S PANISH P RODUCTION

With its large population, poor infrastructure and relatively high levels of poverty, 1950s Spain was an obvious market for both Innocenti and Piaggio but due to the policies of General Franco’s government, it was also something of an international pariah. With imports effectively banned by the fascist regime, the only option for the Italian giants was licensing production to local companies.

Piaggio was first off the blocks, establishing Motovespa in Madrid early in 1952. Shortly afterwards Innocenti made an unlikely production agreement with Atlas, Spain’s largest producer of sewing machines!

The designers of both marques were a long way, both geographically and politically, from their Italian masters and as a result there were many local variations, some questionable, some innovative. For Motovespa the decision to combine PX bodywork with the headset and suspension of a Rally arguably fused together the worst of both worlds yet they were also pioneers of electronic ignition.

Ironically both companies ceased to exist at around the same time. Reform began following Franco’s death in 1975 and after Spain joined the European Union in 1986 Motovespa was fully absorbed into the Piaggio group.

In 1989, despite a brief reprieve following the Italian factory’s closure, Spanish Lambretta production ended. Market forces and what were ultimately only cosmetic upgrades to an outdated product finally sealed the brand’s fate.

Unlike production facilities elsewhere in the world both factories produced highly regarded machines. Spanish engine cases are more robust than their Italian counterparts and very adaptable to tuning while the combination of high-quality materials and a temperate climate means that frames have also survived in very good condition.

Further information on Lambretta production may be found in Lambretta Locomotiones, a limited edition book published by the Lambretta Club Espagne while there is an excellent Spanish language history of Motovespa at www.solovespa.com