SCOOTER MANIA BOOK LAUNCH & SIGNING

Steve Jackson signed copies of the new book SCOOTER MANIA! Recollections of the Isle of Man International Scooter Rally last weekend at the Tynwald Hill Inn on the Isle of Man. Two ex-competitors were present at the launch to sign copies, alongside the author.

Available now from Veloce!

A complete history of the event including competitor’s and organizer’s personal experiences, the controversies and difficulties experienced by the Rally Committee in what became a remarkable 20-year chapter in the history of Scootering Sport. Events included Endurance and Navigational trials, Hill Climbs, Scrambling, Gymkhana Competitions, Circuit and Closed Road Racing, Assembly Rallies and Sand Racing. More info.

NEW VIDEO! SCOOTER MANIA! STEVE JACKSON AUTHOR INTERVIEW

This month Steve Jackson is the author in our featured video interview, talking about his forthcoming book SCOOTER MANIA! Recollections of the Isle of Man International Scooter Rally (published late May 2014). The video also features very rare period footage of the 1964 Scooter Rally.



Steve Jackson bought his first scooter at the of 17, and attended his first scooter rally, at Morecombe, in 1984. A nomadic lifestyle followed, including membership of Scooter Clubs in Birmingham, London and Devon, attending National Rallies, and sleeping in leaking tents. His interests later veered towards classic cars and motorbikes, but he never really got over his first passion.
After several years of studying and working in Scotland, in 2010, Steve was appointed Library and Archives Assistant at the Manx Museum in Douglas, providing the inspiration for this project. The acquisition of a new Vespa PX 150 soon followed!

Coming soon! SCOOTER MANIA! Recollections of the Isle of Man International Scooter Rally

At last! A year-on-year account of the Isle of Man International Scooter Rally, the brainchild of WWI veteran-turned-politician, James Mylchreest Cain. Following a fact-finding mission to Dusseldorf, accompanied by Peter Agg from Lambretta, the second Rally went International for 1958, and was to grow in popularity throughout the 1960s, attracting competitors from countries as far and wide as Australia, USA, Rhodesia, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Czechoslovakia and India.
In addition to gymkhana and endurance events, closed-road and circuit racing attracted fast men such as Neville Frost, John and Norman Ronald, Ray Kemp, Andy Smith, and Norrie Kerr. In 1971, the then chairman of the Tourist Board, Bill Quayle, declared that the annual Scooterist week was “the most important cog in the mosaic of Manx tourism.” The author’s access to personal photographic archives, and Manx Press pictures, combined with period reports and interviews with competitors, builds a unique reconstruction of a hugely successful event on the scootering sporting calendar: an event that was to endure for 20 years and attract thousands of spectators. More info.

VELOCE DIGITAL: NEW VESPA SCOOTERS APP!

Looking to buy one of these iconic scooters? Then this app is for you! It will help ensure that you avoid the main pitfalls and end up with your very own slice of La Dolce Vita on the driveway.

The app includes expert advice, with images and videos, on all aspects of buying a Vespa. Included is a unique Evaluation Calculator so you can assess the true quality of a potential purchase, and make sure you don’t forget to check any of the important areas. You can store key information and notes, plus images of the Scooters you view for easy reference later. The app also includes a handy tool to search for Vespas which are for sale on various popular websites.

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Available from: Apple App Store, for iPhone / Google Play Store, for Android phones and tablets / Microsoft Store for Windows phone. / Amazon Apps for Kindle Fire, and Android devices.

AUTHOR PROFILE No. 4: MARK PAXTON

This month we welcome Mark Paxton, author of 8 Veloce books, into the author profile spotlight ...

According to my well-thumbed dictionary, an obsession is “an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind,” which pretty much sums up my lifelong relationship with the internal combustion engine and the vehicles it powers. My second birthday was apparently spent playing with a Dinky bubble car whilst more expensive and eye-catching presents lay ignored, much to the annoyance of my parents. By the age of 5, I was able to name virtually every car on the road, and with the newly acquired ability to read I began voraciously consuming anything and everything about motorised transport.

At 16, with a crisp, new provisional licence in my hand, I wobbled forth onto the Queen's highway astride the must-have two wheeler of the time, a Yamaha FS1E. That first love was intense, but short-lived, as the passing of another year opened up the possibility of bigger and faster machines, and a large number passed through my hands in a very short period.

The acquisition of a car licence merely increased my options when it came to spending all my disposable income on vehicles, and I started with a Citroën Ami 8 – a more comfortable and quicker relation of the 2CV. A huge mileage was promptly racked up forging a respect and admiration for these little cars, which has stayed with me to this day. It also gave me the opportunity to learn about mechanics, as money spent on garage bills was clearly a waste when it could be poured into the tank and burnt instead. Soon I was twirling the spanners not only on my car, but on those of other local enthusiasts as well.

My Suzuki GT500 loaded up ready for a trip to Italy in 1982.

Outside my garage, a 4 light Dyane and Diesel H van rub shoulders uneasily with a Fiesta (it wasn't all exotic) circa 1999.
The obsession well and truly had a grip by then, and I clocked up tens of thousands of miles criss-crossing Europe visiting far flung rallies and events, before deciding to leave a well-paid job for the insecurity of self employment fixing cars. The plus side, though, was being able to get behind the wheel of a huge variety of makes and models thus far denied to me. I initially concentrated on Citroëns, with the spartan pleasures of 2CV vans and saloons regularly interspersed by the swish luxury of a DS, and, on one occasion, an SM. My addiction became common knowledge, and soon other classic cars were arriving at the door – I have fond memories of MGCs, Costello V8 Bs, Spitfires, V6 Capris, VW Beetles and Vans, a PL17 Panhard, Peugeot 304s and 504s, and many more, including classics in the making such as the 205 and Golf GTis. Fleet contracts ensured that I had regular time working on Transits, Mercs and Ford Cargos as well, just to ensure diversity. Away from work I kept a small but ever-changing fleet of motorcycles, which fed my continuing need for two-wheeled action.

All things must pass, though, and after 15 years of such privileged pleasure a combination of factors spelt the end of my days on the tools. But every change in life comes with its own opportunities, and I decided to test the water and see if my accumulated experiences would be of interest to the classic car press. Fortunately they were, and I wrote articles and restored cars and motorcycles for Classic Car Mart, Practical Classics, Classic Motorcycle Mechanics, and many others. Buoyed by this, I approached Rod Grainger at Veloce to see if he would be interested in a buyer’s guide for my all-time favourite, the 2CV. He was, and the rest, as they say, is history. More guides followed, along with restoration manuals, some of which I have had the pleasure of seeing in other languages sitting on foreign bookshelves.

The 2CV I restored for Practical Classics.
I would like to say that age has tempered my passion, but sadly nothing could be further from the truth. I calculated recently that my lifetime’s association with vehicles has seen me clock up nearly a million miles, with around 200,000 of those covered on the Continent. Enough for any man, you might think, but the fire still burns strong: purely on a whim, I recently bought an old 2CV and hauled it around the back roads of the Balkans for eight weeks.

Bosnia about 6 weeks ago.
Is there no cure, or must I wait for the petrol to run out to finally release me from this affliction?
Mark Paxton

Click here to view all books by Mark Paxton.

VELOCE BOOKS FATHER'S DAY GIFT IDEAS!

Scooter sales on the up

Many people who live in a busy city and are sick of trains, tubes and buses have turned to the scooter to get about.

With today’s petrol prices and our need to feel we’re doing more for the environment, scooters have increased in popularity. This has been shown in sales which have risen 65.7 percent in the first half of 2008, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. Its not just London and the busy cities of England that has taken to this trend. Its also apparent in many smaller cities, and also further afield in New York where sales are rampant.

There is a vibrant used scooter market in the UK, and most dealers and classified listings will have quality second-hand models for under a grand.

Most 4-stroke scooters use unleaded petrol, and deliver a very economical fuel consumption, between roughly 50 and 70 miles to the gallon. Scooters also produce low emissions, making them an economically-sound choice.
Not only only are they better for the environment, they are cheaper to insure and easier to park.

For an in-depth look at one of the world’s greatest scooter marques, including detailed information on the main Italian-built models, the Lambretta Concessionaires machines and British dealer specials - Check out the Veloce book The Lambretta Bible By Pete Davies.

• Complete model history for each Italian machine
• New, previously unpublished photographs
• Frame number information
• Anecdotal information (where relevant)
• 1960s British dealer specials covered
• Coverage of specially prepared machines from Lambretta Concessionaires
• Full machine specifications and production changes
• Paint code information included
• Publicity & promotional material used where relevant
• Detailed information from dealer special staff and Lambretta Concessionaires staff

click here for more info

Calling all Mods, Skinheads, Skaheads and Scooter Boys

Cast your mind back to 1960s cult move, Quadrophenia

This film version of The Who's rock opera Quadrophenia makes a few tentative stabs at "explaining" the alienation of 1960s British working-class youth, but its major selling point is its nonstop rock-and-R&B musical score, including the hit single "Love Reign O'er Me." Phil Daniels (replacing the original opera's Roger Daltrey) plays Jimmy, a member of a well-dressed, drugged-up teen-aged gang called the Mods, forever duking it out with the cycle-punk Rockers. The rivalry between the two gangs comes to a head during three tempestuous days in the seaside town of Brighton. Here Jimmy makes love to lovely local Leslie Ash, and forges a strong friendship with unofficial Mod leader Sting. A series of disappointments and setbacks in his own London neighborhood convinces Jimmy to return to Brighton to pick up the pieces.

Whilst we are on the subject of vintage scooters and the mod lifestyle, enthusiasts might be interested to know Veloce Publishing are releasing a new book this month entitled THE LAMBRETTA BIBLE by Pete Davies.


A year-by-year, model-by-model, change-by-change record of the world’s finest scooter from Model A to the GP 200. The story doesn’t end there, though, the focus moves to machines prepared and built by Lambretta Concessionaires. The book ends with a look at the main British dealer specials of the 1960s. Essential reading for Lambretta enthusiasts.


Features
• Complete model history for each Italian machine
• New, previously unpublished photographs
• Frame number information
• Anecdotal information (where relevant)
• 1960s British dealer specials covered
• Coverage of specially prepared machines from Lambretta Concessionaires
• Full machine specifications and production changes
• Paint code information included
• Publicity & promotional material used where relevant
• Detailed information from dealer special staff and Lambretta Concessionaires staff

Description
An in-depth look at one of the world’s greatest scooter marques, including detailed information on the main Italian-built models, the Lambretta Concessionaires machines and British dealer specials.

Synopsis
An in-depth look at the world’s finest scooter, from the Model A to the GP 200. The Lambretta story doesn’t end there though, with the focus moving onto machines prepared and built by Lambretta Concessionaires. The book ends with a look at the main British dealer specials of the 1960s.


Click here for more info

A Wheelie Good Book

Scooter lifestyle
By Ian Grainger
Foreword by Norrie Kerr

Features

- Nostalgia with a modern twist
- Interviews with prominent scooterists, past and present
- Scooter rallies, from the inside out
- The scooter scene as a way of life
- People, friendships and comradeship
- Custom scooters, what’s wrong with spending £25k on a scooter?
- The machines, what’s hot and what’s not
- Racing,who ever said scooters are slow?
- Over 150 colour photographs

Description

Scooter Lifestyle will capture the imaginations of past, present and future generations of scooter riders, and guide the reader through the scootering way of life and all its factions, giving a unique insight to the modern scene and all its diversities, warts and all! Includes interviews with well known scootering personalities, over 150 colour photographs of award-winning custom scooters, best-selling scooter models, rallies and events. This book is a must have for anyone interested in these fashionable, fun machines.

Synopsis

There has been plenty said and written about scooters over the years but until now there has been no definitive look at the culture surrounding our chosen way of life. Many authors have written about mods or the infamous and often over hyped beach battles of the 1960’s but hardly any have tried to capture the atmosphere of the modern scene in print. We still owe the original mods for fueling the imagination of past, present and future generations and for leaving a rich scooter heritage behind them. Although the mod way of life was the spark which lit the fuse for many of us, the majority of scooter riders have evolved into lifestyle scooterists. We may not dress in a particular style, our scooters may not be adorned with lights and mirrors but we still burn with the same passion as our scooter riding ancestors. It’s over sixty years since the first Italian scooters rolled off the production lines but there is still a buzzing and vibrant lifestyle with the humble scooter as its nucleus. The small capacity machines have overtaken the lives of thousands of us, often to the detriment of everything else we hold dear. Careers, relationships and families have suffered for this overwhelming and expensive addiction. An addiction to which there is no cure. We live and breathe the sickly sweet smell of synthetic two stroke oil and worship at the altar of our chosen gods, Lambretta and Vespa (or occasionally Gilera and Italjet). Our hands are permanently ingrained with the oily ‘tattoo’s’ of a thousand engine rebuilds and our major organs have suffered the long term effects of our hedonistic lifestyle. Including interviews with well known Scootering personalities, over 150 colour photographs of award winning custom scooters, best selling scooter models, rallies and events. This book is a must have for anyone interested in these fun machines.