Luna History

note: click images for enlargements with captions

:: space age look ::

the luna line of lambretta small frame 50cc and 75cc scooters was produced from 1968 until 1970. innocenti wanted a smaller alternative to sell alongside the larger models of the time, hence the luna (meaning moon) range was born during the peak of the space race, just before the first moon landings. a line of unusual, lightweight, sporty-looking scooters designed by bertone, who also conceived the lambretta 'gp' range.

the bertone design firm, based in turin (headed up at the time by design maestro giuseppe 'nuccio' bertone: 1912-1997), is world famous for producing ground-breaking, futuristic sports car designs. these include the lamborghini miura, espada and countach; the ferrari 250 and 308; the alfa romeo giulietta sprint and montreal; the lancia stratos; the aston martin db4 jet; the maserati 5000 gt; and the fiat 850 spider and x1/9.

the luna frame is reminiscent of the 'open' exposed-engine style of the 'd' model lambrettas of the 1950’s, although much use was made of light modern alloy. engine accessibility is very good as there are no side panels. engine design followed the 'j' range of lambrettas, and the luna models replaced the 'starstream'. the radical, space-age styling was way ahead of its time with futuristic simple lines and curves, distinctive high slotted handlebars, and slotted exhaust heat shield and cowling. even the headset looks like a ray gun! a publicity leaflet of the time quoted professional opinions on the space-age design features of the luna line:

"trend setting handlebars" - "brilliant frame geometry" - "the silencer is sheer genius"

in the same leaflet, the group publicity manager for lambretta concessionaires ltd commented:

"it is certainly not a pure co-incidence that the luna line is launched in the middle of the national and international publicity surrounding the imminent lunar landings"

events in outer space had prompted a trend for all things futuristic, and a space-inspired look evolved from such influences as metallic satellites, spacecrafts, sputniks, orbiting patterns and the shape of astronauts helmets. 1968 was the year the space-age look really took off in fashion, following the success of the film barbarella and the increasing excitement over the anticipated moon landings. designers such as andre courreges, pierre cardin and paco rabanne pioneered space-age fashion designs. cutting edge collections of the time featured silver and white pvc, and plastic and aluminium squares linked together with metal rings to create futuristic minidresses.

the mix of smooth organic form with industrial materials is typical of space age design

nearly every area of product design latched on to the futuristic look, from the high-end italian furniture manufacturers such as kartell, floss, and artimede, to more affordable mass-produced, every day products such as television sets, lighting and even kitchen utensils. 1968 also saw the year the technically feasible sci-fi fantasy saga '2001 a space odyssey' opened to a baffled audience - a collaboration between film producer stanley kubrik and space-bod arthur c clarke, with its sleek, white, and stunning futuristic sets

:: luna models ::

the two 75cc models in the range were named the vega (star) and cometa (comet) for the export market. the three 50cc models were mainly produced for the italian market, where all the models were called lui (simply meaning ‘him’). they were produced in eye-catching space-age colours: venus green, martian red, orbit orange, astral blue, yellow ochre, silver and white. they were light, responsive and easily manipulated, but essentially they were 'commuter scooters', and not really suitable for riding long distances.

the vega 75s was a very modern machine, with four gears and a top speed of around 52mph, very quick for its small 75cc engine. the motor evolved from the lambretta cento range of scooters (100 -125cc) with remodelled crankcase castings. the vega ran on a comparatively large 20mm carburettor (about the same size as a 150 vespa of the same time). its power was testified by meccano magazine’s article in september 1969, which said:

"Very nippy acceleration"
"For its engine capacity the new Lambretta Vega is a remarkably quick little machine."
"Great fun to ride and very willing"

for this reason, in the 60's and early 70's, the vega was adopted by club riders for circuit racing, and also became popular for off-road competions, thanks to its excellent ground clearance and high exhaust. (photo source: dave tooleys scooter racing photo pages)

the 75sl cometa was essentially the same machine, but made history as it was the first lambretta ever to have an automatic oil injection mixer, patented by innocenti as their 'lubematic’ system. innocenti won the race with piaggio to release a scooter which delivered oil into the engine automatically from a separate tank, so the rider did not need to add oil to the petrol manually.

these two 75cc models were exported worldwide, whilst the little luna three-speed 50cc scooters were marketed mainly in italy, and not imported into the uk. 50cc vehicles could be ridden on italian roads from the age of 14 without documents or number plates. there were three models - the 50c, 50cl and the 50s.

:: luna lift off ::

the luna line launch involved 18 months of detailed planning. to quote the group publicity manager for lambretta concessionaires ltd:

"over one million brochures, twenty thousand posters, stickers, streamers, etc have already been distributed to lambretta dealers. one of the biggest public relations and advertising campaigns in two-wheel history will shortly be announced".

publicity often featured topical scenes of 60’s chicks in silver space-age costumes in 'moon surface' type settings. despite the hype, the luna line was not hugely successful, perhaps due to cheap, small cars becoming available, which co-incided with the general decline of two-wheeled sales around the world. however, mike webster in 'classic scooters' writes that although vega sales were initially slow, once they took off, demand outstripped supply. conversely a 1994 article by sticky in 'scootering' magazine said that sales of the vega were so bad that in the uk that it eventually ended up being sold at discounted prices.

production of the luna range ceased in 1970, by which time around 38,000 had been sold. luna machines suffer from vibration (riding long distances is a numbing experience due to the revvy motor!), and probably lacked enough top speed for british buyers. it is also said that the styling was 20 years ahead of its time, and perhaps just too radical for the era. apparently the presses and engine moulds were scrapped, so spare parts stopped being produced and started to dry up.

now it seems these unconventional scooters are coming of age. instead of lurking, gathering dust in garages, more and more of these unique machines are coming out of the woodwork. new parts, out of production for years, are starting to be remanufactured, due to recent renewed interest in the distinctive luna line - appropriate timing really as the design was heralded in the 60's as "the year 2000 look"!

:: last word ::

we just had to add this last bit of classy word-smithery, in response to the comment:
"the vega is like the ital dragster, they are both 'spacey'"

an lcgb forum member (czechmate) suggested that:
"if barbarella bought a scoot it might be a vega but i couldn't imagine anyone but chewbacca wanting a dragster."