It may only sound like the first one, Vespa, one of the most famous brands in the world. But Lambretta was and is a symbol that still peacefully separates Vespistas and Lambrettistas from the world, as if they were two rivals from opposing teams. I invite you to discover the most historic battle on two wheels.

"Bello, my sow a Vespa ". It was what Enrico Piaggio exclaimed when he saw the first scooter, which would be a historical milestone, revolutionized the world and was the reference and model to follow. Around the same time, Vespa in Florence, Lambretta in Milan, the Innocenti company (later to make the Mini) introduced the Lambretta to compete with Piaggio's Vespa. As a curiosity, the Lambrettas from the 70s were manufactured in Eibar, you can distinguish it above all by its duckbill front fender.

They had already been born, two true world icons of design and motorcycling, of scooterism more precisely. What they did not imagine is the popular explosion that both models had in England in the 50s and 60s, a fact that catapulted these two brands to the Olympus of the eternal. An urban tribe dressed in parkas and impeccable suits, would welcome them as their iconic means of transportation. Mods were born, elegant, working-class boys who decided on these two Italians for their trips.

In the movie Quadrophenia you can see the fierce fight between the mods with their Vespas and Lambrettas against the Rockers and their Norton and Bsa on the beaches of Brigthon. As a result of this English adoption, Vespas and Lambrettas begin to be customized and become even more famous all over the world. In Spain in the 80s there were also mod fans of those sheet metal scooters, who listened to groups like Los Flechazos, Los Brigthon 64, there were even those who listened to soul and black music. The main characteristic of the Vespa or Lambretra scooters of this urban tribe were the multiple mirrors, it is said that it was born as a result of a fine for not carrying them, so you can see Vespas with 6 or 8 mirrors.

This is the most cultural image, because both scooters were widely used, especially in Europe and some Latin American countries. For its ease of use, economy and easy fix.

The engines between the Vespas and Lambrettas of yesteryear are very similar, two-stroke, with greasing you did it separately, you had to go with your bottle of oil, manual gearbox on the grip and the biggest difference was in the position of the engine . In Diariomotor there are staunch readers of various ages, for those of you who have never had a two-stroke, I can assure you that it impregnated you with the best perfume in the world. While the Vespa had the engine on one side, leaving the spare wheel on the other. The Lambretta's engine was in the center, which made it more manageable but rougher and more delicate in carburetion. To access the mechanics, easy, remove a side panel and feel like a good mechanic.

While Vespa and the Piaggio group grew and updated with the times, Lambretta practically disappeared from Europe.

Vespa and Lambretta today

Everyone knows the number of models that Vespa has, even recently it presented its first electric Vespa. Not too long ago, the PX two-stroke continued to be sold with a much more ecological engine. In fact, there was a time when the patent was held by an Indian brand and they released those two-stroke Vespas with another brand, some even had four-stroke engines. What a sacrilege! Today the range has a legion of Vespas with modern four-stroke engines, Gts, sprint, spring.

Lambretta recently brought out a scooter with a retro look that was quite successful, although it is a crime for purists, especially due to the indiscriminate use of plastic instead of the sheet metal that covered the old Lambrettas (and Vespas). Before that, a clothing brand based in England used the Lambretta brand to fill the shelves of modernist clothing stores with a 60s touch.

The great rivalry

The world of classic scooters is divided between Vespistas and Lambrettistas. Although there are highly valued classic Vespa models, especially those with the headlight in the fender, the Vespa98 sells for around 60,000 pounds, as a general rule the lambrettas are more valued, especially those made in Italy. More earthly are the 150 Gs. The least valued are perhaps the TX, which although very good, did not have the characteristic Round Headlight of Vespa but rectangular.

Be that as it may, these two jewels of history are still alive by collectors and even people who want an original and cheap means of transport. Driving a Vespa or Lambretra is something unique, with simple and robust mechanics, with its gears on the handle and its rear brake pedal that make them unique. If you've had one, you sure miss it. Maybe you should put on a Who record while you're looking for one online. But make up your mind, lambrettista or vespista forever.