Our 1990 Lamby Polo 150: How it made a difference to my life

Dad was known to throw surprises – he’d never given us an inkling he was bringing an Apso home, the same story with our 1971 Ambassador. The Lamby Polo was no different.

BHPian vigsom recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Introduction

This is the story of a 1990 Lamby Polo 150, and the difference this scooter made to my life as a rider. Graduating from a Luna Double Plus, this was the first geared scooter that I rode, giving me the experience and confidence that helped me ride all other geared scooters and bikes effortlessly. These posts are my small way of:

Saluting those enthusiasts who’ve restored Lambys to old glory.
Paying a befitting tribute to this machine that was the darling of many in its earlier avatar, the Lamby, and the one that I experienced – the Lamby Polo.

Hopefully, readers who never got a chance to experience this scooter would get to experience it virtually here.

How did the Lamby Polo become a choice

Circa 1990 – My Dad, a retired Indian Army officer, had this chance meeting with a very senior serving officer of CSD. While they got talking, the officer for some unrelated reason mentioned that they needed to give away two Lamby Polos that were lying in their Ahmedabad depot. The offer price was so low that it tempted Dad to give it a shot – we had a Luna Double Plus for local duty and a Bajaj 150 for his exclusive use that he was holding for almost 14 years. Prior to the Bajaj 150, he had a Lambretta scooter when he was posted in Chennai, so the Lamby Polo wasn’t new to him mechanically.

The two Lamby Polos on offer were – one light blue and one chocolate brown. Dad was fine with the chocolate, and he agreed to take it. Dad was known to throw surprises – he’d never given us at home an inkling he was bringing an Apso home, same story with our 1971 Ambassador. The Lamby Polo was no different. He handed over a Demand Draft to Chennai CSD to book the vehicle in his name, and the vehicle was eventually packed and despatched from Ahmedabad in the Navajivan Express. He got the scooter for a mere ₹7,000, which must have been at least ₹3,500 lower than the then ex-showroom price of this scooter via a local dealer; this was a lot of money those days!

Delivery at Chennai

Dad, along with another local officer from Chennai CSD, got the vehicle at Chennai Central from where the CSD folks took it to their depot for their formalities.

Surprise #1

The keys that were supplied with the vehicle were, by mistake, the one of the other light blue Polo. While this set of keys was sent back to Ahmedabad, Dad got a locksmith to make a new set of keys. There were two of them – one for the utility box and steering lock, and another for the ignition switch.

Registration in Chennai and arrival home

Dad got in touch directly with the Regional Transport Officer at Chennai Central RTO (TN01), got the temporary registration done, and the permanent number too; no middlemen, straight with the RTO. It was all done in less than an hour, and the RC book was delivered home by post in 15 days. If I remember right, by then the annual tax system had given way to the lumpsum tax. When I saw the scooter first, I never imagined that a Lamby could look so good and the paint finish would be so great. Despite transportation by train, the scooter showed no scratches or damage.

Our Lamby Polo 150

Lamby Polo hidden behind the Ambassador

Lambretta to Lamby to Lamby Polo

From what I’ve read, Automobile Products of India (API) started assembling kits imported from Innocenti Italy, and selling the final products as Lambretta scooters in the 1950s. Once API obtained the license to manufacture the scooter in India in the 1960s, Lambretta was manufactured via the main plant in Bhandup, Mumbai. Lambretta became Lamby in the late 70s. The Lamby was restyled by Miyazu Japan to become the Lamby Polo 150 in 1986.

The ads

The brochure

What was advertised about the Lamby Polo 150

Here are some points that were highlighted in the brochure and in the ad:

Comfort – Ample legroom, great suspension, individual front and pillion seats (spring-mounted cushions), ergonomically designed, powerful 150cc engine.
Safety – centrally aligned engine for perfect balance, braking system designed to prevent skids, large 12V headlamp, turn indicators.
Economy – 40-45kmpl in city and 55kmpl under standard test conditions.