First appearing as a brand name in 1947, the iconic Lambretta scooter was manufactured by the famous Italian scaffolding company, Innocenti, after the Italian government announced it was to provide grants to any company who could “mobilise Italy”. 

Innocenti used their scaffolding experience to build a scooter with a “spine” in direct competition with their main competitors, Piaggio, who used a monocoque construction to build the Vespa scooter. 

By the start of the 1960’s, the Lambretta scooter had already established itself as the market leading manufacturer into the UK (although the Vespa was the clear winner in its home territory). 

It had evolved from being a utilitarian open frame model with the Model A of 1947 to the ultra modern Series III range which was a very elegantly styled full enclosed machine with aesthetically pleasing angled panel work reminiscent of the luxury cars of the period. 

The DL (or GP in the UK Market) was the final incarnation of the Series III shape, first entering production in 1969 and seeing out the eventual close of the Innocenti plant in 1971. By this time, Innocenti was owned by the British car manufacturer BMC and was producing versions of the Austin/Morris Mini for the Italian Market and the writing appeared to be on the wall as they were in dire financial trouble due to mismanagement following the death of the founder of the company, Fernando Innocenti. 

For the DL, Innocenti knew they had to take it up a notch with their styling to make it usable for the future and they requested the help of the Bertone style house to pen upgrades to the now dated Series III design. The Lambretta was given a more angular look with a rectangular headlight, smooth side panels with a plastic grille and lost its chrome and polished alloy parts for black plastic or painted aluminium. They were also painted in bold pastel colours such as Turquoise, Ochre, Red and White which was more suited to the new decade. 

Prior to the vendor's ownership, this Lambretta was imported to the UK from Italy and underwent an extensive restoration after importation.

The current owner, who is a serial Lambretta owner, then purchased the machine in September 2021.

Since he has owned the DL, he has only covered around 50 miles, although now due to lack of use he has decided it is now time for the vehicle to move on to another owner to enjoy.

The paperwork included is a dating certificate from Lambretta Great Britain which was used at the time of registration, the V5C document and a list written by the restorer of the specification of the machine. Although it doesn't need one, the vendor has put an MOT on the bike, which expires in August 2022 it also comes with a set of spare keys. 

Having had a restoration very recently, the overall condition of the bodywork of this machine is utterly stunning and the DL looks resplendent sat in the original Innocenti shade of Turquoise which really does inspire you to reminisce about the late 60's / early 70's. 

The Dl sports an original Giuliari coffin style seat frame and has been fitted with a new Casa cover which looks really fantastic and makes it look relatively original. 

Having had a fresh restoration, all of the rubbers have been renewed with fresh parts from well known suppliers such as Casa and Scootopia and many parts of brightwork have been replaced if the originals were un-saveable. All three locks have also been replaced.

The front end has been uprated with a set of shock absorbers (which it would not have had from new and only appeared on the 175 and 200 model Lambrettas from the factory) and the headlight sports a smart looking grille which gives it a 70's racing look. 

A quick prod of the starter lever and this fantastic Lambretta roars into life, returning to a steady idle within seconds. A testament to the workmanship that has gone into it to present as it does today. 

The original small-block DL engine casing itself has been vapour blasted and repaired as necessary and the engine has been built with top quality components to make it far more reliable and user friendly on modern roads. 

The engine spec is as follows:
 

All of the cables have been renewed for easy operation and the bikes seems to pull up well on both brakes, which have again been reconditioned. 

Included in the sale is a compilation of photos highlighting how meticulous the restoration has been on this Italian classic. 

Perfect for the serious Lambretta collector or someone looking for your first opportunity to enter the Lambretta world, you can’t get much better than a DL with a tuned engine for its sheer versatility and those incredible Bertone looks.  

With dedicated scooter events up and down the country and a huge amount of resource available both in terms of knowledge available and spare parts, you could win yourself the opportunity to become a true enthusiast with a machine to be proud of and a whole new scooter life ahead of you!