Dean Orton – A life in Lambretta
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The name Rimini Lambretta Centre (‘RLC’) is well-known within scootering circles, and here at SIP we stock products from their Casa Performance range. But did you know that the founder of the company, Dean Orton, has just released a book?
British by birth, he moved to Italy to live back in 1992, to then set up shop restoring Italian Lambrettas - for Italians! Although it started off as Adriatica Lambretta, Dean soon changed location and the company name to Rimini Lambretta Centre. Having been a scooterist on both sides of the sales counter guarantees that he has accumulated plenty of stories over the course of the last three decades. He decided to correlate those same events and finally, after six years of work, Dean has released his new hardback book, ‘A Life In Lambretta - The Story of a Professional Mod’.
Covering 600 pages and packed with full colour photos, the contents of the 32 chapters contained within the ‘A Life In Lambretta’ take you through a rollercoaster ride of searching out elusive scooters and rare parts in far-off climes, trying to overcome Italian bureaucracy, shootings, rallies, getting to understand local mannerisms, working on some of the rarest Lambretta models in existence, touring, racing scooters across Europe, extreme product testing, riding through a riot, flying, rallies, upsetting TV celebs and much, much more. So much more, in fact, that by Dean’s own admission, he has enough for a follow-up book!
Make no mistake though, this is not a diary-type read as the majority of the chapters are not related in a time-line fashion. What you will get is a no-holds-barred look into Dean’s life as a scooter dealer and the high and low points of pursuing his dream of creating a world-renowned Lambretta shop. The text is told in a colourful and informative manner, tinged with humour throughout and trying not to laugh out loud is almost impossible! And don’t think for a second that the stories are solely Lambretta-related, as the author also lets us delve into his world of oddball scooters, Vespas, sidecars, bubble cars - and even an aeroplane.
We spoke to Dean to ask a few questions for the Blog:
Interview with Dean Orton
Hi Dean, what’s the reason you have produced this book?
After I stepped back from RLC in 2020, I finally had the time to complete my book, which I had started two years prior. I compiled a short list of topics to cover and began to sift through the vast collection of photos I had accumulated over the years. The stories in my book will hopefully give readers an insight into what I endured to set up a shop in Italy, albeit from the comfort of an airchair. And it wasn’t as easy as you might think. One of the reasons I wrote the book was that several friends have told me over time that some of the things they’d asked me about would make for a good read.
How has the book been received so far?
Although it’s just been released, even I was a little surprised at the initial positive responses on the socials, and as a Lambretta dealer, I certainly know that you can’t please all the people all the time. Six hundred pages is a lot to plough through and that’s a lot of reading, so people’s reviews and opinions will obviously take time to filter through. However, as first impressions go, yes, people seem to like it, which is extremely satisfying.
Are you still involved with Lambrettas, and do you still ride?
Yes, 101%! I ride as much as possible, and use my Lambrettas every day. Scooter touring is my first love, and I prefer that to rallies. I’m not interested in collecting, and I only have scooters that I can use. I’ll openly admit that I have a love for oddball machines, most of which are weird Asian-manufactured Lambretta variants such as the Kelvinator, Allwyn and Sunny FR models.
What else are you planning?
Scooter-wise, I’m about to start an Indian Aravali for which I’ve ordered a Casa Performance Twin 250 motor to fit into, and some high-end restorations for clients. Personally, I’m working hard on two detailed Workshop Manuals for smallframe Luna Line and J Range Lambrettas, as there is very little out there for those models. Then, if ‘A Life In Lambretta’ sells well, I’ll publish a follow-up book of a similar nature, as I already have enough material for a possible Part 2. As I mentioned in a previous interview with Jesco from SIP, I intend to complete my project to construct ‘Speedball Lambretta Studios,’ where I’d like to host all-inclusive restoration courses held over long weekends, three or four times a year, for 8-10 people. I’d like to offer people a unique hands-on experience, that also includes the chance to taste Italian culture and cuisine.
In the title, you call yourself a ‘Professional Mod’: what do you mean by that?
I’ve been asked the same question by a few people! The way I see it is that I’m one of the few lucky people who has been able to create full-time employment doing what I love, thus turning my passion for scooters into a professional career. The Mod ethic has always defined my way of thinking and, subsequently, my work ethic. Most of the principal scooter shops in the World are run by scooterists, so I’d define them as ‘professional scooterists’. Even now, at 56 years old, I’m 100% Mod – although that certainly doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the imagination and effort someone has taken to create a cutdown, a street racer or a chopper, as long as the workmanship is good.
Is there a reason ‘A Life In Lambretta’ is only available as a hardback?
This was important to me because I have always based my work mentality on quality, before all else. Therefore, I insisted that the book was printed on top-quality paper with nice photos, all bound in a hardback cover. As with scooters, I think that if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right, without compromises!
