Lambretta (company)
The Lambretta was a line of motor scooters manufactured in Milano (Milan), Italy from the late 1940s by the Innocenti company.
Along with the Vespa it was an iconic vehicle of the 1950s and 60s when they became the adopted vehicle of choice for the UK youth-culture known as Mods, and later Skinheads. The Lambretta had unibody chassis pressed from sheets of steel, the early versions being available in 'closed' (fully covered mechanicals) or 'open' (minimal panels and thus looking like an unusual motorcycle) versions, but the much greater success of the 'closed' version confirmed that riders wanted protection from the weather and a clean looking machine.
Lambrettas have manual transmissions that are controlled by twisting the left handgrip while pulling the clutch lever and selecting between the 3 or 4 gears. They also have had two stroke motors, requiring a mixture of oil with the gasoline in order to lubricate the piston and cylinder. The mixture of oil in the fuel produced high amounts of smoke.
Innocenti ceased production of Lambretta scooters in 1971, but production continued under licence in Spain and in India.
The name Lambretta comes from the name of a small river (Lambro) in Milan, near the factory.
Of 1960s models, the TV (Turismo Veloce) and SX (Special X) models are generally considered the most desirable due to their increased performance.
See also
The Lambretta was a line of motor scooters manufactured in Milano (Milan), Italy from the late 1940s by the Innocenti company.
Along with the Vespa it was an iconic vehicle of the 1950s and 60s when they became the adopted vehicle of choice for the UK youth-culture known as Mods, and later Skinheads. The Lambretta had tubular steel frame and panelwork pressed from sheets of steel, the early versions being available in 'closed' (fully covered mechanicals) or 'open' (minimal panels and thus looking like an unusual motorcycle) versions, but the much greater success of the 'closed' version confirmed that riders wanted protection from the weather and a clean looking machine.
Lambrettas have manual transmissions that are controlled by twisting the left handgrip while pulling the clutch lever and selecting between the 3 or 4 gears. They also have had two stroke motors, requiring a mixture of oil with the gasoline in order to lubricate the piston and cylinder. The mixture of oil in the fuel produced high amounts of smoke in a worn engine.
Innocenti ceased production of Lambretta scooters in 1971, but production continued under licence in Spain and the Italian factory plant was sold to Scooters India Limited (SIL). SIL, which was a government-owned company, produced Lambretta clones of forgettable quality until the mid-90's, primarily under the trade name of "Vijai Super". It also provided scooter kits to other state-owned companies within India for assembly and marketing under their own labels. The advent of Japanese motorcycles in the early 80's sounded the death knell for SIL and other Indian scooter manufacturers. SIL transitioned to making three-wheeled scooter-taxis and light transport vehicles.
The name Lambretta comes from the name of a small river (Lambro) in Milan, near the factory.
Of 1960s models, the TV (Turismo Veloce) and SX (Special X) models are generally considered the most desirable due to their increased performance.