TheScooterScoop

(sorry for the small image… they’re being stingy with the photos)

LAMBRETTA IS BACK: U.S. MADE WITH PIAGGIO ENGINE
(AGI) – Rome, Italy, April 9 – The new Lambretta will have DL frame and bodywork, the last model made before the company’s closing in 1971, and the engine will be from its enemy Piaggio. The news was came to Lambretti fans from the United States, or more precisely, Seattle, where the new motorcycle was presented. It’s red, and has a Piaggio 125 to 250 cc engine, and tubeless tires, two back shock absorbers. Made by Lambretta USA (a division of Lambretta International, owned by the Kharana family of Seattle), the scooter has changed its physiognomy slightly compared to the Italian original. The only change is in the back, slightly redesigned for the new engine. The rest seems a photocopy, with only small retouches when compared to the DL that was on the market 35 years ago. The price has not yet been set. “The new Lambretta will be assembled in the United States with key Italian parts,” said the company. These include Piaggio engines, which have been tested in Pontedera, in the province of Pisa. Lambretta was born in the factories of Innocenti, on the coast of the Lambro river, in 1947, and ended its activities in 1971. These were years of designing, new models, and continuous battles with Vespa, with which Lambretta fought for control in the Italian and international markets. The end came following the serious crisis that in the 1970s hit the entire motorcycle production after small cars became popular. From 1975 to 1997, production was moved to India. The Indian government had brought the entire Lambretta DL assembly line, the same one that has been reincarnated in the US. (AGI) -
091712 APR 05
COPYRIGHTS 2002-2003 AGI S.p.A.