind of. Although I like some of the lines, parts of it look a bit "clunky". The area around the headlights and horncasting just look bulky and ugly to me. Perhaps they'll grow on me… and I'd have to see one in the flesh before I completely made my mind up. And there are some other cons for me… it looks kind of, well, plasticky. Classic Lambretta's were made to last. Of steel. 

On the plus side, less steel means less weight. I haven't seen any specs yet, but I have little doubt it will weigh in at about half the weight of an original LI 150, with better performance, handling and fuel consumption.  And there are modern refinements such as electric start, and even indicators.

Would I buy one? Probably not. I'll stick to my fifty year old Series II, while I save my pennies for a Morgan ThreeWheeler. But there's a lot of new, retro styled scooters out there at the moment, and none of them (other than Vespa of course), have the cachet of the iconic Lambretta brand name. I hope they sell a ton of them. 

Get the full story (in Italian) over at Motoblog.it. Thanks to Modculture for the heads up.

Oh, and I'd appreciate, and be interested in your comments… what do YOU think of the new Lambretta?

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Morgan to relaunch the 3 wheeler!

As well as classic scooters, I've always had a bit of a thing about Microcars, particularly 3 wheelers. It's just unfortunate when you mention 3 wheelers these days, people think of the Reliant Robin, rather than the BMW Isetta, The Messerschmitt KR series (the inspiration behind this beauty), or maybe the daddy of them all, The Morgan ThreeWheeler. A car Stirling Moss once owned… memorably calling it his "Babe Magnet". We're a long way from Trotter's Independent Traders here…

Better known these days as the makers of traditional handbuilt British sports cars, the Morgan Motor Company was built on the success of the ThreeWheeler. Designed way back in 1909, more than 30,000 ThreeWheelers were built before they ceased production in 1953. So… over a hundred years after they were first launched, why is the Morgan 3 wheeler set for a comeback? Well, for exactly the reasons stated in my previous blog post here. Ok, I was talking about a different 3 wheeler, the Bond bug, but actually, everything I said rings true. And more so, as Morgan got the 3 wheeler concept RIGHT, way back when. In my humble opinion, and that of many engineers, two wheels at the front, where the engine is, and one at the back is a far more stable design.  

And as we're in the 21st century, were talking 21st century technology, bringing the Morgan ThreeWheeler bang up to date. A modern engine… (An 1800cc Harley Davidson  "Screaming Eagle" no less), and a modern gearbox (from a Mazda 5), combined with modern running gear gives you 1920's 'joy of driving' with modern reliability. A truly unique vehicle, it's going to weigh in at less than 500 kgs, it's going to be no slouch performance wise. No figures are available for fuel economy yet, but I reckon it'll be good. 

So is this just another "concept" car, we'll never see on the road, or get a chance to buy? Apparently not. Morgan are confident of launching the new ThreeWheeler in 2011. You can register your interest on there website (Done that!), or email them for more information here. 

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Vintage Vespa Advertising

A collection of advertising and trade material promoting the Vespa motor scooter. If you've got any more images… email me, and I'll post them!
A Lambretta gallery will follow soon.

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Posted via email from CrocodileJock's Blog