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| Luxury Lifestyle: Autos & Vehicles, Motorcycles, Vespa Piaggio |
| cars - motorcycles - vintage |
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| Vespa is the most popular scooter worldwide, born in1946 by Piaggio in Pontedera, Italy, still manufactured today. During the second world war, Piaggio factory, an aircraft manufacturing company, was completely destroyed by bombing. Because of post war economic crises, Piaggio left producing airplanes and decided to manufacture a cheap vehicle for all poor Italian people that couldn’t buy a car. It was an extraordinary success, and Vespa was widely used in the ‘50s and '60s. Vespa has a pressed steel chassis that protects rider’s legs from rain and mud. |
| The direct drive engine placed on the right of rear wheel rather than between rider’s legs as on all motorcycles. Vespa by Piaggio revolutionized the motorcycle industry developing the vehicle of freedom for all European young people appreciated by both men, and women thanks to the pass through leg area design. |
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| Piaggio gave to Corradino D'Ascanio, an aeronautical engineer, the task to design a cheap, robust, and easy to drive for both men and women, vehicle. D'Ascanio designed a revolutionary vehicle that had nothing in common with any other motorcycles on the market. The name Vespa come from an exclamation of the president, Mr. Enrico Piaggio when he saw the first Vespa “is it a wasp?” Because of its shape and noise of the 2 stroke engine. the evident aerodynamic design, the design of body is part of chassis and come from aircraft technology. Piaggio sold 2.000 Vespa in the 1947, the first year, and more than 60.000 in 1950. In the 1952 Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck used a Vespa in the film Roman Holiday for a ride through Rome, it was the biggest ad campaign for a vehicle, Vespa sales growth to more than 100.000/year. |
| Vespa was manufactured under licence in several European countries, in India and South America. The original Vespa born as utility vehicle, become a symbol of freedom, in the 1960, the original Vespa was improved introducing a rear suspension, bigger engines 125cc and 150cc, and a more comfortable saddle, and a small size frame powered by a 50cc. |
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| The large frame Vespa is still in production while the production of small frame was stopped in ’80. In the ‘90 Vespa was in a big crisis, sold less than 1000 Vespa /year because of several reason such as high pollution of the 2stroke engine compared to Japanese 4stroke scooters, and old desigyn and technology. In 2000 it was launched a new model, modern style, lighter frame, a 4 stroke engine, and with an automatic gearbox rather than the classic 4 speed. |
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