1958 Lambretta TV175 Series 1
British-market machine subject to a recent restoration

Registration No: 9448 WB
Frame No: 04015
MOT: Exempt

• Subject to a meticulous restoration, retaining a large degree of originality
• Fitted with numerous accessories
• A British market machine complete with its RF60 buff logbook

When the first Lambrettas appeared in 1947, they were simplicity itself—two wheels, a seat, an engine, some handle-bars, and nothing in the way of styling. That was fine for cash-strapped postwar Italians, but rivals Vespa had a stroke of genius; why should a scooter be merely functional if it could be fashionable? The 1955 Vespa GS was a masterpiece of Modernist design, which required a quick response from Innocenti. So, in 1957, the new Lambretta TV 175 was born. A world apart from the preceding shaft-drive models, it featured 10in wheels, a 170cc engine (20cc more than the GS) giving 8.6 or 9hp with a claimed top speed of 64mph, and a new four-speed gearbox. An instant hit with Britain’s trendy coffee-bar set, the Series I version is today possibly the most collectable Lambretta model. The Series I TV 175 was hugely over-engineered and expensive to produce, so for the Series II TV 175 that replaced it in 1959, Innocenti dropped the Series I engine design and adopted a larger capacity version of the lower-cost and easier to mass produce LI model.

This example from 1958 was sold new in the Sheffield area, making it one of the first large-capacity Lambrettas to pass through the British Lambretta Concessionaires agency in Croydon. After a long period of lay-up, it was acquired by the vendor in a dilapidated state in 2023, and he immediately embarked upon a meticulous restoration. The panel work has been painted in the correct shade of ‘Ivory’ and the original fixings were sent off for either chrome plating or zincing as required whilst the engine was subject to a bare casing overhaul. Many original features have been retained that are unique to the TV Series I such as the correct fuel tank, the original 23mm Dell’Orto carburettor and frame-breather air intake system, plus the original style seat and headset cable adjusters.

Seldom do examples of the TV 175 Series I come onto the market, and British registered from new machines are particularly rare – especially in restored condition. It is offered with its original RF60 buff logbook and a current UK V5C.

For more information, please contact:
Mike Davis
mike.davis@handh.co.uk
07718 584217