Five best Lambrettas

When it comes to stylish, traditional scooters Lambretta comes second only to Italian compatriot Vespa. Launched in 1947 hot on the heels of the original Vespa of the previous year and initially made in Milan by Innocenti, Lambrettas likewise became hugely popular in the 50s and 60s. Like Vespa it became a Mod-affiliated style icon, and its range grew into a family of machines ranging from 125 to 200cc across a variety of styles.
But where the Vespa was characterised by its pressed steel chassis and more bulbous styling, Lambretta hallmarks were a tubular steel backbone frame and sleeker, more straight-edged styling. While Vespa went from strength to strength, Lambretta production ceased in 1972. The name was revived on a series of short-lived Chinese-built machines in the early 2000s while, from 2017, a new Lambretta Consortium launched the new V Special range of scooters, with other models set to follow. So, what are the best Lambrettas currently available? What do they have and what are they like? Here we pick five of the best…

While classic Lambrettas from the 1960s and ‘70s retain a large following we’re concerning ourselves only with new Lambrettas you can buy today here and, in truth, until very recently there was very little choice. From 2017, however, a new Lambretta Consortium launched a new family of Chinese-built but Italian styled bikes called the V Special. All use the same chassis with modern four-stroke engines, uprated suspension, brakes and clocks yet classically inspired styling. The smallest is the V50, an air-cooled 50cc version capable of 30mph for AM licence compliance which allows 16-year-olds to ride. It comes in six different colours, has a ‘twist and go’ automatic transmission, with prices starting at just over £3,000

Next up in revived Lambretta’s current range is the V125 Special, which is essentially identical to the 50cc V50 (and the 200cc V200) but with a larger 124.7cc air-cooled, single-cylinder four-stroke which is again Euro5 compliant and, in producing slightly more power, is capable of approaching 70mph. As a 125, riders have to be 17+ and on an A1 class licence. Along with its alloy wheels, disc brakes front and rear and LED lights one neat feature of all the current V Special Lambrettas are side panels which are interchangeable and available in a range of colours and designs allowing personal customisation. The V 125 currently starts at £3,299.

The third, largest and flagship member of the Lambretta V Special family is the V 200. As you might expect from the other variants, the V 200 is pretty much the same as the other V Special models, while named to evoke memories of the classic 1970s GP200 model and powered by a 169cc version of the air-cooled, single-cylinder four-stroke for even more performance. Wheels are 12-inchers as before. There are disc brakes front and rear, too. The dash is a digital LCD display with customisable background colours and, again as before, front suspension is by conventional telescopic forks with a monoshock at the rear. The 200 version’s prices start at £3,899.

Although the V Special series forms the bulk of Lambretta’s current range that won’t be the case for very long with not one, but two additional models arriving soon. And although we can’t claim to have yet ridden either we would be remiss not to include them here. The first is the all-new X300, a larger scooter with more modern styling, a semi-monocoque chassis, double linkage front suspension with monoshock rear, twin disc brakes and modern features such as keyless ignition. Due in mid-2024 its price has yet to be announced.

The second new Lambretta we’re looking forward to is the G350, which promises to be the brand’s largest and most premium offering so far. With styling inspired by classic Lambrettas of the past, it’s a maxi-scooter with a 350cc single-cylinder engine, steel monocoque frame similar to that of the X300, interchangeable side panels like the V Series for individualisation and high spec features such as double linkage front suspension, dual channel ABS, and a slick TFT dash. Like the X300 its price has yet to be announced.