For those that didn’t know, there was a factory producing Lambretta scooters in Brazil from the 1950s until possibly as late as the 1980s, although those late models were in fact derivatives of the old Lambretta 3-wheeler which at first glance looked little like the vehicles they were based upon (they also produced them in Colombia, as we’ve posted in the past here).
But back to the Standard pictured in this post.
While looking for something else on the t’interweb, we came across this Brazilian trading website where this scooter reared its head. Listed as a ‘Lambretta Standard’ there’s little other information other than the seller suggesting it’s a 1973 model and has a 175cc engine.
To us it looks like it’s based upon a Lambretta Model D from the mid-1950s, which was produced in Brazil under licence, possibly up to the early 1960s at least (they stopped in Italy around 1957/58).
They also manufactured the Lambretta LD under licence in Brazil as well, but the fact is that for some reason they really liked the open-frame Lambrettas down there in south America. Anyway, the Lambretta Standard was the local phrase used for what we Europeans know as the Model D, while the LD was known as the luxury model.
A little more research into this particular ‘Standard’ model leads us to believe it is in fact closer to a 1962 model we found it listed as elsewhere, and more than likely still features a 150cc engine. The main thing that makes us look twice though, is both the shape of the frame upright from the floorboards to the seat which has an unusual kink in it, and also what appears to be a modified nose section and possibly the legshields too. Interesting…
So, was this a DIY fix to keep an old scooter on the road, or does it feature some rare locally produced accessories maybe? Alternatively, is this a later model than we think that was updated a little by whichever company produced it? If anyone knows, please drop us a line.
And if anyone wants to try to buy a Lambretta from Brazil and ship it back to Europe, then this Lambretta Standard is up for R$ 7.500, which is just shy of UK£200 and you’ll need to follow this link to find out more.