The Lambretta D and LD were the mainstays of Innocenti’s range for most of the 1950s. Built from 1951 to 1958 in 125 and 150 cc forms, they replaced the Model C and were also produced in Spain, where the Serveta company listed the D and LD among its first models.
Lambretta D and LD at a glance
| Maker | Innocenti, Milan, Italy |
|---|---|
| Production | 1951–1958 |
| Models | D and LD |
| Engines | 125 cc and 150 cc two-stroke |
| Predecessor | Lambretta Model C |
| Successor | Lambretta Li |
| Spanish production | Serveta, 1951–1958 |
| Body | open at first, closed on later cars |
| Frame | tubular steel |
The D and LD have no article of their own; this page is based on the Italian model list and on the English article about Serveta.
History of the Lambretta D and LD
The D arrived in 1951 as the replacement for the Model C and moved the Lambretta into the 150 cc class alongside the original 125. The LD was developed from it and sold in the same years, and the two models ran together until 1958.
In Italy the D and LD were part of a rapid expansion of the range: Innocenti added the E and F in the mid-1950s and then the TV 175 in 1957. The D and LD were also the models with which licensed production began abroad. In Spain a group of Basque businessmen obtained a licence in 1952 and started building Lambrettas in a purpose-built factory at Eibar in 1954; the Spanish company later took the name Serveta, and its model list opens with the D and LD 125 and 150 of 1951–1958.
By the time the Li arrived in 1958, the Lambretta had moved to fully enclosed bodywork. The D and LD belong to the transitional period: they began with the more open look of the early scooters and ended with the enclosed body that defined the later Innocenti models. Their place in the range was taken by the Li 125 and 150.
Design and features
- Two capacities: the same model was offered as a 125 and as a 150.
- Long run: seven years in production, from 1951 to 1958.
- Built in Spain: the D and LD were the first models assembled by the future Serveta works at Eibar.
- Bridge to the Li: the last Innocenti models before the fully enclosed Li series.
Lambretta D and LD versions
- D 125 (1951–1958): the original 125 cc version.
- D 150 (1951–1958): the larger-engine variant.
- LD 125 and LD 150 (1951–1958): the parallel LD line.
- Spanish-built D and LD: assembled by Lambretta Locomociones, later Serveta, from 1954.
The D and LD followed the Model C and were replaced by the Li. The Spanish side of the story is told in Serveta; more scooters are in the Lambretta collection.
Video: restauracion lambretta ld 125 año 1960
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Innocenti Lambretta, Italian Wikipedia: model dates and capacities
- Serveta, English Wikipedia: Spanish licence and Eibar production
- Lambretta, English Wikipedia: company history
