Two Stella/LML rumors:

An unregistered user “Dr. Sparks” claimed yesterday on the ScooterBBS that he’d heard that a british concern was trying to buy the Star/Stella tooling from LML, not with the intention of producing the bikes, but simply to prevent its destruction. Today a rumor is circulating that LML distributors have been contacted by LML and notified that the Star would no longer be produced. Both these rumors are thirdhand and unsubstantiated, and it’s unclear whether LML’s recent financial shuffling signals a plan to reorganize or a final cash-in to pay creditors. 2SB rarely posts rumors, but it sounds like we can expect big news about LML soon.

3 thoughts on “Two Stella/LML rumors:”

  1. OK – a little more Fool to the Fyre …

    Katherine and I rode her green Stella/hack rig over to Scooterworks yesterday so they could fix a niggling electrical fault – and while it was being wrenched on, I barged in on Mr McCaleb and his sales manager (?) who were gracious enough to spend quite a while chatting.

    Phillip’s take on Stella was “Stella is dead, Dead, DEAD! But, I may have a way to revive her …”

    I didn’t press too hard on the Stella topic, because I was more interested in the PGO 3-wheelers, but got the fairly strong impression that if Genuine is effectively out of the Stella business, and if they were to re-introduce Stella, it would be based on a PGO chassis with “a significantly upgraded 2-stroke engine and transaxle, possibly with an automatic option.”

    This Stella would be a very different creature, more like a Baron Retro than a true Vespa clone – so, it does look like Stella as we knew Her is indeed Dead.

    Cheers

    Jim

  2. More like a Baron Retro? That would be the worst move ever. I think (hope) Mr. McCaleb has more good sense than that.

  3. I called around various dealers in the Midwest looking for a black Stella. Nearly all the dealers I talked to expected more Stellas either in August or some time next year. One even said he was SURE they’d be more even after I told him about the various LML rumors. That dealer then called Genuine and called me back to tell me yes, in fact there would simply be no more Stellas, period.

    I’m sad to have this confirmed, but it seems unfair for Genuine not to be giving the dealers the straight scoop.

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