Lambretta Model 125-150 Li Series 3

LAMBRETTA MODEL 125-150 Li SERIES 3 HISTORY

In 1962, Innocenti radically revamped the Lambretta lines and presented the third series of the LI in January of that year. With this new series, the Lambretta became more square yet still streamlined and much more modern and elegant. This was a classic example of industrial design applied to the production of an entire line of motor vehicles. Besides just showing the value of the Italian scootering "school of design", the new lines also helped solve many problems of aerodynamics that had presented themselves in earlier models.

The overall size of the bodywork was stylized and slightly smaller without making the scooter less comfortable or harder to handle. With this new bodywork, the Lambretta became known as the "scooter-linea" while in England it got name the "Slim Line."

Even the shape of the handlebars was smaller, but the size of the headlamp remained the same. The speedometer was now a trapezoidal shape and the shape of the electrical control box on the handlebars was reworked.

On the rear part of the scooter under the seat, the fake air duct was replaced with a plate that stated the model of the scooter and its emblem surrounded by an aluminum frame. The rubber runners on the floorboards now numbered four, down from six on the previous model, and the two outer ones were just plastic with the screws already inside of them.

The motor was essentially the same expect for a small increase in the compression, which did not raise the speed but gave the scooter a little more horsepower. The carburetor, on the other hand, was completely new with a central bowl that did not use a conical jet, which improved the consistency of the performance of the engine and simplified its maintenance. The last important mechanical change was the new larger capacity muffler that made the scooter much quieter without suffocating the engine and improved its performance. With the introduction of the third series, the finishing touches on the bodywork were now identical between the two sizes of scooters, expect for a few pieces that were polished aluminum on the 150cc version and painted on the 125cc model. As far as the paint schemes are concerned, the 125 was not offered as a two-tone. The consumer color choices were sky blue or gray, and later light blue was added. The 150 came as a two-tone scooter with the side panels and the horn cover in "new blue", "coral red 63", and "sand beige", with the last two colors mostly for the foreign market. The LI Series III achieved the title as the most numerous Lambretta built, with production figures surpassing 480,000 in a little less than eight years (1962 to 1969). Proving how much experimentation and foresight went into this entire project, the LI Series III did not receive any important modifications during its lifetime; only a few minor improvements to the assembly were ever changed.