03/08/2025
1953 Lambretta GP 250 ❤️💙🖤
In 1952, Lambretta, fueled by the success of its scooters, sought to shed its everyday image by entering a Grand Prix with a groundbreaking machine. Designed by Pier-Luigi Torre, the 250 Lambretta boasted an original layout featuring a transversely mounted V-twin engine and shaft drive, a rare combination for a racing bike. Its innovative rear suspension utilized torsion bars mounted below the fork's axis. The project had an encouraging beginning.The motorcycle features a 247cc air-cooled 90-degree V-twin four-stroke engine, producing 29 horsepower at 9,000 rpm. It has twin overhead camshafts and two 25mm carburetors. The bike is equipped with shaft final drive, telescopic front forks, and a swing arm rear suspension. Drum brakes are used front and rear, with 2.75x18 inch and 3.00x18 inch wheels respectively. The maximum speed is 106 mph.Nello Pagani and Romolo Ferri prepared the 250 Lambretta for its sole race at the Locarno circuit in August 1952. Although the machine showed promising power and Ferri was in second place, the race ended in a DNF. The 250 never competed again, as Lambretta prioritized combating the threat from Piaggio's Vespa and deemed further development too distracting. Only two examples were built, with one surviving today, modified in 1953 with a twin-cam head and conventional rear suspension.
