Scooter's a shrine to Wolves

Wolves fan Mark Cox has two passions in life – his scooters and his football team. And he has just spent around £9,000 paying tribute to them both.

He has paid to turn a run-down Vespa into a colourful homage to Wolves. Gold plated, hand engraved art work adorns the hub caps, handle bars and any other spare space, portraits of his favourite players are on the side, the brake handles are shaped like wolves and on the back is a spot of fighting talk for his rivals – 'we ate Albion'.

But the man who created this heartfelt tribute to Mr Cox's favourite team is scooter restorer Mark Hodgetts – an avid Albion fan who promises that he has left his mark.

"I just love restoring scooters," said the 43-year-old who runs Supersprint Restorations, in New Street, Wednesbury.

"You just forget it's Wolves I suppose," he said.

The idea for the design started when Mr Cox, from Essington, was enjoying a beer.

"I was a bit drunk and I was looking at the beer mat and it was in the shape of a 50 pence coin," he said.

"I thought that could be the front part of the bike with the Wolves badge and it went from there."

Once the metal work was finished it was sent away to be painted, but returned twice before Mr Cox found the artist up to the job.

That was 31-year-old Mick Neill, who owns a custom paint studio in High Road, Willenhall.

Mr Cox says he now hopes the bike will go on show at the club's trophy room before he takes it on tour to scooter shows.

But while fellow fans alike have been admiring the craft work, it's not until the engine is revving that the piece-de-resistance is revealed. "The brake lights make up the eyes of the wolf so they glow red," he said.

And hidden on the bottom of the football-shaped stand, is a message from its maker. It says "made by Albion".