That's it, thanks Paul !
The white "hard-top" of the body was removable, to convert it into a beach version. Problem was that you were far more recognisable that way.
I've met Enzo Baldi once, and he admitted that the Brio failed badly, as it was his "city car project", tailor-built for the french market. Hence the Sachs Saxonette (2-speed automatic gearbox), very well known on our voiturettes, but totally unusual on italian ones, more accustomed to Minarelli or Morini with 3 or 4 speeds manual trannies. As far as I know, there was never another choice of engine, but B.M.A. did try much later to convert it to a golf cart with open body (just the lower "red" part) and 4-wheels. It was shown at the 1985 Paris Motorshow as "Lambretta Le Golf", but only a single prototype was ever made, as far as I know.
Some people who worked for Lambretta-Willam told me that the Brio failed so badly that more than five years later, dozens were still stockpiled in their warehouse, near the railway station of Bécon-les-Bruyères !
It seems that, even on our "big" voiturette market of the late seventies, the design really was too outworldly and ugly as sin. Even if you already bought a Flipper or a Comtesse Break, which is saying something !
Moreover, I have a test made in 1979 by l'Auto Journal, and it is perhaps the worst ever made in this magazine. Again, what a feat, as the voiturette market was packed with atrocious things to drive.
Anyway, I'd die for a Brio, that's for sure !
