c1951 Lambretta Model C 125cc Motorscooter

Description

In 1922 Ferdinando Innocenti built a steel-tubing factory in Rome, relocating his business to Milan in 1931, where he built a larger factory producing seamless steel tubing. During World War II the factory was destroyed and 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. Like Vespas of the day, Lambrettas had three or four gears and two-stroke engines with capacities ranging from 49 cc to 198 cc. Unlike the Vespa, which was built with a unibody chassis pressed from sheets of steel, Lambrettas were based around a more rigid tubular frame, 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. In 1950 Innocenti updated the scooter with a radical new model and expanded the model range to two, the simple 'C' and the more upmarket 'LC' with fairings front and rear plus a tall windscreen and weather protection. Sold in three colours only - blue, green and tan - the low price of the 'C' attracted customers at an unprecedented rate, with monthly production rising to between 7,000 and 8,000 per month. The scooter remained in production for two years before it was replaced with the new 125cc 'D' in November 1951. NSU even built Lambrettas under license for the German market and the selection of accessories available was huge, including front/rear 'bumpers', front luggage rack, twin saddles, a spare tyre rack and an odometer/tachometer.