Britain’s ‘Swinging Sixties’ created cultural icons galore, among them the Lambretta scooter, which became a symbol of the youth driven Mod sub-culture. Going on sale in 1947, a year after its great rival the Vespa, Lambrettas had (and continue to have) a huge following in the UK, with numerous clubs, rallies and even a museum dedicated to them.
Despite this, the original Italian company had folded by the time the Lambretta was immortalised in the 1979 movie Quadrophenia, and while Vespa has flourished as a chic brand in recent years, reborn Lambretta has never really resonated with classic scooter fans or city commuters looking for a trendy bike with a trendy name.
In part that’s been because they haven’t really had the same levels of quality as Vespa or the other mainstream brands, but all that might change with the latest Lambretta J125. First shown at Milan’s EICMA show late last year, and on sale in the UK this month, the J-series is a throwback to its namesakes from the 1960s with its distinctive elongated rectangular side panels, long slim seat and the signature hexagonal headlight. Like the originals, the 2026 reboot has pressed metal body panels and a front suspension design which echoes the leading link forks of classic Lambrettas. In terms of looks, we’d say the J125 is even more authentic than a modern day Vespa.
Under the metal, of course, lies a clean and modern powertrain with the old two-stroke engine and manual gearbox replaced by a modern four-stroke unit linked to a fully automatic shaft drive transmission. Swiss owned Lambretta has traditionally worked closely with Taiwanese scooter manufacturer SYM, using its mechanical components on many models, and the latest J125 gets a 124.6cc twin cam, four valve engine which is good for a claimed 12.2bhp. That makes it competitive in the learner legal scooter sector, with a low weight of 139kg likely to make it pretty nippy around town.
Despite the Sixties styling, there’s plenty of modern ride enhancing technology. ABS brakes, traction control, TFT dashboard, LED lights, keyless ignition, twin USB charging ports and Bluetooth connectivity are very much expected by today’s buyers and are delivered as standard. Adding to the practicality is a bit of storage both under the seat and in the Vespa-style glovebox. Overall, it looks to have a broad appeal – with enough heritage to resonate with those wanting a classic scoot and a modern spec to win over the everyday commuter. The detailing looks really neat too, with stylish Lambretta badging and a choice of four solid colours which go well with the look. Sixties scooters were all about modification, and we can see a fair few of these being bought and done up for custom projects.
Where Vespas are very much priced at a premium, the Lambretta J125 hits hard with a mainstream price tag. Coming in at £3499 plus on the road charges (expect to be paying closer to £3700 all in) its priced on a par with modern twist and gos like the Honda PCX125 and Yamaha NMAX. While it probably lacks a little of the practicality and brand recognition of those two best sellers, it’s great to see Lambretta back with a design which really pays homage to their heritage and which is sure to win the hearts of not only classic scooter enthusiasts, but also younger riders looking for a distinctive but affordable set of wheels.
Lambretta’s distributed by MotoGB in the UK, giving a large national dealer network, and a 200cc version (which was shown at the Milan show last year) looks to be on the cards too.
