Today’s date, April 24, 2023, is a long way from 1964. Still, thanks to the perseverance of an extremely determined gentleman named Costantino Frontalini, interested parties currently have the exceedingly rare chance to own the only amphibious Lambretta scooter in the world (we think, and we’d certainly like to know if there’s another one alive today, please).
Now, we’re reasonably certain that the words “you take your car to work; I’ll take my board—and when you’re out of fuel, I’m still afloat” weren’t written by Rivers Cuomo about the OG Lambretta Amphi-Scooter after which this one is patterned. However, since this scooter uses not one, but two boards combined with a paddle in the back to get where it’s going, though—who can say?
As the story goes, back in 1964, the UK Lambretta importer, Lambretta Concessionaires, decided to create its own amphi-scooter to appear at the 1965 Brighton Motorcycle and Cycle Show. Communications director Philip Keeler teamed up with development head Rex White (who handled the technical necessities) to make the project come together.
Gallery: Lambretta Amphi-Scooter
They took a 1964 Lambretta J125, which utilized a pressed monocoque chassis design that quite coincidentally made it a bit easier to waterproof, for the Amphi-Scooter builders’ purposes. (It also apparently wasn’t selling terribly well at the time, so why not give the model a bit of a boost?) Using a pair of fold-down boards on either side (similar to surfboards), as well as a rotary paddle that attached to the hub of the rear wheel, the resulting Amphi-Scooter design got all kinds of attention after its debut at the Brighton show.
The video above shows London Lambretta dealer Jack Hornsby demonstrating the original Amphi-Scooter's capabilities, dressed in a full suit and bowler hat, and picking up his daughter before driving straight into the Thames for a comparatively serene commute to work. Anyone who’s ever spent time stuck in traffic can likely relate to wanting to drive into the nearest body of water at times—but so much the better if it gets you where you want to go, right?
Fast-forward to 2015, when a man named Costantino Frontalini decided that he wanted to recreate the Lambretta Amphi-Scooter in time for the 50th anniversary of the original one’s maiden voyage. He sourced a 1964 J125 for the project, because he wanted to do it right. Using as much historical documentation as he could find, he then built this replica, right down to the 52 DOY number plate on the back. After at least 700 hours of work and costs in excess of 20,000 Euros (that’s over $22,054.50 in 2023 money), he was able to test the finished product in the nearby waters of Lake Cingoli.
Frontalini, who also owns and operates the Cingoli-based International Sidecar Museum, successfully demonstrated what this Amphi-Scooter could do. He’s currently looking for a new home for it, though. As a result, you can currently find it available for auction online at H & H Auctions, with a starting bid of £8,000 (or about $9,969). As of April 24, 2023, the auction is currently live, and ends on May 10, 2023.
Upon successfully winning this auction, the new owner will have to go to Cingoli to collect their new Amphi-Scooter, or else arrange for transport to its new home. Please be aware that there are currently no registration documents for this vehicle—which is probably not surprising.
