Renzo Rivolta’s Isothermos company had begun life pre-war making refrigerators, turning to the manufacture of scooters, under the Iso name, after the war and thence to the highly successful Isetta ‘bubblecar’. After the failure of its first scooter, the 65cc Furetto, Iso produced the Isoscooter and Isomoto, both of which used a Puch-style 125cc ‘split single’ two-stroke engine. Their styling though, was uninspired, but Iso put all that behind it in 1957 when it launched the Diva, which was marketed as the Milano overseas. Incorporating styling elements borrowed from the contemporary Lambretta and Vespa, the Milano employed single-sided stub axles holding the wheels, just like the latter, and was powered by a conventional 146cc two-stroke single producing 6.5bhp. By this time the scooter market had matured and customers wanted larger models capable of two-up touring, a demand that was catered for by the Lambretta TV series, Vespa GS and Iso Milano. Although it was a major manufacturer with more than 2,500 agents in Italy and Europe, Iso had its sights firmly set on the Gran Turismo car market and ceased making scooters in 1960. Today the beautiful Iso Milano is one of the most collectible of all scooters. Sold new in the UK, this Milano had already been restored when it was purchased by the current vendor from the previous (deceased) owner’s family circa two years ago. The machine was started and ridden a short distance at time of acquisition but since then has been kept indoors, unused. Offered with Swansea V5C and presented in very good condition, this rare Iso Milano represents an exciting opportunity for the serious scooter collector.
Renzo Rivolta’s Isothermos company had begun life pre-war making refrigerators, turning to the manufacture of scooters, under the Iso name, after the war and thence to the highly successful Isetta ‘bubblecar’. After the failure of its first scooter, the 65cc Furetto, Iso produced the Isoscooter and Isomoto, both of which used a Puch-style 125cc ‘split single’ two-stroke engine. Their styling though, was uninspired, but Iso put all that behind it in 1957 when it launched the Diva, which was marketed as the Milano overseas. Incorporating styling elements borrowed from the contemporary Lambretta and Vespa, the Milano employed single-sided stub axles holding the wheels, just like the latter, and was powered by a conventional 146cc two-stroke single producing 6.5bhp. By this time the scooter market had matured and customers wanted larger models capable of two-up touring, a demand that was catered for by the Lambretta TV series, Vespa GS and Iso Milano. Although it was a major manufacturer with more than 2,500 agents in Italy and Europe, Iso had its sights firmly set on the Gran Turismo car market and ceased making scooters in 1960. Today the beautiful Iso Milano is one of the most collectible of all scooters. Sold new in the UK, this Milano had already been restored when it was purchased by the current vendor from the previous (deceased) owner’s family circa two years ago. The machine was started and ridden a short distance at time of acquisition but since then has been kept indoors, unused. Offered with Swansea V5C and presented in very good condition, this rare Iso Milano represents an exciting opportunity for the serious scooter collector.
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