Mention the word scooter to a UK person of a certain age and they get misty eyed.  The Lambretta scooter was the transport of choice of many a young man back in the early to mid 1960s.  This was at the peak of the Mods vs Rockers era.  The Mods listened to soul records, dressed in smart suits and drove scooters covered in mirrors.  This was so they could check on their perfectly groomed hair.  The rockers, on the other hand, rode motorbikes, listened to rock’n'roll and wore leathers or denim.  Some of them were in Hell’s Angel chapters.  Unfortunately these two groups would often clash.  Vacations became the normal time when Mods and Rockers invaded beach cities, regularly taking part in punch-ups on the beach.

Any Mod worth his salt would be the owner of a motor scooter. He would shine the mirrors and look after it as if he’d given birth to it.  Often this would be a Vespa model.  It was sort of respectable to own one of these but they were never as fashionable as the Lambretta scooter.  This period of youth culture was superbly caught in the film, Quadrophenia, starring Sting and based totally on the tracks of The Who.  There was a Mod resurgence in the 1990s with bands like Oasis and Blur wearing the old Parka coats of old and Noel Gallagher was photographed astride a Lambretta.  Suddenly, every fan wanted one.

There are Owners Clubs all over the world but the Brit one still has the highest number of members and holds many events.  The scooters are kept in spotless condition and are thought to be classics.  The first Lambretta scooter started life in Italy of course, the first model being made in 1947.  It was preferred immediately and solved the state’s transport problem at a point in time when they were recovering from WWII.  Italy is still the land of the scooter, seen in numerous films including the iconic image of a young Audrey Hepburn riding one in Roman vacation.  The last Lambretta scooter made in Italy was in 1972.  Models were made in other bits of the world, including India, which made the final range as late as 1998.

Some autos become part of the culture, particularly those related to young people.  The Lambretta scooter was an affordable way of youths finding their independence but belonging to a shared identity.  We won’t see its likeness again.

For further articles on scooters and whatever click on the Bikes Cars & Boats website.