So we all know that the Lambretta was created by Innocenti in Italy, but what happened when Innocenti closed their doors and ended scooter production in 1971?
The Innocenti company was split with steel production and car manufacturing remaining on site in Milan, but the scooter production line was sold – lock ,stock and barrel – to the Indian Government who formed Scooters India Limited to continue the Lambretta bloodline in Lucknow, India.
A few years later Lambretta scooters returned to Italy, courtesy of Lambretta Italia SPA of Savona, in the Liguria region of Italy near Genoa. They began importing the DL model (or GP as it was known in the UK) and marketed it in Italy as the Lambretta Elegant 150 DL.
The 150cc engine Lambrettas were the first models SIL produced after the Indian factory began functioning and you’ve got to admit this is a real ‘coals to Newcastle’ story, exporting the Lambretta back to Italy…
As for what the advertising slogan here, “cosi bella non l’avevi mai vista” means. We think it goes something like “a view so beautiful you’ve never seen”, although of course with the DL/GP originating in Italy in 1969 either our translating skills need a lot to be desired, or Lambretta Italia weren’t quite on the ball with their marketing.
**In edition 16 of ScooterNova magazine, published in 2019 we celebrated the Bertone design of the Lambretta dl/GP and subsequent versions. For more details and to buy a copy of the magazine please click here.