Details of Cars

Lambretta GP and DL: the last Innocenti scooters

LAMBRETTA

Lambretta Grand Prix scooter
Lambretta GP. Photo by Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Lambretta GP and DL belong to the final chapter of the Milan story. The DL 50, 125, 150 and 200 were the last scooters listed by Innocenti in 1969–1971, and the GP name carried the same generation on in India, where Scooters India Limited built Lambrettas until 1997.

Lambretta GP and DL at a glance

Lambretta GP and DL key facts
Maker Innocenti, Milan, Italy
Italian model DL 50, 125, 150 and 200
Italian production 1969–1971
Indian model GP, by Scooters India Limited
Indian production from the early 1970s to 1997
Body evolution of the Li III “scooterlinea”
Sale of the Milan line 1972, to the Indian government
Price of the machinery three billion lire

The GP and DL are described in the model lists of the Italian and English Wikipedia articles; this page is based on those lists.

History of the Lambretta GP and DL

The DL was the last Lambretta family developed by Innocenti. It grew out of the third-series Li, the “scooterlinea” body of 1962, which was kept in production with only small styling changes until 1971. The DL range of 1969–1971 was offered in 50, 125, 150 and 200 cc versions, covering the whole spread of the market in a single body shape.

Lambretta Grand Prix scooter, rear view
Lambretta GP, rear view. Photo by Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The end came quickly. Demand for scooters fell as small cars became affordable, and Innocenti had already moved into car production under licence from British Motor Corporation and later British Leyland. Scooter production stopped in the middle of 1971. In 1972 the Indian government bought the Milan production line for three billion lire and set up Scooters India Limited at Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, which began building Lambrettas a couple of years later and continued until 1997.

In the Indian catalogue the final generation appears as the GP, alongside the DL and the J50. The GP therefore outlived the Italian original by more than 25 years, and Indian-built machines are the last chapter of the Lambretta story as an Innocenti design.

Design and features

  • Last Milanese range: the DL closed the Innocenti scooter line in 1971.
  • One body, four engines: 50, 125, 150 and 200 cc versions were listed.
  • Scooterlinea heritage: the body descended from the Li III of 1962.
  • Indian afterlife: the GP was built by Scooters India Limited until 1997.

Lambretta GP and DL versions

  • DL 50 (1969–1971): the smallest version.
  • DL 125 and DL 150 (1969–1971): the volume models.
  • DL 200 (1969–1971): the largest engine of the range.
  • GP (India): the same generation built by Scooters India Limited.

The GP and DL grew out of the Li III and followed the SX at the top of the range. More scooters are in the Lambretta collection.

Video: Lambretta GP Restoration

Video on YouTube.

Sources

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