Ferdinando Innocenti, just 18 years of age and full of exciting ideas and drive, was a young man with a plan. In 1922, he moved to Rome from his native Pescia and decided to build himself a small factory that would manufacture steel tubing. Such was his engineering talent and ingenuity that his product became famous throughout Europe. In 1931, he shifted base to Milan, which was the industrial hub of Italy, and set up a larger factory there. He continued to make steel tubing, of course, but at some point he decided that providing a cheap and reliable method of transportation for the Italian public would be his next challenge.
Unfortunately, the advent of WWII and the large-scale bomb devastation of Italy meant that it was only in 1946 that Innocenti was able to recommence commercial activity. Why he decided upon building a scooter in 1947 is something that remains a bit of a mystery, but the Lambretta (which took its name from the Lambrate area of Milan) turned out to be a stroke of pure genius. A refreshingly simple machine, the first Lambretta was named the Model A. It had a pressed steel mainframe and a rear sub-frame to carry the engine. This too was made of steel tubes, so it was clear that the scooter was an ideal diversification tool for Innocenti!
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