![PerthVespa](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/PerthVespa.jpg)
Vespa () is an Italian luxury brand of
scooters
Scooter may refer to:
Vehicles
Ground
Human or gravity powered
* Eccentric-hub scooter, propelled by a standing rider making a bouncing motion
* Kick scooter, propelled by a standing rider pushing off the ground
* Knee scooter, a mobility device ...
and
moped
A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. The term used to mean a similar vehicle except with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle engine. Mopeds typic ...
s manufactured by
Piaggio
Piaggio & C. SpA (Piaggio ) is an Italian motor vehicle manufacturer, which produces a range of two-wheeled motor vehicles and compact commercial vehicles under seven brands: Piaggio, Vespa, Gilera, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Derbi, and Scarabeo. Its ...
. The name means
wasp
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...
in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of
Pontedera
Pontedera (; la, Pons Herae) is an italian comune with a population of 29.270 inhabitants, located in the province of Pisa, Tuscany, Central Italy, central Italy.
The town is located 20 km (12 miles) from Pisa and 50 km (31 miles) from Florenc ...
, Italy to a full line of scooters and one of seven companies today owned by Piaggio.
From their inception, Vespa scooters have been known for their painted, pressed steel unibody which combines, in a unified structural unit, a complete cowling for the engine (enclosing the engine mechanism and concealing dirt or grease), a flat floorboard (providing foot protection), and a prominent front fairing (providing wind protection).
History
![Vespamilitare](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Vespamilitare.jpg)
After World War II, in light of its agreement to cease war activities with the Allies, Italy had its aircraft industry severely restricted in both capability and capacity.
Piaggio emerged from the conflict with its
Pontedera
Pontedera (; la, Pons Herae) is an italian comune with a population of 29.270 inhabitants, located in the province of Pisa, Tuscany, Central Italy, central Italy.
The town is located 20 km (12 miles) from Pisa and 50 km (31 miles) from Florenc ...
bomber plane plant demolished by bombing. Italy's crippled economy, and the disastrous state of its roads, were not immediately conducive to the re-development of the automobile market.
Enrico Piaggio
Enrico Piaggio (22 February 1905 – 16 October 1965) was an Italian industrialist.
Life
Piaggio was born in Pegli, which at that time was an independent municipality. His father was Rinaldo Piaggio, the founder of Piaggio. He graduated with a d ...
, the son of Piaggio's founder Rinaldo Piaggio, decided to leave the aeronautical field in order to address Italy's urgent need for a modern and affordable mode of transportation for the masses.
Design
![Biella-MP5 Piaggio Paperino](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Biella-MP5_Piaggio_Paperino.jpg)
In 1944, Piaggio engineers Renzo Spolti and Vittorio Casini designed a motorcycle with bodywork fully enclosing the drivetrain and forming a tall splash guard at the front. In addition to the bodywork, the design included handlebar-mounted controls, forced air cooling, wheels of small diameter, and a tall central section that had to be straddled. Officially known as the MP5 ("Moto Piaggio no. 5"), the prototype was nicknamed "Paperino" (meaning "Donald Duck" in Italian).
Piaggio was displeased with the MP5, especially the tall central section. He contracted
aeronautical engineer
Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...
Corradino D'Ascanio
General Corradino D'Ascanio (1 February 1891 in Popoli, Pescara – 6 August 1981 in Pisa) was an Italian aeronautical engineer. D'Ascanio designed the first production helicopter, for Agusta, and designed the first motor scooter for Ferdin ...
, to redesign the scooter.
D'Ascanio, who had earlier been consulted by
Ferdinando Innocenti
Ferdinando Innocenti (; 1 September 1891, in Pescia, Italy – 21 June 1966, in Varese) was an Italian businessman who founded the machinery-works company Innocenti and was the creator of the Lambretta motorscooter.
Innocenti started worki ...
about scooter design and manufacture, made it immediately known that he hated motorcycles, believing them to be bulky, dirty, and unreliable.
D'Ascanio's MP6 prototype had its engine mounted beside the rear wheel. The wheel was driven directly from the transmission, eliminating the drive chain and the oil and dirt associated with it. The prototype had a unit spar frame with stress-bearing steel outer panels.
These changes allowed the MP6 to have a step-through design instead of a tall centre section like that of the MP5 Paperino. The MP6 design also included a single-sided front suspension, interchangeable front and rear wheels mounted on stub axles, and a spare wheel. Other features of the MP6 were similar to those on the Paperino, including the handlebar-mounted controls and the enclosed bodywork with the tall front splash guard.
Upon seeing the MP6 for the first time, Enrico Piaggio exclaimed: "Sembra una vespa!" ("It looks like a wasp!") Piaggio effectively named his new scooter on the spot.
''Vespa'' is both
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
and Italian for wasp—derived from the vehicle's body shape: the thicker rear part connected to the front part by a narrow waist, and the steering rod resembled
antennae.
Product
![PepperBoxVespa](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/PepperBoxVespa.jpg)
On 23 April 1946, at 12 o'clock in the central office for inventions, models and makes of the
Ministry of Industry and Commerce in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
, Piaggio e C. S.p.A. took out a patent for a "motorcycle of a rational complexity of organs and elements combined with a frame with mudguards and a casing covering the whole mechanical part".
[Vespa - A Story of Success](_blank)
/ref>
The basic patented design allowed a series of features to be deployed on the spar-frame that would later allow quick development of new models. The original Vespa featured a rear pillion
A pillion is a secondary pad, cushion, or seat behind the main seat or saddle on a horse, motorcycle, bicycle or moped. A passenger in this seat is said to "ride pillion". The word is derived from the Scottish Gaelic for "little rug", ''pillean' ...
seat for a passenger, or optionally a storage compartment. The original front protection "shield" was a flat piece of aero metal; later, this developed into a twin skin to allow additional storage behind the front shield, similar to the glove compartment in a car. The fuel cap was located underneath the (hinged) seat, which saved the cost of an additional lock on the fuel cap or need for additional metal work on the smooth skin.
The scooter had rigid rear suspension and small wheels that allowed a compact design and plenty of room for the rider's legs. The Vespa's enclosed, horizontally mounted 98 cc two-stroke engine
A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...
acted directly on the rear drive wheel through a three-speed transmission. The twistgrip
A twistgrip is a handle that can be twisted to operate a control. It is commonly found as a motorcycle's right handlebar grip to control the throttle, but is sometimes found elsewhere, such as on a bicycle as a gearshift, and in helicopters.
His ...
-controlled gear change involved a system of rods. The early engine had no forced-air cooling, but fan blades were soon attached to the magneto
A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...
-flywheel (which houses the points and generates electricity for accessories and for the engine's spark) to push air over the cylinder's cooling fins. The modern Vespa engine is still cooled this way.
The MP6 prototype had large grilles on the front and rear of the rear fender covering the engine. This was done to allow air in to cool the engine, as the prototype did not have fan cooling. A cooling fan similar to that used on the MP5 "Paperino" prototype was included in the design of the production Vespa, and the grilles were removed from the fender.
Launch
Piaggio filed a patent for the Vespa scooter design in April 1946. The application documents referred to a "model of a practical nature" for a "motorcycle with rationally placed parts and elements with a frame combining with mudguards and engine-cowling covering all working parts", of which "the whole constitutes a rational, comfortable motorcycle offering protection from mud and dust without jeopardizing requirements of appearance and elegance". The patent was approved the following December.
The first 13 examples appeared in spring 1946, and revealed their aeronautical background. In the first examples, one can recognize the typical aircraft technology. Attention to aerodynamics is evident in all the design, in particular on the tail. It was also one of the first vehicles to use monocoque construction (where the body is an integral part of the chassis).
The company was aiming to manufacture the new Vespa in large numbers, and their longstanding industrial experience led to an efficient Ford-style volume production line. The scooter was presented to the press at Rome Golf Club, where journalists were apparently mystified by the strange, pastel coloured, toy-like object on display. However, the road tests were encouraging, and even with no rear suspension the machine was more manoeuvrable and comfortable to ride than a traditional motorcycle.
Following its public debut at the 1946 Milan Fair, the first fifty sold slowly. With the introduction of payment by installments, sales took off.
Sales and development
Piaggio sold some 2,500 Vespas in 1947, over 10,000 in 1948, 20,000 in 1949, and over 60,000 in 1950.
The biggest sales promo ever was Hollywood. In 1952, Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, t ...
side-saddled Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...
's Vespa in the feature film ''Roman Holiday
''Roman Holiday'' is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a princess out to see Rome on her own and Gregory Peck as a reporter. Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actress f ...
'' for a ride through Rome, resulting in over 100,000 sales. In 1956, John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...
dismounted his horse in favor of the two-wheeler to originally get between takes on sets. as well as Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...
, Dean Martin
Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...
, and the entertainer Abbe Lane
Abbe Lane (born Francine Lassman; December 14, 1931) is an American singer and actress. Lane was known in the 1950s and 1960s for her revealing outfits and sultry style of performing. Her first marriage was as the fourth wife of Latin bandleader ...
had become Vespa owners. William Wyler
William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for ''Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), ''The Best Years of O ...
filmed '' Ben Hur'' in Rome in 1959, allowing Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist.
As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...
to abandon horse and chariot between takes to take a spin on the Vespa.
Vespa clubs popped up throughout Europe, and by 1952, worldwide Vespa Club membership had surpassed 50,000. By the mid-1950s, Vespas were being manufactured under licence in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Spain; in the 1960s, production was started in India, Brazil and Indonesia. By 1956, one million had been sold, then two million by 1960. By the 1960s, the Vespa—originally conceived as a utility vehicle—had come to symbolize freedom and imagination, and resulted in further sales boosts: four million by 1970, and ten million by the late 1980s.
Improvements were made to the original design and new models were introduced. The 1948 Vespa 125 had rear suspension and a bigger engine. The headlamp was moved up to the handlebars in 1953 and had more engine power and a restyled rear fairing. A cheaper spartan version was also available. One of the best-loved models was the Vespa 150 GS introduced in 1955 with a 150 cc engine, a long saddle, and the faired handlebar-headlamp unit. Then came the 50 cc of 1963, and in 1968 Vespa 125 Primavera became one of the most durable of all.
Vespas came in two sizes, referred to as "largeframe" and "smallframe". The smallframe scooters came in 50 cc, 90 cc, 100 cc, and 125 cc versions, all using an engine derived from the 50 cc model of 1963, and the largeframe scooters in 125 cc, 150 cc, 160 cc, 180 cc, and 200 cc displacements using engines derived from the redesigned 125 cc VNA engine from 1957.
The largeframe Vespa evolved into the PX range in the late 1970s and was produced in 125, 150 and 200 cc versions until July 2007. Starting in 1981, an 80cc version was available as well. Piaggio reintroduced the PX 125 and 150 models in 2011, with a revised EURO3 compliant engine.
The smallframe evolved into the PK range in the early 1980s, although some vintage-styled smallframes were produced for the Japanese market as late as the mid-1990s.
1950s and beyond
The ET model range stuck true to the wasp/aero design principles. It was lighter, more aerodynamic, had an automatic gearbox and could take a series of engines from a 50 cc in either two-stroke
A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being comple ...
or four-stroke
A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...
, up to a 150 cc four stroke.
Under new ownership
In 1959 Piaggio came under the control of the Agnelli family, the owners of car maker Fiat S.p.A.
Fiat S.p.A., or ''Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino'' (Italian Automobile Factory of Turin), was an Italian holding company whose original and core activities were in the automotive industry, and that was succeeded by Fiat Chrysler Automobi ...
Vespa thrived until 1992 when Giovanni Alberto Agnelli became CEO, but Agnelli was already suffering from cancer and died in 1997. In 1999 Morgan Grenfell Private Equity
Morgan, Grenfell & Co. was a leading London-based investment bank regarded as one of the oldest and once most influential British merchant banks. It had its origins in a merchant banking business commenced by George Peabody. Junius Spencer Morgan ...
acquired Piaggio, but a quickly hoped-for sale was dashed by a failed joint venture in China.
By 2003, the company found itself close to bankruptcy. Continual management changes and great sums spent on many different plans and products had saddled Piaggio with debt and left it vulnerable to competition from cheaper Asian rivals. Despite this, the brand was still well-known and products like the Vespa ET4 were gaining positive publicity. In October 2003 Roberto Colaninno made an initial investment of €100 million through his holding company Immsi S.p.A. in exchange for just under a third of Piaggio and the mandate to run it. Chief executive Rocco Sabelli redesigned the factory to Japanese principles so that every Piaggio scooter could be made on any assembly line.
In 2004, the company introduced a gas-electric hybrid scooter and a scooter with two wheels at the front and one at the back.
Piaggio acquired scooter and motorcycle maker Aprilia
Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded immediately after World War II in Noale, Italy, by Alberto Beggio. The company started as a manufacturer of bicycles and moved on to manufacture scooters and small-capacity motorcycles. ...
in 2006 and in that same year Piaggio shares were launched onto the Borsa Italiana
Borsa Italiana, based in Milan, is the Italian stock exchange. It manages and organises domestic market, regulating procedures for admission and listing of companies and intermediaries and supervising disclosures for listed companies.italy24.ils ...
with the listing symbol PIAGF.
Re-entry to North America
Piaggio first came back into the market in 2001 with the ET2 (two stroke 50 cc) and ET4 (four stroke 150 cc). In 2004, the PX (model year 2005) was re-introduced to North America to meet market demand for the classic Vespa design. Growth in the US market and worldwide environmental concerns meant a need for larger and cleaner engines, so Vespa developed the LEADER (Low Emissions ADvanced Engine Range) series of four-stroke engines. The larger Granturismo frame, with larger wheels, was introduced to handle the additional power. The bike in 2006 spawned the iconic GTS-250ie version, with an upgraded suspension and the new QUASAR (QUArter-liter Smooth Augmented Range) 250 cc fuel-injected engine, capable of 80+ mph. As of the end of 2010 the GTS 250 has been replaced by the GTS 300 which has a 278cc fuel - injected engine. In 2005, the ET was withdrawn from Europe and North America and replaced by a new small-frame scooter, the LX range. These were available in the US in 50 cc and 150 cc versions, while Europeans could choose a 50 cc, 125 cc and 150 cc.
Design icon
In recent years, many urban commuters have purchased new or restored Vespas. A shortage of available parking for automobiles in large urban areas and the Vespa's low running costs are two reasons for the increase in Vespa (and other scooter) popularity. The cultural use of the scooter as a recreational vehicle with a sub-cultural following in the US, Canada and parts of Europe and Japan has also contributed to the rise in Vespa ownership. In contrast, the Vespa is considered a utilitarian vehicle for hauling products and sometimes up to 5 family members in much of Asia and Mexico.
This resurgence in interest in vintage motor scooters has also spawned a scooter restoration industry, with many restored Vespas being exported from Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia to the rest of the world.
There is a Piaggio Museum & Gift Shop adjacent to the plant in central Pontedera, near Pisa, Tuscany. The permanent exhibition includes those items which toured venues such as the Guggenheim in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Also on display is a model personally customised by Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...
in 1962.
The Miami Auto Museum
The Miami Auto Museum at the Dezer Collection was a privately owned museum in North Miami, Florida, that exhibited automobiles and related memorabilia collected by Michael Dezer. It has closed and is being moved to Orlando, Florida, to be open ...
in North Miami, Florida
North Miami is a suburban city located in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, about north of Miami. The city lies on Biscayne Bay and hosts the Biscayne Bay Campus of Florida International University, and the North Miami camp ...
, claims to have largest collection of Vespa scooters with over 400 items.
Global markets
Europe
Vespa's largest market by all measures globally is still Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, but as a result of the Mod subculture
Mod, from the word modernist, is a subculture that began in London and spread throughout Great Britain and elsewhere, eventually influencing fashions and trends in other countries, and continues today on a smaller scale. Focused on music and ...
that developed in the 1960s, the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
is still Vespa's second largest global market—and at one point in the 1960s, its largest. The appeal of the Vespa to the style-conscious mods was the weather protection. Their counterparts, the rockers rode classic British motorcycles such as Triumph Bonneville
The Triumph Bonneville is a standard motorcycle featuring a parallel-twin four-stroke engine and manufactured in three generations over three separate production runs.
The first two generations, by the defunct Triumph Engineering in Meriden, Wes ...
and BSAs, and needed to wear leathers against the elements. Mods would modify their Vespas, adding lights, mascots, accessories, various racks and crash bars. A new lifestyle evolved in the UK, with thousands attending scooter rallies
Scooter may refer to:
Vehicles
Ground
Human or gravity powered
* Eccentric-hub scooter, propelled by a standing rider making a bouncing motion
* Kick scooter, propelled by a standing rider pushing off the ground
* Knee scooter, a mobility device ...
.
The dominance of the Vespa declined through the 1970s, as small car ownership increased and cheap and reliable commuter bikes like the Honda Super Cub
The Honda Super Cub or Honda Cub is a Honda underbone motorcycle with a four-stroke single-cylinder engine ranging in displacement from .
In continuous manufacture since 1958 with production surpassing 60 million in 2008, 87 million in 2014, an ...
hit sales. Despite the introduction of the more modern 'P' range in the 1970s, the lack of development cost Vespa, and like other markets, the sales fell off drastically in the economic boom of the 1980s. Then Vespa introduced the trendy automatic ET2, the city of London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
introduced the congestion charge
Congestion pricing or congestion charges is a system of surcharging users of public goods that are subject to congestion through excess demand, such as through higher peak charges for use of bus services, electricity, metros, railways, tele ...
and—partly with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver
James Trevor Oliver MBE OSI (born 27 May 1975) is an English chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. He is known for his casual approach to cuisine, which has led him to front numerous television shows and open many restaurants.
Oliver reache ...
's indirect help from his BBC2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
TV series—sales suddenly leapt.
North America
Much as Vespa had used the Cushman Army scooter as inspiration for its original design, Vespa in turn made scooters for Sears, Roebuck & Company
Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ...
(labeled and marketed as "Allstate" scooters) and Cushman after World War II.
Imported by Morton Colby of Colby General Tire Company, 662 East Fordham Road, Bronx, New York, the Sears models were 3- and 4-speed 125 cc Vespas rebadged as Sears Allstate Cruiseaires. Innocenti also distributed their Lambretta
Lambretta () is the brand name of mainly motor scooters, initially manufactured in Milan, Italy, by Innocenti.
The name is derived from the word Lambrate, the suburb of Milan named after the river Lambro which flows through the area, and wher ...
brand via Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a world-pioneering mail-order business and later also a leading department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001. The curren ...
's catalogue during this post-World War II period. These were the premier brands of scooters, bringing premium pricing to many, including farmers, whose link to the outside world was via purchases made in these catalogues. Cushman sold rebadged Vespa scooters as Cushmans, but many Cushman dealers refused to market a "foreign" machine. However, collectors prize the Cushman Vespa because it is relatively rare.
Two expensive product-liability lawsuits, increased competition from Japanese scooters, and certain states' passing so-called "green laws" led to the bankruptcy of Vespa's American importer and the withdrawal of Vespa from the US market in late 1981.
During 1981–2001, despite an absence of United States domestic sales, Vespas continued to have a core group of enthusiasts who kept vintage scooters on the road by rebuilding, restoring, and adding performance-enhancing engine parts as the stock parts would wear out.
Vespa returned to the American market in 2001 with a new, more modern style ET series, in 50 cc two and four stroke, and 150 cc four-stroke. "These adjustments in engine power and the production of high-end “touring” Vespas make it apt for long-distance driving." According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, U.S. scooter sales increased fivefold over six years, swelling from 12,000 units in 1997 to 69,000 units in 2002. Vespa sales in the U.S. increased 27 percent between 2001 and 2002. The 65 "Vespa Boutiques" scattered throughout the U.S. gave scooterists a place to buy, service, and customize Vespa scooters, and outfit themselves in everything from Vespa watches and helmets to Vespa jackets, T-shirts, and sunglasses. Vespa restarted its American sales effort, opening its first boutique on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, California
Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...
.
In light of vastly-increasing US sales, Vespa developed the GT, offered as a 200 cc four-stroke and a 125 cc variant in Europe. In 2004, Vespa reintroduced a modernized PX 150 to the United States. In the fall of 2005, Piaggio offered their largest-selling Vespa scooter ever, the 250 cc-engined GTS250, available in Europe with ABS. In 2009, Vespa released the GTS 300 which can cruise at .
Asia/Pacific
Vespa have exported Scooters to Australia since the 1960s. They have recently started exporting to India for the first time (traditionally, that market was served by licensed Indian versions of the Vespa made by LML and Bajaj). Vespa produces some of its scooters in Vietnam, and has also sold its Italian ones there.
Production outside Italy
Vespa scooters were sold beyond Europe and North America. When expanding into these markets it was common for Vespa to partner with, or license certain models to, existing manufacturers.
India
Piaggio first licensed the production of Vespa scooters in India to Bajaj Auto
Bajaj Auto Limited () is an Indian multinational automotive manufacturing company based in Pune. It manufactures motorcycles, scooters and auto rickshaws. Bajaj Auto is a part of the Bajaj Group. It was founded by Jamnalal Bajaj (1889–1942) ...
in the 1960s. In 1971, Piaggio's license was not renewed as a part of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...
's privatization programs. After the collaboration ended, Bajaj continued to produce scooters based on the Vespa design, namely the Chetak
Chetak or Cetak is the name given in traditional literature to the horse ridden by Maharana Pratap at the Battle of Haldighati, fought on 18 June 1576 at Haldighati, in the Aravalli Mountains of Rajasthan, in western India.
The story
Hi ...
.
Another Vespa partner in India was that of LML Motors. Beginning as a joint-venture with Piaggio in 1983, LML, in addition to being a large parts supplier for Piaggio, produced the P-Series scooters for the Indian market. In 1999, after protracted dispute with Piaggio, LML bought back Piaggio's stake in the company and the partnership ceased. LML continued to produce (and also exported) the P-Series variant known as the Stella
Stella or STELLA may refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media Comedy
*Stella (comedy group), a comedy troupe consisting of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain
Characters
*Stella (given name), including a list of characters with th ...
in the U.S. market and by other names in different markets. LML Factory which produced these P-Series variants issued a notice of insolvency on 2 June 2017 and closed down permanently in 2018.
In the 2012 Auto Expo held in New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
, the iconic Vespa re-entered the Indian market. Piaggio unveiled its range of scooters at the Expo. This became the first such venture of Piaggio in India without a local partner.
Indonesia
Danmotor Vespa Indonesia (DMVI) was a joint venture between Indonesian interests and the East Asiatic Company, which was based in Denmark. Between 1972 and 2001, it produced Vespas under licence for the Indonesian market.
In 1976 approximately 40,000 units were produced giving DMVI the third biggest share of the Indonesian scooter market. Government tax incentives allowed these scooters to be exported to Thailand at less than the domestic market price, so that they would be economically competitive.
DMVI only built 90 and 150cc models. From 1972 onwards the company was located at a purpose-built factory in Pulo Gadung
Pulo Gadung is a district (''kecamatan'') of East Jakarta, Indonesia.
Boundaries and position
Its limits are: the Bekasi Timur Raya – I Gusti Ngurah Rai road to the south, the Bekasi Raya road to the east, Perintis Kemerdekaan road to t ...
. This was greatly expanded in 1977 to also manufacture sub-components, following a government decree that a higher domestically-built proportion of these should be used. Sub-components were also bought from other Indonesian manufacturers after their quality had been approved by Piaggio.
Taiwan
Vespa has had various partnerships and presence in Taiwan. In 1965, Taiwan Vespa Co. Ltd was licensed for Vespa scooter production. From 1972 to 1982, Vespa entered into a collaboration with scooter manufacturer PGO. In 1978, Vespa entered into a collaboration with TGB, which to some extent, continues to this day (namely with CVT transmission production).
United Kingdom
In 1951, the financially troubled motorcycle manufacturer Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
*Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
*Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...
started production of Piaggio licensed Vespa scooters in Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, with a market to include some Commonwealth countries
The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of 56 sovereign states. Most of them were British colonies or dependencies of those colonies.
No one government in the Commonwealth exercises power over the others, as is the case in a po ...
as well as the UK. It was a year which also saw the first meeting of the newly-formed Vespa scooter clubs with nearly 20,000 riders showing up for the event. Westinghouse took over Douglas in 1955, and while motorcycle production was stopped in 1957, Vespa production in Britain continued until 1965.
Douglas was more than a simple assembly plant for parts imported from Piaggio; many of the models made by Douglas had a high percentage of content manufactured by Douglas (''eg cylinder heads, gear clusters, brake drums and other mechanical parts'') or by UK supply companies (''eg seats, carburetors, tyres, and some electrical components were made in the UK''). Models made by Douglas were primarily the Vespa 125 and 150 (VBB).
Douglas produced Vespas which were often outdated compared to current Italian models. Douglas failed to meet the production numbers hoped for by Piaggio, though after production ceased in 1965, Douglas remained the UK importer for Vespa scooters until its demise in 1982.
Spain
In 1953 a factory in Madrid began production of Motovespa
Motovespa or Moto Vespa is the Spanish license holder for the production of Vespa motor scooters. Motovespa has been taken over by Vespa parent manufacturer Piaggio.
These Spanish Vespas often differed in composition from their Italian counterpart ...
s, production continued until 2000. The factory was demolished in 2001.
Soviet Union
Between 1956 and 1966 an unauthorised, reverse-engineered
Reverse engineering (also known as backwards engineering or back engineering) is a process or method through which one attempts to understand through deductive reasoning how a previously made device, process, system, or piece of software accompli ...
version of the Vespa was built and sold in the USSR by Vyatka. This was withdrawn after protests by Piaggio.
Racing
In the 1950s and early 1960s, Vespa and Lambretta scooters were raced competitively against motorcycles, often winning the races. In the mid-1960s, motorcycle engines became larger and faster, and a gap was created—along with varying cc classifications. Since the 1980s, Vespa and Lambretta racing has grown into a serious sport in the United States. There are various classes in the United States, depending on the racing association. They are generally:
*Small Frame Class: Open class up to 152 cc
*Automatics Class
*Specials Class
Models
There have been 34 different versions of the Vespa. Today five series are in production: the classic manual transmission
A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission (mechanics), transmission ...
PX and the modern CVT transmission
A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is an automatic transmission that can change seamlessly through a continuous range of gear ratios. This contrasts with other transmissions that provide a limited number of gear ratios in fixed steps. T ...
S, LX, GT, and GTS.
Historic
* Paperino – the original prototype made in 1945 at Biella
* Vespa 150 TAP
The Vespa 150 TAP was an anti-tank Scooter (motorcycle), scooter made in the 1950s from a Vespa scooter for use with List of French paratrooper units, French paratroops (''troupes aéroportées'', TAP). Introduced in 1956 and updated in 1959, the ...
– A Vespa modified for the French paratroopers that carried (not fired) an antitank weapon.
* VNC Super 125
* VBC Super 150
* VBA 150
* VB1 150
* VBB 150
* 125 GT
* V9A
* VNA
* VNB 125
* Vespa U - U is for utilitaria (English - economic). 1953 model with a price of 110,000 Italian Lira (about US$175), 7,000 were produced
* GS 150
* GS 160
* SS 180
* Vespa 90 (3 spd)
* Vespa 50 (3 spd)
* SS50 (4 spd)
* SS90 (4 spd) - 90 SS Super Sprint
* 150 GL
* 90 Racer
* 125 TS
* 100 Sport
* 125 GTR
* VLB 150 Sprint
* VLB 150 Sprint Veloce (Vespa Sprint
Vespa Sprint is a 150cc, 2 stroke scooter made by Piaggio
Piaggio & C. SpA (Piaggio ) is an Italian motor vehicle manufacturer, which produces a range of two-wheeled motor vehicles and compact commercial vehicles under seven brands: Piaggio ...
)
* 180 Super Sport
* Rally 180
* Rally 200
* 125 Nuova (VMA-1T) - Prelude to Primavera
* Primavera 125 also ET3 (3 port version)
* PK 50
* PK 50 XL
* PK 50 Roma (Automatic)
* 50 S
* 50 Special
* 50 Special Elestart
* 50 Sprinter / 50 SR (D)
* 50 Special Revival (Limited to 3,000 Italy-only numbered units, released in 1991)
* COSA 1 - 125 cc, 150 cc, 200 cc
* COSA 2 - 125 cc, 150 cc, 200 cc
* P 80 / P 80 E (France)
* P 80 X / PX 80 E (France)
* PK 80 S / Elestart
* PK 80 S Automatica / Elestart
* PK 100 S / Elestart
* PK 100 S Automatica
*
PK 100 XL
*P125ETS
* PK 125 XL / Elestart
* PK 125 S
* PK 125 E
* PK 125 Automatica (automatic transmission)
* Vespa P 150 S
* P 125 X
* PX 125 E/Electronic
* P 200 E
* PX 200 E FL
* PX 200 Serie Speciale (Limited to 400 UK-only numbered units)
* T5 / Elestart (5 port engine 125 cc P series)
* T5 Classic (5 port engine 125 cc P series)
* T5 Millennium (5 port engine 125 cc P series) (Limited to 400 UK-only numbered units)
Recent
* ET2 50 - 2-stroke
* ET4 50 - 4-stroke
* ET4 125 (Euro Model)
* ET4 150 (Euro Model)
* ET4 150 (US model)
* ET8 150 (Eastern model)
* GT 125 (Granturismo 125)
* GT 200 (Granturismo 200)
* GTS 250ie
* GTS 250 Super - Only briefly sold in the US where the 278cc engine as used in the 300 Super had not yet been approved for use. Quickly replaced by the GTS 300 Super.
* PX 125
* PX 150 (reintroduced to US and Canadian Markets in 2004)
* PX 200
* PL 170
Current
*LX 50
*LX 125
* LX 150
*LXV 50 (65th anniversary variant of LX50)
*LXV 125 (65th anniversary variant of LX125)
*LXV 150 i.e.
*GT 60° 250 cc Limited Edition. 999 produced worldwide in unique colours and each one receiving a commemorative badge, personalized with the owner's initials. Features the front-fender-mounted headlight, shared only with the GTV 250.
*GTS 125
*GTS 150
* GTS 250ie
*GTS 250 i.e. abs
*GTS 300 (2010)
*GTS 300 Super (2008)
*GTV 125 (65th anniversary variant of GTS 125)
*GT 60 (60th anniversary limited run variant of GTS 250) Features the fender mounted headlight as a tribute to the original Vespas.
*GTV 250 Standard model based on the GTS250ie. Physically similar to the GT60, but available in a choice of colours.
*GTV 300ie
* PX 30 125 (A limited edition, only 1000 produced to celebrate the 30 years of the P range)
*New PX 2011 150 (and later also 125); not just a limited edition: in 2011 the PX series restarted to be produced in Italy after a 3-year absence because of the European Union restriction about Euro III
The European emission standards are vehicle emission standards for pollution from the use of new land surface vehicles sold in the European Union and EEA member states and the UK, and ships in EU waters. The standards are defined in a ser ...
engines emissions not followed. In occasion of the 150th anniversary of Italian union, Piaggio has proposed this special version, with a re-designed saddle but with the same "Vespa experience".
*S 50 and S 125 new model 2007, introduced at Milan Motorshow November 2006
*S 150 (2008)
*Zafferano 50 cc and 125 cc (A limited edition, only 200 produced)
*Vespa Primavera 50 / 125 (Starting in 2014, this will be the current model and replacing the LX)
*Vespa Sprint 50 / 125 (Starting in 2014, this will be the current model and replacing the S)
Vespa 946
The Vespa 946 is a scooter announced by Piaggio, to be sold under their Vespa brand starting in July 2013. Piaggio presented the retro-futurist Vespa Quarantasei concept
Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs.
They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by s ...
, based on the 1945 Vespa MP6 prototype, at the 2011 EICMA
EICMA (''Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori''), or the Milan Motorcycle Shows is an annual trade show in Milan, Italy featuring motorcycles
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-w ...
motorcycle show. The final production version, renamed the Vespa 946, appeared the following year, at EICMA 2012. The 946 will be fitted with Piaggio's new air-cooled
Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. In all combustion engines, a great percentage of the heat ge ...
, three-valve, single-cylinder engine
A single-cylinder engine, sometimes called a thumper, is a piston engine with one cylinder. This engine is often used for motorcycles, motor scooters, go-karts, all-terrain vehicles, radio-controlled vehicles, portable tools and garden machinery ...
, with a claimed output of for the displacement
Displacement may refer to:
Physical sciences
Mathematics and Physics
*Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
version, and for the version.[
]
Electric vehicles
Vespa Elettrica with a 2 kW battery and a range of . There will be an hybrid option as well with a range of 200 km. Piaggio started production in September 2018 and it was released at the beginning of 2019.
Hybrids
Piaggio/Vespa is developing a range of hybrid scooters. Two models are being developed at present, based on the Vespa LX 50 and the Piaggio X8
The Piaggio X8 is an Italian-made motor cycle, released in 2004 and available in 125 cc, 150 cc (Street Version), 250 cc, and 400 engine sizes by Piaggio. It has now been replaced by the Piaggio Xevo.
X8 250 cc
Now with a fue ...
125.
Specials
One-offs and special machines:
* Montlhéry – produced in 1950 to break world records on the French circuit of the same name. It smashed 17 records in 10 hours
* Torpedo – 1951 125 cc special with counter-opposing pistons. Dino Mazzoncini set the world record on the kilometre at an average of 171 km/h
See also
* List of companies of Italy
Italy is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe with the third largest nominal GDP in the Eurozone and the eighth largest in the world. As an advanced economy the country also has the sixth worldwide national wealth and it is ranked third fo ...
* List of motor scooter manufacturers and brands
Note there is no single fixed definition of a scooter (also known by the full name motor-scooter), but generally a smaller motorcycle with a step-through frame is considered a scooter, especially if it has a floor for the rider's feet (as oppos ...
* List of motorcycle manufacturers
The following is a list of motorcycle manufacturers worldwide, sorted by extant/extinct status and by country. These are producers whose motorcycles are available to the public, including both street legal as well as racetrack-only or off-road-o ...
* Vespa 400
The Vespa 400 is a rear-engined microcar, produced by ACMA in Fourchambault, France, from 1957 until 1961 to the designs of the Italian Piaggio company. Three different versions were sold, the "Luxe" , "Tourisme" and "GT".
Overview
The car ma ...
– a car also made by Piaggio
References
Citations
Sources
*Boni, Valeri. ''Vespa''. Pub: Rizzoli International Publications, 1 Feb 2007.
*Brockway, Eric. ''Vespa: An Illustrated History.'' Pub: Haynes Manuals Inc, 16 Aug 1999.
*Giorgio Sarti, Giorgio. ''1946–2006: 60 Years of the Vespa.'' Pub: J H Haynes & Co Ltd, 29 June 2006.
*Jean Goyard, Jean & Soler, Bernard. ''The A–Z of Classic Scooters: The Illustrated Guide to All Makes and Models.'' Pub: J H Haynes & Co Ltd, 18 Jan 2007.
External links
*
*
Vespa Vin Decoder
guide to decoding frame and engine numbers on older Vespas
Vespa at the Piaggio Museum
the official factory museum
summary of Peter Moore's travels in Italy on a Vespa (from The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
)
*
{{Authority control
Motor scooters
Motorcycle manufacturers of Italy
Piaggio Group
Piaggio motorcycles
Scooter manufacturers
Italian brands
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1946
1946 establishments in Italy
Transport in Italy
Road transport in Pakistan