No need to look at the name on the nearside of the legshield to realise that the Cento hails from the Innocenti factory. Although the latest addition to the Lambretta range is styled in keeping with the diminitive engine which powres it (a nominal 100cc job), every line, angle and curve spells Lambretta. This much is obvious to the casual observer. A close examination of the bodywork, however, reveals an important departure from established Lambretta practice. To save weight (the Cento turns the scales at a mere 176lb) the usual tubular frame meber has been ommitted, and rigidity has been obtained by building up an assembly in welded pressed steel. To this main assembly are welded the legshield and the footrests. Inside the rear bodywork and just aft of the trailing edge of the footboards are the brackets which support the pivot bearings for the trailing arm engine and transmission unit. The unit itself carries the rear wheel, and generally follows established Lambretta practcie, although the cylinder is approximately vertical and not horizontal. Road shocks are absorbed by a large diameter coil spring on the offside. Inside the spring are rubber snubbers to take care of excessive deflection under exceptional conditions. Action of the spring is controlled by a hydraulic damper unit at the extreme rear of the transmission unit. There is a fair amount of room around the engine for routine maintenance tasks. The air-cleaner is located under a plastic tool bin under the nose of the forward hinged dualseat. The dualseat which is standard, replaces the chunky twin seats with which the first models of the Cento to reach this country were equipped. Incidentally a plastic tool bin will prove a boon to owners who normally leave their tools loose in the toolbox so that the paint chips off. Trouble free starting has always been a feature of all Lambretta models and it was soon found that the Cento was no exception.. The long action kickstart lever allowed the engine to be spun freely, resulting in first-time starts. Good natured describes the choke control, which on a couple of occasions was accidently used when the engine was hot. No particular difficulty was experienced.

The centre stand was sufficiently long in the leg to provide adequate support, and the light machine, with it's low centre of gravity, could be rolled onto it with the minimum of effort - an important feature when one remembers that it will mainly be the ladies who will be the future owners of the Cento. In a small capacity mount such as the Cento, top speed is relattively unimportant, but the prospective buyer does look for a lively performance to take the sting out of routine shopping or commuting trips. Obviously when the Cento power unit was still on the drawing-board the designers had this point very much in mind becasue the gear ratios in the 3-speed box have been particularly well chosen. In town traffic the Cento could be made to move briskly away from the traffic lights, and lively acceleration was always available when it was needed. maximum speed taken as a mean of several runs in opposite directions with a normally seated rider was 46mph. Comfortable cruising speed was only a few mph below the maximum, and it was found that this gait could be held over moderately undulating ground. Hill-climbing was good. On steepish gradients a drop to second gear and 20mph was, of course, inevitable, but when the machine was ridden solo it took really steep hills to make the rider reach for bottom gear. Every type of manoevre - cornering, braking, slow riding, tight figure-of-eights, etc. - showed that the Cento was a stable machine, completely without vice. A couple of lady riders with small hands commented on how far the clutch and front-brake levers were away from the handlebar grips, but this is a feature of all scooters, both large and small, and arises from the amount of lever movement required to get only a relatively small movement in the control cables. Fuel consumption tests showed that the Cento is blessed with a modest thirst. Over a wide range of town and country riding one gallon of 2 percent petroil mixture gave 130 miles. Departing from normal Lambretta practice the fuel tap on the Cento is on the offside. Braking tests at 30mph on dry tarmacadam showed that the front brake alone would bring the machine to rest in 42ft. A similar test carried out with a rear brake alone produced a figure of 50ft. Both anchors used together resulted in a braking distance of 34ft. Both controls worked smoothly, although it was found that fairly heavy pressure was required to bring the front wheel to near-locking point. The dualseat proved comfrotable even on long runs. During the test period the Cento was driven by a number of people and not even the six-footers were cramped by the fact that the footboards are more restricted than other models in the Lambretta range. Pillion passengers did, however, have to sit well forward for maximum comfort. There is, of course, no battery on the Cento and the lighting is direct. This means that the headlight only reaches maximum brilliance above medium engine revs, but this arrangement was found to be satisfactory at all speeds. The lighting switch, dip switch, horn button and cut-out, are housed in a single, neat unit on the offside handlebar. The horn produces the sort of croak which has come to be associated with direct current machines. That, then is the Cento. It may be the smallest Lambretta which is so far available in this country but it lacks nothing, in the standard we have come to expect from Innocenti.