Forget the royal wedding, the good news today is there's a new Lambretta is back in production! It's due to go on sale in 2011, and it's being made in Italy.
This new model (designated the LN) is very much a 21st century machine, with a modern twin valve, single cylinder, air cooled engine (in either 125 or 150cc incarnations). My sources don't say, but I expect due to European emission regulations it will be a four stroke rather than the 2-stroke engine the original Lambretta's were famous for. And while the mechanical are all very up to date, there is a definite retro feel about the styling… picking up cues from Lambretta's "golden age" of the 1960's when the produced such iconic machines as the SX200.
So, so I like it? Well, yes, kind of. Although I like some of the lines, parts of it look a bit "clunky". The area around the headlights and horncasting just look bulky and ugly to me. Perhaps they'll grow on me… and I'd have to see one in the flesh before I completely made my mind up. And there are some other cons for me… it looks kind of, well, plasticky. Classic Lambretta's were made to last. Of steel.
On the plus side, less steel means less weight. I haven't seen any specs yet, but I have little doubt it will weigh in at about half the weight of an original LI 150, with better performance, handling and fuel consumption. And there are modern refinements such as electric start, and even indicators.
Would I buy one? Probably not. I'll stick to my fifty year old Series II, while I save my pennies for a Morgan ThreeWheeler. But there's a lot of new, retro styled scooters out there at the moment, and none of them (other than Vespa of course), have the cachet of the iconic Lambretta brand name. I hope they sell a ton of them.
Get the full story (in Italian) over at Motoblog.it. Thanks to Modculture for the heads up.
Oh, and I'd appreciate, and be interested in your comments… what do YOU think of the new Lambretta?
No comments:
Post a Comment