1975 Lambretta Jet 200, 198cc. Registration number KLD 171N....

Estimate

£4,500 - £5,000

1975 Lambretta Jet 200, 198cc. Registration number KLD 171N. Frame number SX 200 555081. Engine number SX200 555081.
Sold with the V5C, two keys, old MOT's, old receipts.
The history of Lambretta in Spain began in 1952 when a group of prominent Basque businessmen created "Lambretta Locomociones SA". A factory was built in Eiber (Northern Spain) in 1953 and proper production began in earnest in 1954, production finally ceased 35 years later in 1989.
As wealth increased in western Europe in the late 1960s, the demand for motor scooters fell as the small car became affordable to more people and Lambretta sales started to decline, as did the financial status of parent company Innocenti. British Leyland took advantage of Innocenti's financial difficulties and their production and engineering expertise contracting them to produce cars under licence. The company was eventually sold to BLMC. Unfortunately, lack of foresight had caused BLMC to buy a fashion trend that was ending rapidly, motor-scooter sales declined sharply, and Innocenti finally closed shop in 1972 and production was taken over by the Indian company API.
1966 saw the introduction of the first 200cc model in Spain, the JET 200. The very early models are identical to an Italian SX200 except for the typical "Li" metal front mudguard and horn casting. The engine was similar in design and based around that of the Innocenti SX 200. Using the same top end configuration and carburettor, bhp would have been on a similar scale. The cylinder and piston were very well made and have proved reliable and hard wearing for many thousands of miles. The crankshaft likewise was well made but still only used the SX style flywheel taper and would have been much better had it been upgraded to the GP specification. Using a Spanish made Dellorto SH2O carburettor fuel consumption remained good and with a slightly larger fuel tank range was slightly improved. The transmission and gearbox were also identical to the SX 200 and used the same set of gear ratios.
KLD's history folder goes back to 1994 when it was bought by Christopher Manning of Reading, next was Peter Hullaney of Canterbury in 2004. In 2009 Gemma Wenborn commissioned Scooter Restorations to undertake a comprehensive restoration which included a new crankshaft for the engine and replacement of many consumables. Christopher Hollman bought it in 2016 and our vendor in 2021, since then it has been part of his scooter collection which he is now downsizing.