Rossa Revisited

Col Barrett, who rides with Dorset Lowriders SC has been on the periphery of the scooter scene for many years. It was the 90s when he was in Canada when he attended a few scooter rallies. Later that same decade after returning to the UK he got his first scooter, a Lambretta GP, with a 240cc top end. He has also been an active member of the rare soul scene, which has always had a degree of crossing over into the scooter scene. Col numbers among those who regard the Yam 350 YPVS as the pinnacle of the 80s two-stroke power.

“I always had a bit of a soft spot for the Rossa 350 Yam-Lams, even in standard specifications. Those power-valve engines have always amazed me, they are the ultimate 80s two-stroke engines. The concept behind the creation of Old Blue comes from the Rossa Yam-Lams of the 80s. I’ve had a few bikes, getting more interested in scooters in the 90s. The ultimate scooter to me, as a younger man, was the Rossa. With my 50th birthday approaching, I decided to treat myself to a Yamaha 350 YPVS engined scooter.”

Two for the price of one

Back in 2014, after doing his own due diligence so to speak, Col commissioned Gary Hancox of GWH Restorations to build him a Yamaha 350 YPVS powered full bodied Lambretta. “Gary Hancox is an absolute engineering genius,” he said. “He also completed the initial build of Old Blue, including the paintwork prep and subcontracting out the paintwork in an amazingly short time. The paint code is R1 which is the exact shade