When The Germans Went Italian & NSU Built A Lambretta

The NSU Lambretta was an iconic Italian scooter of the 1950 but built by the Germans. It started much like the original Italian, exuding the essence of la dolce vita, but underwent constant innovation during its production years between 1950 and 1956.

Initially, the Lambretta was not an original creation of NSU; instead, it was produced under a licensing agreement with the renowned Italian manufacturer, Innocenti. This licensing practice allowed various manufacturers in different countries to produce the scooter.

In 1950, Neckarsulm faced a challenge when the plant’s repair work for the U.S. Army stationed in Germany ceased, leading to a wave of layoffs.

To maximize the plant’s capacity, NSU smartly decided to embrace the growing trend of motorized scooters in Germany. They secured a licensing agreement with Innocenti and commenced the production of the NSU Lambretta in 1950.

The scooter’s name paid homage to its Italian origins, with the licensor’s headquarters located in the Milan suburb of Lambrate.

During its production years, NSU introduced two versions of the Lambretta. The first variant, built until 1954, had a 123cc displacement, a top speed of 70 km/h (44 mph), and produced 4.5 PS of power from its single-cylinder two-stroke engine.

From 1954, the second variant featured a 150cc engine with a top speed of 81 km/h (50 mph), offering a more robust power output of 6.2 PS. In total, approximately 117,000 units of both versions were manufactured from 1950 to 1956.

The Lambretta scooters were available in four colors: lime green, beige, medium gray, and light gray.

When the licensing agreement with Innocenti concluded as planned in 1956, NSU took the initiative to continue scooter production independently.

The Lambretta was reborn as the NSU Prima, becoming an in-house development capable of being sold in multiple markets. The NSU Prima was available in four different variants.

Production of the Prima continued until 1964, with a total of 160,000 units produced, ultimately marking the conclusion of scooter production in Neckarsulm.