Scooter heaven – Vespa, Lambretta and Schwalbe

The Vespa from Piaggio is the epitome of a scooter. There are numerous alternatives, niche products and serious competitors. Lambretta and Schwalbe are two such models that have no reason to fear the Vespa.

Piaggio Vespa – The Top Dog

The foundation stone for the success story of what is probably the most popular of all motor scooters was laid on 23 April 1953, when the name ‘Vespa’ was registered for patent. At Enrico Piaggio’s request, Italian inventor and engineer Corradino D’Ascanio had been working on the design of a modern motor scooter that would later make history as the Vespa.

As D’Ascanio had previously been involved in the design of fighter planes, he approached the task with an open mind and no prior knowledge of civil mobility. Starting with the idea of a seated person, he arranged the technical components of the scooter around them. There were a number of design constraints, some imposed by Enrico Piaggio, others due to the post-war shortage of materials. Among other things, the existing production space at the former Piaggio factory airfield in Pontedera had to be used optimally, and the vehicle also had to be able to travel comfortably on damaged roads.

To protect the driver and passengers from dirt, the engine was completely enclosed. With the Vespa, Piaggio wanted to fulfil the Italians’ desire for affordable, attractive and reliable mobility – an intention that was achieved with flying colours.

The development of the Vespa

In 1946, the first Vespa, nicknamed ‘Paperino’ (Duckling), was released and quickly became a bestseller. Piaggio’s concept of a simple, economical and easy-to-ride motor scooter was a success: with only 3.2 hp and a top speed of 60 km/h, the Vespa 98 enjoyed great popularity. In 1953, the Vespa 125 was launched with 5 hp and a top speed of 75 km/h. In addition to the technology, the appearance was also slightly revised; for example, the headlight was now mounted on the handlebars.

Two years later, the Vespa was redesigned again, with changes including a four-speed gearbox, a long double seat, increased maximum speed and a 150 cc engine. Sales in Germany began in the early 1950s, while the Vespa had already been available in Switzerland since 1947.

By 1965, Piaggio had sold over three million Vespas, but in the following years, sales figures in Europe slowly declined. This can be explained by the increasing popularity of the car, which was becoming more affordable and thus overtaking scooters and motorcycles as the preferred means of transport.

However, the Vespa’s triumphant advance was far from over, as the scooter was manufactured under licence for the respective markets in numerous countries around the world. Among others, there are Vespas from India, France, Germany, England, Pakistan and Iran. In the USSR, too, an almost identical copy of the Vespa called the ‘Vyatka’ was manufactured without licences or authorisation.

To this day, the Vespa remains an integral part of the street scene. Numerous different versions have been offered over the decades, but one thing has always remained unchanged: the design. There have certainly been major and minor facelifts, and details have been adapted and improved, but the essence has always remained the same.

Together with D’Ascanio, Piaggio created a timeless work of art that, even after more than 80 years, still reflects the spirit of the times and has lost none of its charm. You would have to search hard to find anything comparable in the automotive industry – apart from Morgan roadsters. Even though the Vespa has managed – similar to the respective major brands of tissues and adhesive tape – to establish its name as almost synonymous with the entire scooter genre, there are enough alternatives that also boast a loyal customer base.

Innocenti Lambretta – The Competitor

The history of the Lambretta began in 1947 thanks to Ferdinando Innocenti. He founded the steel processing company in Lambrate near Milan in 1931. Civilian steel production came to an end during the Second World War, and after the war it was necessary to reorient the business, not least because the company’s own facilities had been damaged or completely destroyed during the war. Like many manufacturers of his time, Innocenti recognised the need for affordable mobility for the masses. A small, versatile motor scooter promised to be the solution, and it was not until 1960 that Innocenti turned his attention to car manufacturing.

‘It’s 8:30 p.m., it’s Lambretta time!’ With this slogan, Innocenti advertised the new Italian scooters on both Italian radio stations throughout 1947. The name was obviously based on its origin in the town of Lambrate, which was named after the Lambro River.

The story of a product’s success or failure is always closely linked to the competitive situation on the market. In most cases, there are clear winners and losers, but when it comes to scooters, the success of one does not necessarily mean the failure of the other. Perhaps the demand in Italy was simply large enough for two manufacturers, but it is certain that both Piaggio with the Vespa and Innocenti with the Lambretta succeeded in attracting a loyal customer base. Both started out with a 2-stroke engine with one cylinder, which ran on a petrol-oil mixture and was equipped with a 3-speed gearbox. The displacement was available from 49 to 198 cm3.

In terms of detail and interpretation, however, the two were quite different. It is not only die-hard Lambretta fans who claim that the Innocenti Lambretta has more balanced handling than the Vespa thanks to its centrally located engine. In central and southern Italy, the Vespa was ahead of its competitor in terms of registration numbers, while in the posh northern Italian cities, the Lambretta, which was sometimes a little more chrome-heavy and elegant in appearance, was more prevalent.

The Lambretta as a global scooter project

The Lambretta’s success began right from the start in 1947 and was not limited to Italy. The scooters were manufactured under licence worldwide, including by NSU in Germany, Serveta in Spain, API in India and Siambretta in Argentina. Even when affordable entry-level cars such as the Fiat 500 and 600 became available, the Lambretta remained successful.

However, the crisis facing motorcycle and scooter manufacturers in the early 1970s took its toll on Innocenti. So much so that production was discontinued in 1971. However, the end of Italian production did not mean the end of the Lambretta. At the time, India was in a similar situation to Italy after the Second World War in terms of the need for affordable mobility for the population. And so, in 1972, Scooter India Ltd bought the production machines and continued to manufacture Lambrettas based on the DL model until the end of the 1990s.

Simson Schwalbe – The socialist counter-model

What the Vespa or Lambretta is to Italians, the Schwalbe was to the citizens of the GDR. To this day, there are still quite a few who see the superiority of socialism manifested in this moped and its related models, the Spatz, Star, Sperber and Habicht. At the very least, there are clearly more two-wheelers from the bird series on the roads today than cars produced in East Germany.

From 1964 to 1986, more than a million Schwalbes were manufactured in Suhl. The official model designation is KR51, with the 1968 and 1979 revisions documented by the additions /1 and /2.

The first scooters had a fan-cooled engine with a displacement of 49.6 cm³, which produced 3.4 hp. Initially, there was only a 3-speed manual transmission, but from 1965 onwards, the Schwalbe could also be ordered with a foot-operated transmission. Over time, the external changes were minimal. Connoisseurs will be able to identify the series based on the subtle visual details. More significant are the technical revisions to the engine.

Even though the power output changed slightly to 3.6 hp in the first model update in 1968, this resulted in a significant improvement in handling. In particular, elasticity was improved and noise levels were significantly reduced thanks to a better exhaust and intake system. The second upgrade in 1980 brought further improvements: this engine was now more economical and more elastic, and a four-speed gearbox was also available. With the engine now air-cooled, the peak power of 3.7 hp could now be achieved at lower revs.

But the Schwalbe is not just for those nostalgic for the GDR. It even has a clear advantage over the Vespa and Lambretta: due to an exemption in the Unification Treaty, Schwalbes can be driven in Germany as mopeds with an insurance plate without registration, despite their maximum speed of 60 km/h.

Text Andrea Baroni, Jan Fröhlich, Paolo Ollig Photos Classic Trader

Author: Paolo Ollig

As editor-in-chief Paolo regularly writes about all the big and small stories related to classic cars and motorbikes. Classic dreams: Lamborghini Countach and Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. View all posts by Paolo Ollig →