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 a young man back in the early to mid 1960s. This was at the peak of the Mods versus Rockers age. 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 2 groups would often clash. Vacations became the conventional time when Mods and Rockers attacked seaside towns, frequently joining in punch-ups on the beach.
Any Mod worth his salt would own a motor scooter. He would polish the mirrors and look after it as if he’d given birth to it. Infrequently this would be a Vespa model. It was fairly respectable to own one of these but they were never as trendy as the Lambretta scooter. This chapter of youth culture was superbly caught in the film, Quadrophenia, starring Sting and based mostly on the tracks of The Who. There was a Mod revival in the 1990s with bands like Oasis and Blur wearing the old fur hooded parka’s and Noel Gallagher was snapped astride a Lambretta. All of a sudden, each fan wanted one.
There are Owners Clubs all around the planet but the English one still has the highest number of members and holds a number of rallies. The scooters are kept in spotless condition and are regarded as classics. The first Lambretta scooter started life in Italy of course, the first model being manufactured in 1947. It was preferred right away and solved the state’s transport problem at a time when they were recovering from World War Two. 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 parts of the world, including India, which made the very last range as recently as 1998.
Some autos become part of the culture, especially those associated with young folk. The Lambretta scooter was an affordable way of teens finding their autonomy but belonging to a shared identity. We will not see its likeness again.
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