As Monty Python used to say, “Now for something completely different!” – The Lambretta del Mare – or “Lambretta of the Sea” . Now I’ve featured various “amphibious” Lammies before (here and here) but never a fully fledged Lambretta powered boat before!
The Lambretta del Mare was a pleasure boat built by SARA of Rome. It was shown at the 1950 Milano Fiera trade show in the Montecatini Pavilion. The pleasure boat was powered by a LC 125 Lambretta engine.
Described as ‘elegant and easy to drive’ and ‘the most comfortable and most modern motorboat’ ‘The Lambretta del Mare allows navigation even with very rough sea. The great maneuverability, the shape and lightness of the hull give it remarkable stability and safety qualities. I used an innovative “Peralum” aluminum body produced by Montecatini making it extremely resistant to corrosion.
Those of you with better Italian than I can probably discover more from the brochure featured above… but it starts off saying something like… “Today, for the first time in the world, we are presenting a nautical vehicle; the “Lambretta del Mare” which allows a large number of the public to achieve an aspiration considered unattainable so far due to the high purchase price and the difficulty of transport and shelter” So – I’m assuming it was quite affordable – easy to transport – and to store – as it goes on to say the boat would fit in a standard size garage.
I wonder if this actually made it into manufacturing? And if so, how many of these actually made… which begs the question… do any still exist? It would be the ultimate addition to any Lambretta collection!
Thanks again to regular Lambrettista contributor Darrin Slack for finding and sharing these images!
I have a credit for the top photo… if I have to credit anybody else, please let me know.
I last wrote about the EBretta – an electric conversion for your classic Lammie – way back in 2013. Since then, things have move on – with Pat at the Siagon Scooter Centre (SSC) continuing the development of the classic E-Conversions and also developing a new range of Buzz EScooters.
For the classics what they have been aiming for is a complete bolt-in kit – with NO frame modifications required. The bolt in kits proved a big challenge – but, of course these days with the spiralling prices and users wanting to keep their classics original – offering a “reversible” kit for daily commuting etc, with the option to convert the it back to the original engine – either for touring, or just ‘originality’ provides the best of both worlds.
An electric Lambretta enables drivers to still drive in cities like Milan (of all places!) which have pretty much banned 2 strokes (except for weekends). With many other cities following these restrictions and this is only going to accelerate over the coming years.
Tino Saachi is one of our first appointed distributors; you can find some of his test videos on our SSC FB Buy and Sell page.
The latest version of the kit (specs below) uses the existing tank/filter area for the clamp-on battery tray. The lower junction box again clamps on – and houses all the electrics. With the kit SSC supply a 12″ Brushless hub motor, controller and 72v 3000w Lithium ion battery kit as standard. Other parts – like the modified rear mudguard – bolt onto the existing chassis mounts.
The new kits are now offering a good range and great performance on 1 charge which until recently with the older battery technology wasn’t anywhere near possible.
SSC Trademarks for both EBretta and VTronic. We currently have international distributors for the new kits in the UK, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, France, Belgium, the USA and New Zealand with Australia and Japan pending.
As well as the kite, SSC are still offering complete fully restored italian Lambretta’s with e-conversions
Current EBretta specs are:
12″ 72v 3000w brushless hub motor including DC 72-12v converter Controller unit
Rear tyre Dunlop 90/90/12 fitted
72v Lithium Ion phosphate 30amh battery unit (Removable with quick release connectors)
2 x Battery straps
Mild steel powder coated Battery base plate which bolts to the central tubing
Mild steel junction box and storage box , this bolts to below the central tubing
Rear mudguard steel powder coated , we supply this as it needs to be trimmed slightly to give better clearance with the increased wheel size. Bolts in to the existing mounting points
Complete swing arm assembly powder coated. The original Lambretta rear shocker can be retained.
Rear disc brake kit complete. This is semi-hydraulic – so the existing rear brake pedal and even the cable can be retained.
Throttle actuator assembly using the original throttle cable. No modifications to the handlebar assembly are required.
External charging plug supplied with fuel flap fabricated also to fit a battery level monitor
Ignition switch supplied for those Lambretta’s that are currently not fitted with one i.e. pre “61 models. For our series 1 sample this was installed in the legshield toolbox.
Custom “EBretta” badge
Performance:
Range 90-100km’s depending on driver and driving conditions.
Charge time 5-6 hours.
Top speed 80-90kmph with settings on maximum RPM.
What about the Vespas?
SSC’s latest VTronic Vespa large frame kit is under testing now – but it has been much more difficult to incorporate a decent size battery due to the bodywork design. They’re still working on 3 options for this either to reduce the battery size down to a 27amh battery which means they can install a drop in single Lithium Ion battery in the fuel tank area or refabricate the inner tank area wider to offer multiple linked batteries.
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