・Converted to a fully functional bar

・Unusual appearance makes it instantly recognisable

・Ideal for all events, from weddings to music festivals and scooter rallies

・A certain crowd-puller in the current wave of retro nostalgia

Lambretta, to most people, means scooters, typically lined up outside an Italian café or being ridden along the coast by young Mods in crisp tailoring. Not many know that the Lambretta had a harder-working brother, the Lambro, Innocenti’s answer to the more familiar Piaggio Ape. Innocenti first started marketing scooter-derived commercials in 1949 with the Lambretta FB 125, which was essentially a scooter with two front wheels and a platform carrying a cargo trunk. Over the following decade, Innocenti’s commercials gradually evolved from their extremely Spartan origins to something marginally more sophisticated, changing to a single-front-wheel, double-rear-wheel layout and acquiring some bodywork, which amounted to an enclosed cab with a bench to seat two or three people.

The Lambro was updated regularly and the 450 model was only produced for a short time, from October 1965 to April 1966. Total production of 9541 makes it a very rare vehicle today, especially outside the continental mainland.

Equipped with a 175cc single-cylinder engine giving it a top speed of 38mph and only available in grey or green, the 450 was never intended to be anything other than a convenient, utilitarian machine for local transport, and to that end it served thousands of Italians very well. With fuel economy quoted at 47mpg, one can understand why it was a godsend to economy-minded Italian tradesmen.

The early history of this vehicle is not known, but it was imported from Italy a few years ago and a mobile bar was constructed within the confines of the original pick-up body. Although it has been repainted at some point, it has clearly never been restored.

There is no paperwork with this vehicle besides the import documents. The seller has not applied for a registration from the DVLA, so that will be a quick job for the buyer if they wish to use the Lambro on the road.

The Lambro is in highly presentable condition. The current coat of paint appears to be recent and in very good condition, and the body and underside appear very solid and sound in all respects. The pick-up sides sport some patina in the form of a few dings and dents, which testify that the Lambro has worked for a living and add character to its appearance.

Inside, the interior is very original, with some light patina in evidence across all the various fittings.

The bar itself has seen little use and all the woodwork remains in excellent condition. The seller advises that some small cracks in the metal frame on the nearside will require some welding, but that should be a straightforward task.

The Lambro has a 175cc single-cylinder, two-stroke engine with a Dell’Orto carburettor. The seller advises that it needs some light recommissioning but has heard it running well. Although we have not seen it run, all of the correct components appear to be present and correct. However, as it has been in storage for some time and transported around in a van when taken to festivals etc, if you wanted to drive the Lambro you would need to recommission it.

The seller has also advised that the bar is full functional, having been built only a few years ago by professionals in their field. The seller is a full qualified electrician and has kept this part of the vehicle in fine fettle.

Now that Citroën H-type vans have been adopted as the basis for almost every retro snack van and mobile bar, the canny trader will have to look for something else if they want to stand out, and what could stand out more than the Lambro? Most people in Britain will never have seen one before, and its eccentric nature and cutesy appearance is sure to attract the attention of passers-by.

With the current world situation as it is, outdoor drinking looks like it will be the vogue for some time to come, and with thousands of people eager to return to their old social lives and visit events and festivals, now has to be a good time to enter the outdoor-catering trade. The Lambro promises to make for a fun, memorable and popular addition to the business.

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