Lambretta

For other uses, see Lambretta (disambiguation).

The Lambretta was a line of motor scooters manufactured in Milan, Italy, by Innocenti.

History

Lambretta

Industry	Scooter
Founded	1947
Defunct	1982
Fate	bought and closed by BMC
Headquarters	Milan, Italy
Key people	Ferdinando Innocenti
Products	Lambretta
Parent	Innocenti

In 1922, Ferdinando Innocenti of Pescia built a steel tubing factory in Rome. In 1931, he took the business to Milan where he built a larger factory producing seamless steel tubing and employing about 6,000. During the Second World War the factory was heavily bombed and destroyed. It is said that surveying the ruins, Innocenti saw the future of cheap, private transport and decided to produce a motor scooter – competing on cost and weather protection against the ubiquitous motorcycle.

Deriving the name Lambretta from the small river Lambro in Milan, which ran near to the factory; Innocenti started production of Lambretta scooters in 1947 - the year after Piaggio started production of its Vespa models - and ceased production in 1971. However, Lambrettas were manufactured under licence in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, India and Spain, sometimes under other names but always to a recognizable design (e.g. Siambretta in South America and Serveta in Spain).

As wealth increased in Western Europe in the late 60s, the demand for motorscooters fell as the small car became available to more people and Lambretta started to struggle financially. The British Motor Corporation (BMC) took advantage of Innocenti's financial difficulties as well as their production and engineering expertise and contracted Innocenti to produce cars under license from BMC. The Innocenti Mini used the mechanical components of the original but was in many ways superior to it.

Innocenti/Lambretta was eventually sold to BMC. With BMC's lack of foresight, they had cottoned on to a fashion trend that was ending rapidly. Long industrial strikes in BMC ensued; motor scooter sales took a nosedive and Innocenti shut up shop 1972.

India

Lambretta

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Scooter
Founded	1947
Headquarters	Template:Country data IIndia Milan , India

The Indian government bought the factory for essentially the same reasons that Ferdinando Innocenti had built it after the War. India was a country with poor infrastructure, economically not ready for small private cars yet with a demand for private transport. “Scooters India Ltd.,” a state-run enterprise based in Lucknow, capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh, began production a couple of years later. They stopped producing scooters in 1998. Scooters India Ltd. production now centers on a 3-wheeler pick-up truck powered by the Lambretta engine. Bajaj Auto is a major Indian automobile manufacturer that had also produced scooters similar to the Vespa. Although Scooters India have sold the rights to a business man who plans to start production again with BMW engines for the UK and European market, but Vespa engines for the American market.

The small village of Rodano, near Milan, hosts the biggest Lambretta museum in Europe and the Innocenti archives. In the collection are also several non-Lambretta scooters, including some first models from the 1910's and US Army scooters parachuted over Normandy in 1944. In Weston-super-Mare, England, there is a Lambretta Scooter Museum which houses a total of 61 Lambretta models - at least one from each year between October 1947 through to May 1971. It also houses a large amount of Lambretta memorabilia.

Construction and Models

Like Vespas, Lambrettas have 3 or 4 gears and two stroke motors with capacities ranging from 49cc to 198cc. Most two-stroke engines require a mixture of oil with the gasoline in order to lubricate the piston and cylinder.

Unlike the Vespa, which was built with a unibody chassis pressed from sheets of steel, Lambrettas were based around a more rigid tubular frame, although the 'J' series model produced from 1964 through 1966 did have a monocoque body. Early versions were available in 'closed', with fully covered mechanicals or 'open', with minimal panels and thus looking like an unusual motorcycle. The model A and model B were only available in 'open' style. The C and D models were noted for their torsion bar rear suspension, the D model outsold every other 2 wheeled vehicle combined at its peak. (For the latter, see Ruth Orkin's famous photograph American Girl in Italy´[1].) The much greater success of the 'closed' version confirmed that riders wanted protection from the weather and a clean looking machine.

Along with the Vespa, Lambretta was an iconic vehicle of the 1950s and 1960s when they became the adopted vehicle of choice for the UK youth-culture known as Mods. The character Jimmy from the influential scooter movie Quadrophenia rode a Lambretta Li 125 Series 3. Of the 1960s models, the TV (Turismo Veloce), the Special (125 and 150), the SX (Special X) and the GP Grand Prix are generally considered the most desirable due to their increased performance and refined look, the 'matt black' fittings on the GP model are said to have influenced European car designs throughout the 1970s. These three models came with a front disc brake made by Campagnolo. The TV was the first production two-wheeled vehicle with a front disc brake in the world.

Lambretta Luna Range designed by Bertone

As the race to be the first person on the moon gathered pace, Innocenti's new model was launched, the Luna range (Luna meaning "moon", in Italian). The machines looked very advanced for their day, reverting back to the open frame style of the much admired 'D' types, and although sales were slow to start with, racing success from grass tracking to circuit racing, soon made them a sales success. Designed by Bertone Innocenti wanted a small frame and engine Lambretta that could be sold along side the larger models. The frame was tubular steel front end, with bolt on leg shields, and a monocoque pressed steel rear frame.

Lambrettas have attracted an eclectic following of "revival" mods, collectors, scooterists, and even racers. Vespa and Lambrettas both can be converted to fun and relatively fast machines with little (but relatively expensive) modification. Many owners customize these scooters with elaborate customizations and paintwork. The Lambretta has benefitted from advances in technology in the motorcycle world. Common modifications include a Nikasil plated aluminium barrel with radical porting, large Dell'Orto or Mikuni carburettors and bespoke expansion chambers. Hydraulic disc brakes in the front are becoming common on the more tuned ones as are hydraulic clutches and rear brakes. Modern low profile tyres greatly improve handling as do uprated front and rear suspension units.

Today Lambretta is being manufactured in Korea and distributed in the US by Lambretta USA International under license from the government of India. www.lambrettausa.com [2]

Gallery

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  Innocenti Lambretta
• 
  Lambretta 150 ld

External links

• Casa Lambretta Museum
• Guide to decoding Lambretta VIN #'s
• Lambretta Model Guide
• Lambretta SX200 Information and Registry
• Lambretta TV200 Information and Registry
• Auto Products of India
• Scooters India Ltd.
• The French Website : free spares catalog - Le site français avec de la documentation gratuite !
• Scooter-lambretta : French technical informations and Web help
• S.L.C.F.(Eurolambretta 2006 Issoire) : Scooter Lambretta Club de France
• Lambretta li 125 Special Registry
• Rafferty Newman Wildcat Scooter Racing History by Dave Tooley
• Memories of the Solent City Scooter Club in the late 60's early70's
• The most recent and comprehensive use and repair manual for Lambretta 'Slimstyle' Scooters
• Paisans -Classic Vespa and Lambretta scooters