1959 Lambretta Series 2 Li150 with sidecar, 150 cc (see text...

Hammer

£5,000

1959 Lambretta Series 2 Li150 with sidecar, 150 cc (see text). Registration number NVS 645 (non transferable). Frame number 150 LI 611818. Engine number 150 L 776201.
Manufactured by the Italian industrial giant Innocenti, the Lambretta scooter gained widespread acceptance in the 1950s, its cleanliness and convenience in particular appealing to those who regarded the true motorcycle with suspicion. Following the unreliable TV 175 Series 1, Lambretta went back to the drawing board to create one of its all-time greats: the Li. The Li was built as either a 125 or 150 using the bore/stroke dimensions of the preceding 'D' Series, producing 5.2hp and 6.5bhp respectively, while its new engine in over-bored form found its way into the revamped TV 175 Series 2 in 1959. The Li range was restyled along similar lines at the same time, with headlamp nacelle and faired-in handlebars, thus establishing the definitive Lambretta look that would endure until Italian production ceased in 1971.
Swallow sidecars was found by William Walmsley and William Lyons in 1922, over time the company grew into Swallow Coachbuilders and then the Jaguar car company. The sidecar business was sold on in 1956 to Watsonian who used the name for several years with the Jet 80, 90 and 100, together with the Flight and the Vulcan.
NVS 645 is declared manufactured in 1959 by DVLA and in 1992 it was owned by Car Marks of Hull who would have sold its original registration number. In 1995 they sold it to our vendor with the V5 incorrectly stating its cc as 125 whereas both the frame and engine numbers confirm it is a 150 cc. MOT'd in 1995 at 23,102 miles and in 2003 at 23,314 miles it was sorned in 2006.
An older, quality restoration that has spent its life in a garage, this iconic example will need a little recommissioning but will make a wonderful statement when back on the road. Sold with the V5C, V5 and the two MOT's.