Description
H&H Classic Auction @ National Motorcycle Museum | Solihull, West Midlands
30th Oct, 2024 11:00
1977 Lambretta GP200 Quadrophenia 'Chalky’s
The actual scooter used in the cult movie
Estimate
£9, 000 - £11, 000
Registration No: UJT 377S
Frame No: 44974
MOT: Exempt
The real deal from the cult Quadrophenia movie
No reproduction, The actual movie Scooter
Also featured in ‘The Grand Mod Experience’ by Carol Harrison
Extensive provenance file and gala premiere ticket
Original Allstyle accessories still attached
Running well and offered with V5 for use on the road
The cult status of the Who’s rock opera film Quadrophenia needs no introduction and its appeal grows ever stronger as the years go by. A magical infusion of culture with its distinctive working class 60s mod appeal starring predominantly unknown starlets who later largely shot to huge fame including Sting, Toyah Wilcox, Lesley Ash, Phil Daniels, John Altman, Phil Davis and many more in this gritty masterpiece directed by a young Frank Roddam for Who Films produced by Bill Curbishley and Roy Baird. In a later interview with Phil Davis who played Chalky ‘the ponce’ he recalled how the young actors learned to ride on mopeds as they had no access to the scooters until the filming started.
The comedic almost tragic moment when Chalky’s scooter (played by Phil Davis) crashes into some bins when he was run off the road by rockers as the mods were entering Brighton is one of the many unforgettable highlights of the film (officially known as Scene 66 ‘Road to Brighton’ in the film script). ‘It looked good from back there’ said Jimmy as they left Chalky lying by the road to fend for himself and he later limped into Brighton seafront with a smashed looking Lambretta. And this is one of the most endearing features about this scooter. There was only one. Unlike Stings scooter where there were multiple replacements waiting in the wings Chalky’s scooter saw real action and had to be patched up multiple times after many takes. It is noticeable in this relatively low budget movie how poor some of the continuity was and a keen eye will notice how the headset on Chalky’s scooter changes from a rectangular GP to SX type and back again. The corresponding forks also had to be changed and then back again. The same with the mirrors which changed positions. On researching this it is because most of the Brighton scenes were filmed first and the London scenes later. To make the original GP look more period the SX headset was added and the early 60s bogus registration number DCB 647. Then according to our vendor it was so damaged in the first filming that the old GP rectangular one had to be put back on. The scene where Chalky rides out after Brighton with ‘Monkey’ (Toyah Wilcox) on the back we see again the SX head set so this was filmed before the scene 66 where the main damage occurred. We are delighted to say that the original GP head set top is still with the scooter and is included in the lot.
How this scooter has survived and is actually here is another story and one of our vendor being in the right place at the right time - twice! In 1978 the Dorset based Modrapheniacs Scooter Club was a large and very active club particularly as this was a very early time in the ‘Mod Revival’. As a club they headed to the Southend Mod Rally in 1978 and it is here that the first breakthrough happened. UJT 377S a SIL GP200 was purchased the year before by Scott Willis who had just joined the club. Bill Curbishley and Frank Roddam were at the Southend rally looking for material, extras and scooters for their upcoming film. Four scooters were chosen from the group; Jimmy’s Li150, a Pink GP owned by our vendor (later seen in the film at Goldhawk), a Jet 200 owned by Rob ‘Yob’ Williams and the scooter we present here chalky’s white GP200 own by Scott Willis. Each of them were paid £300 each to hire their scooters and were also later invited to work as extras for £20 a day. Our vendor was known as ‘Mod 12’ and is also mentioned in the book ‘Quadrophenia - The Complete guide, by Layne Patterson’.
After the filming the scooters were returned and Scott Willis was very unhappy with the condition of the scooter which was returned with no side panels and a broken headset and other damage. He complained to the film company who sent him £400 which was enough in 1979 to buy a new scooter! He then sold the damaged scooter to our vendor for £100 who swiftly tidied it up with rattle can paint. They all attended the premiere of Quadrophenia which was held at The Plaza in Regent Street, London on the 16th of August 1979 which was attended by the band except Keith Moon who has recently died, the stars, producers, production crew. Lots of wannabe celebrities also attended. Our vendor rode the scooter there! The original entrance ticket is included with the lot and was signed at the premiere by Phil Daniels and Bob Geldof.
One must remember that despite the initial youth appeal during the mod revival of the early 1980s the real cult status of the film came many years later. Our vendor removed the accessories and sold the scooter to his friend Phil Cheney who sold it in 1983 to the Blue Diamond Scooter club and it was a acquired by a lady named Sheryl. It then disappeared, forgotten and unknown as to what it was until it appeared at a scooter jumble parts fair in 1994 on the stand of Bedlam scooters. Our vendor being one of the only people who knew what it was spotted the registration number and bought the scooter back for the second time for what he says were nostalgic reasons. That was the second time he was in the right place at the right time. Many years later in 2019 he was contacted by Carol Harrison producer of all things mod including ‘All Or Nothing - the musical’ who was organising a Quadrophenia reunion and the ‘Grand Mod Experience’ for charity Cancer Research at The Grand Hotel Brighton for the August 2019 bank holiday mod gathering. He was asked if he would bring Chalky’s scooter to the show to exhibit which he did. He is also credited in the official programme of that event. Just prior to that the scooter went through South West Scooters in Yeovil, Somerset who returned it to its Quadrophenia appearance and attached the original accessories which our vendor had kept for all of those years. These include the mirrors, Cuppini rear and front racks, front crash bars and Ulma front bumper which are all the original pieces (although the flyscreen is a similar replacement but with the original fur). This can be seen in the South West Scooters FB page in 2019. The scooter is now in 2024 in good running order and fired up easily as can be seen by the running video below. It has a current V5 and can be used immediately on the road.
This is one of the main scooters in one of the most important cultural cult films of our times. This scooter and its part in contemporary popular and culture together with the provenance that accompanies it should be of major interest to collectors of rock memorabilia and historical scooters. Who can say that a young Toyah Wilcox rode on the back of my scooter? I know I’d like to be able to say that.
