In the quest to build a budget model, Innocenti created several cheaper scooters. But for some reason, they never gained full acceptance in the UK. Stu Owen reports…
No one can deny the impact the Lambretta had at home and abroad, helping mobilise people around the globe. While Italy revelled in Lambretta’s splendours, the UK wasn’t far behind, so much that a third of all production ended up here. It didn’t matter what model Innocenti produced, once they’d been imported, shops sold them in huge quantities. No one expected it to happen as it did, not even Innocenti, who at times were unable to cope with demand in the UK market. However, there was one aspect of the Lambretta that struggled here, not once, but several times. These were the budget models, the cheaper versions that were built to compete against their rivals.
For Innocenti, the concept began with the Models E and F, both of which were built using cheaper materials to drive down build costs. The problem was that reliability issues followed and began to damage the brand, which was one of the reasons they only survived for a short while. Innocenti soon realised this and vowed not to go down this route again, certainly not by cutting corners on build quality. At the time, Lambretta Concessionaires in the UK were making great strides with the D and LD models and decided not to import the E and F in fear of damaging the reputation of the Lambretta. However, they did venture into the budget end of the market in 1956, when they began importing Lambrettino. This was a small capacity, large-wheel moped designed to take on the increasing threat from many other European manufacturers such as NSU and Zundapp.
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Despite advertising it at a low price of just £71 and offering excellent fuel consumption, it struggled to sell in great numbers. It quickly fell into obscurity as dealers were not keen on stocking it, no matter how well it was advertised. Luckily, its failure in the UK didn’t affect things too much as by this time, the Lambretta was becoming such a dominant force, and the company soon swallowed up the losses made by it. It still begged the question: what if Innocenti produced another budget model? Would Lambretta Concessionaires stock it? The answer to that came in 1964 when the J Range was introduced.
This was the next budget model choice, and there was considerable optimism it would succeed in the UK. It was launched to great fanfare with a big marketing campaign throughout the motorcycle press and hailed as the way forward. The problem was it didn’t have a specific target to aim at. The reason for its introduction was to tackle the threat of the smallframe Vespa and the introduction of Japanese mopeds. Both struggled to impact the UK market anyway, so whether the J Range was even needed was questioned. What was even more strange was the turnaround from the management, as the year before, they had pushed Innocenti into producing the 200cc Lambretta, which was essential so the Lambretta brand could move forward with the times. Stating that the 70mph TV200 was the scooter of the motorway age but, less than 12 months later, promoting the Cento with its much lower top speed and performance.
It sent a confusing signal to customers, complicating what the Lambretta stood for, but one thing was for sure: once again the budget models failed to attract attention. The failure of the J Range to appeal to the UK Lambretta buying public was due to its flimsy build and lack of performance compared with any of the traditional models. Even the management at Lambretta concessionaires agreed with this statement and ditched them before long. The last attempt at a budget model came with the Vega in 1968, and this proved to be the final nail in the coffin for this concept. It may have had striking modern looks and appeal but still had cheaper build and performance traits.
The sales team at Lambretta Concessionaires knew they had a battle on their hands from day one. The idea had failed in the past during the golden days of Lambretta ownership and sales, so how could it succeed when scooters, in general, were losing their popularity? They tried everything to push it, including a promotion where, for a short while, it was available for under £100 while the top model was more than double that. Nothing could be done to help persuade the public and with the introduction of the Grand Prix a few months later, its future in the UK was destined to be over. It wasn’t for the lack of trying, but why did the budget model idea fail here?
There were several reasons why, but first, it must be examined why they were made available in the first place. The success of Lambretta Concessionaires was a unique story of a clever business strategy that saw the Lambretta appeal to everyone and made it the most popular two-wheeled vehicle in a very competitive market. While that meant they got special preference from Innocenti, they also had to stock every model they produced. Therefore, they couldn’t turn down the budget models as they were obliged to stock them. Speaking to those involved at the time of the J Range and Vega being introduced, none of them wanted it, but Innocenti pressured them to do so to make sure they got preference for the more popular models. In reality, their success forced them into it.
The big problem, though, was with the public, who, after all, are the ones who make or break the sales of any commodity. The Lambretta was such a well-built and great-performing scooter that when something lesser came along, they didn’t want it. Not just once but time and time again, proving that when something is that good, don’t try to offer a cheaper alternative. It may seem like it was budgeting for success, but as history has proved, it was failure instead.
Article originally appeared in Scootering Magazine February 2025 issue. To subscribe and grab some Meguiars cleaning freebies visit https://classicmagazines.co.uk/scootering?offer=SCOME2026
