70-years after its introduction Lambretta unveils new V-Special.
Vintage-inspired aesthetics and modern technology are a proven recipe for success nowadays. Motorcycle manufacturers and riders world wide have a thing with vintage machines, but we're not the only ones. The Mods have their own cult of the retro, and a scooter meetup isn't complete without a handful of fifty and sixty-year-old machines puttering about. To capitalize on this retro fetish, classic Italian scooter marque Lambretta has re-emerged after a long absence and dropped a vintage bomb with the all-new V-Special.
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Everything old is new again. The V-special's lines are heavily influenced by its ancestors
To make these new machines, Lambretta enlisted the renowned Austrian design studio KISKA who are responsible for some dead sexy models from marques like KTM. After consulting with today's community of Lambretta enthusiasts, KISKA delivered a design that borrows much of its DNA from the original Lambretta models. The steel body, forged aluminum parts, and replaceable side-panels – now available in carbon fiber upon request – just scream mid-century. Underneath their vintage appearance, the new V-specials boast a wide array of modern components, features, and technology. Some highlights include disc brakes fore and aft, full LED lighting all around, bluetooth connectivity, and a really nifty display that brings the original instrumentation into the 21st century with a digital display topped with an analog speedometer.
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Engines are available in three sizes: 50cc, 125cc, and 200cc. These modern powerplants, the suite of options, and the handsome design are promising, and a planned global distribution network makes it clear that Lambretta is not fooling around here.
The new Lambrettas have excellent build quality and attention to detail
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Prices are already locked in for the three new V-special models - at least in the European market. The V50 special costs $3,250, the V125 starts at $3,940, and the V200 goes for $4,640. Those prices, by the way, are based on the current Euros to US Dollars exchange rate. The retro-inspired scooter will hit showroom floors starting in February of 2018. Not content to rest on these vintage laurels, Lambretta has even more ambitious plans for the future that include sport models, larger displacement machines, and even some electric two-wheelers. Based on the amount of hype already surrounding the upcoming models, I would be very surprised if the V-special isn’t the first of many new offering from the classic Italian moco.