Lambretta Moto Leggere

Very few designs of manufactured items are plucked from thin air; there are always precedents throughout history, and so all Ideas are influenced by these preceding events.

In the case of the charming Lambretta Moto, it would seem that there were two linked factors in its genesis - one was the disastrous effect of the fighting through Italy during the latter stages of the Second World War that ruined much of that country 's infrastructure and manufacturing capacity ; the other was that the war presaged the American army advancing through Italy with their modern equipment , including (among many other items) the Cushman mini-motorbike and its postwar civilian counterpart , the Model 32/50 . The Cushman shared many similarities with the new Lambretta , including the upright two-stroke single cylinder engine permanently fixed to the frame , a very squared-off shape , distinctive cow horn handlebars and tiny wheels .

Following the war, Italy was in dire need of cheap transport for the masses other than the humble push bike ; cars were far too expensive for the general population and, from the ashes of Italy's war-torn economy, rose both Piaggio's Vespa 98 and (a year later) the Lambretta 125M . The former was a natural progression from Piaggio's aeronautical heritage and the latter