LAMBRETTA MYTHS AND LEGENDS
Was the TV 175 series one a success or failure? Stu Owen digs into his archives to investigate...
In March of 1958 the Lambretta TV 175 series one went on sale in Britain for the first time; one of three new scooters introduced by Innocenti to replace the aging LD range. Lambretta sales in Britain at that time were continuing a strong upward trend selling in their tens of thousands. Any new model launched would be gratefully accepted by the scooter buying public who were in total admiration of what the Lambretta had to offer.
The other two models making their debut, the Li 125 and Li 150, though appealing didn’t have the specification the TV 175 had. It had the biggest engine capacity to date, a top speed of 64mph, front dampers to improve handling and a host of other extras. Though its cost of £189 was slightly on the high side this didn’t matter too much. It was not just the top of the range Lambretta available, it was the top of the range scooter available in a fiercely competitive market.
Lambretta Concessionaires, keen to exploit its superiority, embarked on a big press advertising campaign. The public loved it and were in no way not put off by the hefty price tag as sales were strong from the outset. Dealers were more than happy to see machines leaving the door as quickly as they came in. With strong sales, the aftermarket spares and accessories side soon became lucrative and dealers were urged to stock large quantities of spares to keep up with the demand, even more so on the servicing side. With both Lambretta Concessionaires and dealers more than happy, what could possibly go wrong? The TV 175 series one was becoming a huge success.
It was unique not only in what it offered but also in its build. Though styled along the same lines as the Li 125 and Li 150 any similarities ended there. The tooling for the whole machine was different, not just the engine but also the chassis and body work. At first this didn’t seem a problem even though one or two dealers did bring this point up with Lambretta Concessionaires from time to time. Whether or not it was a coincidence, almost a year to day since the launch of the TV 175 series one its replacement the TV 175 series two was introduced. Though this showed Innocenti was still developing the Lambretta range, its tooling was redesigned to make all parts compatible with other models. It made sense from both an economic and versatility point of view. Only one production line was needed with one set of tooling to produce all models, while stocking spares also became less complicated and cost effective.
This set alarm bells ringing among the dealers immediately wanting to know why things had changed. With the TV 175 series one being discontinued and its successor reverting back to the Li design, what were they to do with the stock of spares? Lambretta Concessionaires were keen to quickly calm the situation down. They advised dealers that there were a great many machines out there requiring parts to keep them on the road. This was of little consolation to those who months earlier had been advised to order huge stocks of spares. In just 12 months it had gone from being the most revered Lambretta to the most hated by the majority of dealers who had got their fingers financially burnt.
Innocenti never gave a reason why they dumped the TV 175 series one deign so quickly. Inevitably it must have come at a cost to them but was probably written off in the pursuit of developing their product. For the dealers in Britain it was a different story though. Many of them were stuck with large quantities of spares that were deemed worthless. Many vented their frustrations at Lambretta Concessionaires who promised in the future such a scenario would never arise again. It didn’t. From that point onwards whichever series of Lambretta machines was introduced the majority of components would be compatible between each model. This policy continued until Lambretta production ceased in 1971.