Lambretta

Lambretta
IndustryScooter
Founded1947; 77 years ago (1947)
Defunct1972–2017
FateResurrected via Innocenti S.A. Lugano, Switzerland, 2017
HeadquartersMilan, Italy
Key people
Ferdinando Innocenti
ProductsLambretta, Lambro, Serveta and Siambretta
ParentInnocenti
SubsidiariesLambretta Licensing Ltd. and Lambretta GmbH
Websitelambretta.com

Lambretta (Italian pronunciation: [lamˈbretta]) is a brand of motor scooters, manufactured in Milan, Italy, by Innocenti.

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.[1][2]

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, 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 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.

  1. ^ Motor Cycle 17 November 1966 p.517 On the Four Winds by Nitor. Accessed 18 July 2015
  2. ^ Scootermania: A Celebration of Style and Speed Sims, Josh at Google Books. Retrieved 18 July 2015