1955 LAMBRETTA MODEL F (L-70)
Italy in the ‘50s was still recovering from the war, and people had extremely tight budgets. The Lambretta E was a short-lived attempt by Innocenti to create an “economy” scooter to serve that slice of the market, and compete with Vespa’s economy offering, the “U” model. To do it, Innocenti modified their existing scooter in an attempt to cut costs, and sell at a rock bottom price.
The result was not particularly successful: they found it impossible to cut enough of the cost to make building it profitable. One of the ways that they sought to cut costs was to remove the complicated kickstart mechanism. Innocenti replaced the kickstart with a pull start, like on an old lawn mower. This pull start, coupled with the side stand, made it just enough of a challenge for normal people, that it was a flop in the marketplace. Innocenti tried to salvage their development costs by modifying the scooter with a bolt-on kickstarter - which was called the Model F. This is the scooter you see before you. It too, was unsuccessful, as it was still not cheap enough to attract budget customers, and the costs of tooling for the factory were expensive enough that only a huge volume seller would have justified keeping it in production. As a result, they are rare today.
We found this scooter on our most recent trip to Italy. It is a bit of an additionally oddity, as it is a Model F, but has a Model E pullstarter fitted to the motor. It is a fun feature as-is, but we can install the Model F kickstarter on this scooter, if desired. This one has been restored, and it is in nice condition. These were never sold in the US, so here’s your chance to own one of the rarest Lambrettas!
Price (before tax): $7,955
Make: Lambretta
Year: 1955
Inventory number: L-70
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