A Brief History of the Vespa

“A Roman Chariot”

Just as Henry Ford created mass individual transport for the United States with the Model T, in 1946 Enrico Piaggio devised its counterpart, the Vespa, for Italy. Emerging from Worl War II, Piaggio quickly rebult its factory in Tuscany, focusing on providing the recovering nation with an economical and modern mode of transportation. Thus, the Vespa arose like a Phoenix from the ashes of War. Lina Wertmuller, the legendary Italian director, would call the Vespa “one of the first positive symbols of a rebuilt Italy…a symbol of its sunny, beautiful, simpatica and vital nature.

The iconic Vespa, considered the ultimate motor scooter, was originally a Early Scooter Riders utility vehicle. By the 1960’s, it had become an object of the Italians’ imagination, becoming one of the best known Italian trademarks in the world today.

Read more… »

History of Piaggio and Vespa Motor scooters

(Based on How to Restore and Maintain Your Vespa Motor scooter Book, by Bob Darnell & Bob Golfen)

The Vespa motor scooter is emblematic of all that is romantic and carefree about the Continental lifestyle, a virtual symbol of Italy, and a stylistic icon readily connected with youth and adventure. For many parts of the world, Vespa scooter are also a workhorse of basic transportation, a ubiquitous urban presence in European and Asian nation – the buzzing of motor scooter is still heard throughout ancient alleys and wide boulevard. With more than 15 million sold in a half-century of production, Vespa models are far and away the best-selling motor scooter of all time.

For Italians, the Vespa scooter has a broader meaning, symbolic of their country’s reemergence as a major industrial power from the shambles of World War II. It shows how a complex economic problem can be reduced to the elegant simplicity of a motor scooter. And Vespa designs serve to demonstrate the Italian sense of style and innovation.

From its roots of providing basic transportation and the bare beginnings of economic survival for the people of Italy devastated by World War II, to its role as treed-setting fashion accessory during the turbulent 1960s, the Vespa motor scooter has retained its general design and overall mission. The style and culture fit in well with today’s youth, who appreciate the retro charm and post-industrial. Old scooters fauns parked in garages and basements are being resurrected, restored, and ridden by a new generation.

Read more… »