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58-584: The name is derived from the word Lambrate , the suburb of Milan named after the river Lambro which flows through the area, and where the factory was located. Lambretta was the name of a mythical water-sprite associated with the river which runs adjacent to the former production site. In 1972, the Indian government bought the machinery of the Milanese factory, creating Scooters India Limited ( SIL ) in order to produce Lambretta scooters and also Lambro three-wheelers,

116-564: A joint venture to develop and produce light commercial vehicle. Based on Foton chassis the new vehicle was sold by Piaggio Commercial Vehicle division globally apart from China. The vehicle is intended to be a successor of the Piaggio Porter and production was planned to start in mid-2019 in Pontedera ( Italy ) with all components produced by Foton in China. Piaggio's "cultural project" promotes

174-457: A loss of 129 million Euros. In 2003 Piaggio's debt was reduced by a 100 million Euro investment made by IMMSI , a holding company of the Colaninno family. 150 million shares were also converted by creditor banks. Reflecting on his investment, Roberto Colaninno said, "A lot of people told me I was crazy. Piaggio wasn't dying. It just needed to be treated better." " Colaninno became

232-680: A lower quality than the SIL-produced models and sometimes incorporated significant styling changes. SIL production seems to have peaked during the financial year 1980–81, with around 35,000 scooters being built. However, by 1987 this had dropped to around 4,500 units with production finally ceasing in 1997. After that SIL's production centred on the Lambro/ Vikram three-wheeler, powered by the Lambretta 2-stroke engine but also versions with diesel and electric power. SIL still produced limited spares for

290-474: A more rigid tubular frame, although the Cento (produced 1964–1965) & "J" range models (produced 1964–1970) did have a monocoque body. 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. The D models were noted for their torsion-bar rear suspension; at its peak,

348-403: A new word, "vespare", meaning to go somewhere on a Vespa. In 2024, Piaggio celebrated 140 years with limited edition of ' Vespa 140th of Piaggio,' with only 140 units available from April 18th to 21, 2024. Vespa thrived until 1992 when Giovanni Alberto Agnelli , son of Antonella Bechi Piaggio and Umberto Agnelli, became CEO. Agnelli was very successful in expanding production and modernising

406-563: A passenger, and not get its driver's clothes dirty. The engineer's drawings proved a significant departure from the Paperino. With the help of Mario D'Este he prepared the first Vespa project, manufactured at Piaggio newly-rebuilt Pontedera headquarters in April 1946. Piaggio launched the Vespa (Italian for " wasp ") and within ten years more than a million units had been produced. The Italian language gained

464-678: A plant in Foshan for the production of scooters for the Chinese market. In 2004, at the end of December, the final contract for the acquisition of the Aprilia - Moto Guzzi Group was signed. The most important European two-wheeler group is born. In 2007 Piaggio Group arrived in Vietnam . The Vinh Phuc plant includes R&D, welding and painting activities, as well as final assembly of the scooters, with warehouse, testing, quality control and office areas. In 2009

522-513: A puncture. When asked to design a motorcycle for Ferdinando Innocenti , D'Ascanio had come up with a step through scooter design but D'Ascanio and Innocenti disagreed over use of a pressed steel frame rather than tubular, so D'Ascanio took his design to Piaggio. Innocenti would ultimately use D'Ascanio's original design for their Lambretta scooter. Piaggio asked D'Ascanio to create a simple, robust and affordable vehicle. The motorcycle had to be easy to drive for both men and women, be able to carry

580-623: A state-run enterprise based in Lucknow , Uttar Pradesh , bought the entire Lambretta manufacturing and trademark rights. Former Innocenti employees were used to set up an Indian factory as all the manuals and machinery instructions were in Italian. The first scooter built was the Lambretta 150dl. This was later rebadged as the Vijay Delux/DL for the homemarket, but remained badged the Lambretta150dl or

638-872: A three-wheeler Ape for the Indian market. In 2000 Piaggio and Vespa returned to the United States with the opening of the first Vespa Boutique in Los Angeles. In that same year the Piaggio Historical Museum was inaugurated in Pontedera . The museum showcases the Piaggio Historical Archive, one of the most comprehensive company archives on the industrial history of Italy. In 2001 the Piaggio Group acquired Derbi-Nacional Motor SA, an historical Spanish brand founded in 1922 that had won 18 world titles and

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696-506: A total of 7,053 employees and produced a total of 519,700 vehicles in 2014. The manufacturer has six research-and-development centres and operates in over 50 countries. In 1882, Enrico Piaggio purchased land in Sestri Ponente ( Genoa ) to set up a timber yard. Two years later, in 1884, his 20-year-old son, Rinaldo Piaggio (1864–1938), founded Piaggio & C. The company initially built locomotives and railway carriages. In 1917, towards

754-475: A total of around 100 Lambretta models – at least one from each year between October 1947 through May 1971, plus later models from Spanish and Indian factories. It also houses a large amount of Lambretta memorabilia. This museum and collection was sold in early 2007 and re-opened on 8 August 2008 following refurbishment. In 1997 the UK-based Lambretta Clothing brand of clothing and accessories

812-415: Is an Italian motor vehicle manufacturer, which produces a range of two-wheeled motor vehicles and compact commercial vehicles under four brands: Piaggio, Vespa , Aprilia , Moto Guzzi and Derbi . Its corporate headquarters are located in Pontedera , Italy. The company was founded by Rinaldo Piaggio in 1884, initially producing locomotives and railway carriages . Piaggio Group's subsidiaries employ

870-766: The Corporate Art Award from pptArt for its Corporate Museum. 2-wheeled vehicles 3-wheeled vehicles Commercial vehicles 2-wheeled vehicles 3-wheeled vehicles Commercial vehicles All-terrain vehicles Quadricycles Aircraft engines (1920-1950) The new plug-in hybrid version of the Piaggio MP3 will be equipped with a 125 cc petrol engine and electric motor, which offers about 60 km/L (141 mpg ‑US ) and travels 21 km (13 mi) using battery power alone. This machine could be out in 2009. Piaggio/Vespa are also developing hybrid electric scooters. There are two models in

928-660: The Dolomites (a section of the Alps ) and the Austrian border areas. Aeronautical engineer General Corradino D'Ascanio , responsible for the design and construction of the first modern helicopter by Agusta , was given the job by Ferdinando Innocenti of designing a simple, robust and affordable vehicle. It had to be easy to drive for both men and women, be able to carry a passenger and not get its driver's clothes soiled. D'Ascanio, who hated motorbikes, introduced many changes to his vehicle. It

986-565: The Innocenti Mini under licence from BLMC. Innocenti was eventually sold to BLMC. Unfortunately, lack of foresight had caused BLMC to join a fashion trend that was ending rapidly. Long industrial strikes in BLMC ensued; motor-scooter sales declined sharply, and Innocenti finally closed shop in 1972. Scooter sales in many of Lambretta's export markets, such as India and Indonesia dropped precipitously as light Japanese motorcycles replaced scooters. In

1044-443: The " Paperino " (the Italian name for Donald Duck ) because of its strange shape. Ultimately Enrico Piaggio did not like it and asked Corradino D'Ascanio to redesign it. D'Ascanio, an aeronautical engineer responsible for the design and construction of the first modern helicopter by Agusta , was not naturally enthusiastic about motorcycles , judging them to be uncomfortable and bulky, with wheels that were difficult to change after

1102-498: The 1970s. These three models came with a front disc brake made by Campagnolo . The TV was the world's first production two-wheeled vehicle with a front disc brake. As the race to be the first person on the moon gathered pace, Innocenti's new model was launched, the Luna range (Luna meaning "moon", in Italian). The machines looked very advanced for their day, reverting to the open frame style of

1160-565: The Brazil's main dictionaries, as a noun/substantive. The small village of Rodano , near Milan, hosts the biggest Lambretta museum in Europe and the Innocenti archives. In the collection are also several non-Lambretta scooters, including some first models from the 1910s and US Army scooters parachuted over Normandy in 1944. In Weston-super-Mare , England, there is a Lambretta Scooter Museum which houses

1218-649: The Casalini Sulky was sold as the Willam Bretta in France, beginning in 1980. As wealth increased in western Europe in the late 1960s, the demand for motor scooters fell as the small car became affordable to more people and Lambretta sales started to decline, as did the financial status of parent company Innocenti. The British Leyland Motor Corporation took advantage of Innocenti's production and engineering expertise and in 1961 had contracted Innocenti to produce cars such as

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1276-456: The D model outsold all other two-wheeled vehicles combined. (For the latter, see Ruth Orkin's famous photograph American Girl in Italy .) The much greater success of the "closed" version confirmed that riders wanted protection from the weather and a clean-looking machine. Along with the Vespa , Lambretta was an iconic vehicle of the 1950s and 1960s when they became the adopted vehicle of choice for

1334-589: The GP/DL range of scooters, albeit sporadically. The SIL factory finally closed in 2022. As of 2010, The Lambretta Consortium has filed a suite against SIL (Scooters India Limited) for nonusage of the Lambretta Brand, seeking to claim the Lambretta brand name. There are still clubs across the world, both national and local clubs, devoted to the Lambretta scooter. The clubs still participate and organize ride outs and rallies which regularly take place during weekends over

1392-621: The Lambretta GP150 in export markets. The homemarket model was later enhanced to become the Vijay Super. Further improvements were made in the final years of production by incorporating a 12v electronic ignition with contemporary Japanese style CDI unit and an advanced front suspension. SIL also distributed complete knock downs that were assembled in different parts of India and sold as the Allwyn Pusphak , Falcon, and Kesari. These were of

1450-726: The Lambretta Li125 and sold it via their catalog under the Riverside captive import brand. The French importer of Lambretta, one Henri Willame, also started a company selling imported microcars under the catch-all "Willam" label. Many of these creations received Lambretta engines, and were sold through the French Lambretta network. Certain minicars, such as the 123 cc "Lambretta Lisa" (built by DECSA in San Marino ) were sold primarily with "Lambretta" badging. The four-wheeled version of

1508-484: The Lambretta name until about 1976 and later on changed the name to Lamby for legal reasons. They also for sometime made and sold Lambretta TV 175 series under the name of Mac 175. Scooter India Ltd acquired the entire Innocenti Unit in 1972. API also built the trademark model [API-175] three-wheeler which was based on Innocenti's Lambro. API continued to build Lambretta-derived models until the 1990s but have been non-operational since 1993. In 1972, Scooters India Ltd. (SIL)

1566-691: The Lambretta, Buyers Guide Lambretta Club of Great Britain British Lambretta Archives Lambretta Official V-Special , 2017–present Lambrate Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.151 via cp1112 cp1112, Varnish XID 390287809 Upstream caches: cp1112 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Fri, 29 Nov 2024 05:43:21 GMT Piaggio Piaggio Group (Piaggio Group [ˈpjaddʒo] )

1624-461: The Piaggio Mp3 Hybrid made its debut on the market which was first hybrid scooter in the world, integrating the conventional low-environmental-impact internal combustion engine with a zero-emission electric motor and combining the advantages of the two power trains. In Baramati (State of Maharashtra ), in 2012, the Piaggio Group's new plant for the production of Vespa's for the local market

1682-694: The UK youth-culture known as Mods . The character Jimmy from the influential scooter movie Quadrophenia rode a Lambretta Li 150 Series 3. Of the 1960s models, the TV (Turismo Veloce) , the Special (125 and 150) , the SX (Special X) and the GP (Grand Prix) are generally considered the most desirable due to their increased performance and refined look; the "matte black" fittings on the GP model are said to have influenced European car designs throughout

1740-577: The Vespa reached 10 million units produced. In 1996, on the fiftieth anniversary of the first model, Vespa passed 15 million units produced and the new 4-stroke Vespa ET, the first completely new Vespa for 18 years, was launched. Piaggio was still in poor financial health but its brand recognition remained strong, boosted by the appearance of the ET4 in several Hollywood films. In 1999, in Baramati , production began on

1798-462: The brand throughout the world. There is however no direct connection to the original Innocenti manufacturing company nor the original Lambretta scooters, other than use of the brand names. In 1922, Ferdinando Innocenti of Pescia built a steel-tubing factory in Rome. In 1931, he took the business to Milan where he built a larger factory producing seamless steel tubing and employing about 6,000. The factory

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1856-496: The company's new factory in Pontedera , culminating in the four-engine Piaggio P.108 bomber. Rinaldo died in 1938, by which time Piaggio was owned by multiple shareholders within the family, along with the entrepreneur Attilio Odero . Management of the company passed to his sons Enrico and Armando. By 1940 Piaggio was manufacturing trains, nautical fittings, aircraft engines , aeroplanes, trucks, trams, buses, funiculars and aluminium windows and doors. The Pontedera plant

1914-447: The early 2000s a number of modern plastic scooters originating in China and Taiwan started appearing on western markets with 'Lambretta' branding on them. These were nothing to do with Scooters India Ltd nor the original Lambretta scooters. As of 2017, The Lambretta Consortium has launched the "Lambretta V-Special" model. The Indian government bought the factory for essentially the same reasons that Ferdinando Innocenti had built it after

1972-419: The end of World War I , Rinaldo Piaggio turned to the military sector: The company started to produce MAS anti- submarine motorboats, aeroplanes and seaplanes under Ansaldo , Macchi , Caproni , and Dornier licenses . Later the company progressed to vehicles constructed according to Piaggio's own drawings. Between 1937 and 1939 Piaggio achieved 21 world records with its aircraft and engines built at

2030-618: The fuel cap or need for additional metal work on the smooth skin. Innocenti started production of Lambretta scooters in 1947, the year after Piaggio started production of its Vespa models. Lambrettas were manufactured under licence in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, India and Spain, sometimes under other names, but always to a recognizable design, e.g. Siambretta in South America and Serveta in Spain. American retailer Montgomery Ward imported

2088-687: The latter under the name Vikram for the domestic market. Lambretta scooters were also manufactured under licence by Fenwick in France, NSU in Germany, Serveta in Spain, API in India, Yulon in Taiwan, Pasco in Brazil, Auteco in Colombia and Siambretta in Argentina. Innocenti S.A. (also known as Lambretta Consortium ) based in Lugano, Switzerland is the owner of the international trademark Lambretta and has licensed

2146-429: The market the following year, the 1947 Lambretta featured a rear pillion seat for a passenger or optionally a storage compartment. The original front protection "shield" was a flat piece of aero metal; later this developed into a twin skin to allow additional storage behind the front shield, similar to the glove compartment in a car. The fuel cap was underneath the hinged seat, which saved the cost of an additional lock on

2204-586: The motorcycle company Gilera , one of the oldest European motorcycle manufacturers (founded in 1909), famous for its sporting achievements and world titles in the Motorcycle World Championship . In 1971 a steering wheel was added to the Piaggio Ape , a model first produced in 1948, culminating in the Ape Car. Four years later, in 1975, the company made the first prototype of an electric Ape. In 1988

2262-586: The motorcycle world. To boost performance some owners have fitted aftermarket cylinders and crankshafts that increase the swept volume to as much as 333 cc. Common modifications include a Nikasil plated aluminium barrel with radical porting, large Dell'Orto or Mikuni carburettors and bespoke expansion chambers . Hydraulic disc brakes in the front are becoming common on the more highly tuned machines, as are hydraulic clutches and rear brakes. Modern low-profile tyres greatly improve handling, as do uprated front and rear suspension units. Sources : Den of

2320-836: The much admired "D" types, and although sales were slow to start with, racing success from grass-tracking to circuit-racing soon made them a sales success. Designed by Bertone Innocenti wanted a small frame and engine Lambretta that could be sold alongside the larger models. The frame had a tubular-steel front end, with bolt-on leg shields, and a monocoque pressed-steel rear frame. Lambrettas have attracted an eclectic following of "revival" Mods, collectors, scooterists , cutdown enthusiasts, and even racers. Lambrettas can be converted to fun and relatively fast machines with little (but relatively expensive) modification. Many owners customize these scooters with elaborate aftermarket products and paintwork and attend well-organised scooter rallies . The Lambretta has benefitted from advances in technology from

2378-465: The new chairman of Piaggio, and Rocco Sabelli the managing director. Sabelli redesigned the production line according to Japanese principles so that every Piaggio scooter could be made on any assembly line. Contrary to expectations, Colaninno did not sack a single worker; a move which helped seduce the company's skeptical unions. "Everyone in a company is part of the value chain," said Colaninno. All bonuses for blue-collar workers and management were based on

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2436-426: The offer. He died unexpectedly of cancer in 1997, aged 33. In 1999 Morgan Grenfell Private Equity acquired Piaggio, but hopes for a quick sale were dashed by a failed joint venture in China. In Italy, Piaggio invested 15 million euros in a new motorcycle but dropped it after building a prototype. By the end of 2002, the company had run up 577 million Euros in debt on revenues of 945 million Euros, and booked

2494-471: The owners of car maker Fiat SpA . By 1960 Vespa had produced and sold 4 million units worldwide. In 1964 the aeronautical and motorcycle divisions of Piaggio split to become two independent companies as a result of the wide ownership by Fiat in Italian industry. The aeronautical division was named IAM Rinaldo Piaggio. The aircraft company Piaggio Aero was controlled by the family of Piero Ferrari, who still hold 10% of Ferrari . In 1969 Piaggio purchased

2552-752: The reconstruction and enhancement of the company's heritage and is composed by three initiatives: the Piaggio Foundation, the Historical Archives and the Piaggio Museum. In 2003 the Museum and Archives were recognised as the Best Corporate Museum and Archive by winning the Italian prize "Premio Impresa e Cultura". In 2016, under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Culture , Piaggio received

2610-566: The road better. One of Piaggio's problems Colaninno couldn't fix from the inside was its scale. Even though Piaggio was the European market leader, it was dwarfed by rivals Honda and Yamaha . A year after restoring Piaggio's health, Colaninno directed Piaggio's takeover of the Italian scooter and motorcycle manufacturer Aprilia , and with it the Aprilia-owned Moto Guzzi , a storied Italian manufacturer of motorcycles. In 2006, Piaggio

2668-424: The same criteria: profit margins and customer satisfaction. Air conditioning was installed in the factory for the first time, increasing productivity. He also gave the company's engineers, who had been idled by the company's financial crisis, deadlines for projects. They rolled out two world firsts in 2004: a gas-electric hybrid scooter and a sophisticated tilting scooter with two wheels in front and one in back to grip

2726-481: The spar-framed Vespa from 1946 on. The final design of the Lambretta was done by aeronautical engineers Cesare Pallavicino and Pier Luigi Torre . Pallavicino had been Technical Director at the Caproni airplane factory during World War II before working on the Lambretta design. Torre was an engine designer at Italo Balbo 's Idros; he designed the engine and organized Innocenti's factory for mass production. Arriving on

2784-477: The standard motorcycle chain, a source of oil and dirt. This basic design allowed a series of features to be deployed on the frame which would later allow quick development of new models. However, D'Ascanio fell out with Innocenti, who rather than a stamped spar frame wanted to produce his frame from rolled tubing, allowing him to revive both parts of his pre-war company. D'Ascanio disassociated himself from Innocenti and took his design to Enrico Piaggio who produced

2842-465: The summer months and have high attendance, some rallies achieve 2,500 paying rally goers. Across the UK there are many privately owned scooter shops which deal with everything Lambretta, from sales, services, parts, tuning, performance and complete nut and bolt restorations. In Portuguese, "lambreta" is used as a synonym for "scooter", being listed at the Novo Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa , one of

2900-466: The war. India was a country with poor infrastructure, economically not ready for small private cars yet with a demand for private transport. Automobile Products of India (API) began assembling Innocenti-built Lambretta scooters in India after independence in the 1950s beginning with 48 cc, Ld model, Li 1st series. They eventually acquired a licence to build the Li150 Series 2 model, which was sold under

2958-466: The works, based on the popular Vespa LX 50 and the beefier Piaggio X8 125. At the Beijing Motor Show 2021, Piaggio unveiled the brand new electric scooter Piaggio 1 . This model was produced in three versione: 1 base, 1+ and 1 Active. The 1 base has a 1.4 kWh and 48V battery, a 1.2 kW engine, a torque of 85 Nm, a maximum speed of 45 km/h (it is therefore approved as a moped) and

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3016-402: Was a continental leader in the small displacement motorbike segment. In the same year Gilera returned to the Motorcycle World Championship and immediately won the world title in the 125 category with Manuel Poggiali. In April 2004 Piaggio and Chinese manufacturer Zongshen signed a memorandum of understanding for the creation of the “Zongshen Piaggio Foshan Motorcycle” joint venture with

3074-480: Was built on a spar frame with a handlebar gear change and the engine mounted directly onto the rear wheel. The front protection "shield" kept the rider dry and clean in comparison to the open front end on motorcycles. The pass-through leg area design was geared towards women, as wearing dresses or skirts made riding conventional motorcycles a challenge. The front fork, like an aircraft's landing gear, allowed for easy wheel changing. The internal mesh transmission eliminated

3132-509: Was destroyed by Allied bombing and production activities were relocated to the Biella area. After the war, Enrico Piaggio decided to diversify the company's activities outside the aeronautical industry to address a perceived need for a modern, affordable mode of transport for the Italian mass market. The first attempt, based on a small motorcycle made for parachutists , was known as the MP5 and nicknamed

3190-527: Was floated on the Milan Stock Exchange , becoming a public company. In 1956, with production of the millionth Vespa scooter, Italy had its first mass-produced motorised vehicle. Taking advantage of increased cash flow thanks to the success of the Vespa, Piaggio developed other products, including the 1957 Vespa 400 , a compact passenger car. In 1959 Piaggio came under the control of the Agnelli family ,

3248-415: Was founded. The company is currently part of Lambretta Consortium. Lambrettas had three or four gears and two-stroke engines with capacities ranging from 49 cc to 198 cc. Most two-stroke engines require a mixture of oil with the gasoline in order to lubricate the piston and cylinder . Unlike the Vespa, which was built with a unibody chassis pressed from sheets of steel, Lambrettas featured

3306-540: Was heavily bombed and destroyed during World War II . The main stimulus for the design style of the Lambretta and Vespa dates back to pre-World War II Cushman scooters made in Nebraska , United States. These olive green scooters were in Italy in large numbers, ordered originally by the United States military as field transport for the paratroops and marines . The United States military had used them to get around German defence tactics of destroying roads and bridges in

3364-649: Was opened. In 2013 the PADC, Piaggio Advanced Design Center opened in Pasadena (California, United States). The Vespa 946 was also launched this year, along with the new Vespa Primavera, the latest evolution of the "small body" family. In 2013 Vespa's worldwide sales numbered almost 190,000 units; in 2004 the figure stood at 58,000. In ten years of continuous progression over 1.3 million new Vespas have been produced. Since 1946 over 18 million Vespas have been produced and sold. In September 2017 Foton and Piaggio agreed to form

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