Lambretta
Lambretta (Italian pronunciation: [lamĖbretta]) is the brand name of mainly motor scooters, initially manufactured in Milan, Italy, by Innocenti.
1966 Lambretta Li 125 Special | |
| Industry | Scooter |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1947 |
| Defunct | 1972-2017 |
| Fate | Resurrected via Innocenti S.A. Lugano, Switzerland, 2017 |
| Headquarters | Milan, Italy |
Key people | Ferdinando Innocenti |
| Products | Lambretta, Lambro, Serveta and Siambretta |
| Parent | Innocenti |
| Subsidiaries | Lambretta Licensing Ltd. and Lambretta GmbH |
| Website | lambretta |
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.
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.