The Vespa scooter started life as a practical means of personal transport designed to get a nation moving after the ravages of the Second World War. It quickly progressed to symbolize the Italian way of life, and it blends innovative mechanical design with an unmistakable Italian style. Now regarded as a design icon, it has been copied by many manufacturers, but never bettered. Let's examine the origins of the Vespa and list some of the more significant models from the early years.

Origins

Vespa Streamlined train in silver
Vespa
Before scooters, Vespa built locomotives, and here's a shot of one of them

Piaggio was formed in 1882 as a heavy engineering company, producing railway locomotives and rolling stock, before moving into the military sector, building submarines and airplanes under license from other manufacturers. By 1940, Piaggio was manufacturing trains, nautical fittings, aircraft engines, airplanes, trucks, trams, and buses. During the war, the Piaggio factory was all but destroyed by allied bombing, and, after the war ended, Italy’s economy was crippled and the roads' infrastructure in a terrible state. Italy urgently needed a modern and affordable mode of transport to get the country moving again and Enrico Piaggio, son of the founder Rinaldo Piaggio, made the decision to leave the aeronautical field to concentrate on this new requirement.

The First Attempt

Vespa Prototype in green
Vespa
Shot of the original - and rejected - Vespa prototype 

Even before the war had ended, Piaggio engineers were working on a design for a scooter, which featured bodywork that fully enclosed the mechanical elements and its small wheels. The resulting ‘Paperino MP5’ (‘Paperino’ is Italian for Donald Duck, MP5 is ‘Moto Piaggio No.5’) was distinctive, but didn’t find favor with Enrico Piaggio. He contracted aeronautical engineer Corradino D’Ascanio to redesign the scooter, despite the fact that D’Ascanio made it immediately known that he hated motorcycles, believing them to be bulky, dirty, and unreliable. Interestingly, D’Ascanio had already been consulted by Fernando Innocenti about scooter design. Innocenti would go on to create the Lambretta in direct competition to Piaggio’s Vespa.

Related: New Justin Bieber X Vespa Models Revealed

The Vespa Comes to Life

Vespa MP6 prototype in silver
Vespa
Second Vespa prototype and the one that went into production

D’Ascanio’s design placed the engine in a unit with the rear wheel, eliminating the need for a chain and the oil and dirt associated with that method of drive. The frame was a single spar that ran from the headstock to the rear in a large ‘U’ shape, leaving a space for the rider’s legs and featuring a stress-bearing panel at the front that protected the legs from road dirt flung up by other vehicles. The front wheel was mounted on single-sided suspension, and the front and rear wheels were interchangeable, with a spare wheel carried under one of the side panels at the back. When he first saw the design, Enrico Piaggio exclaimed, "Sembra una vespa!’" which means, ‘it looks like a wasp,’ ‘Vespa’ being the Latin for wasp. The bulbous rear, slim waist, and ‘antenna-like’ handlebars gave rise to this outburst, and a legend was born.

Into the Movies

Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn on a Vespa
Vespa
Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn on a Vespa from the movie Roman Holiday

Sales climbed ever faster from the introduction in 1947: 2,500 in the first year, 10,000 in the second, 20,000 in year three, and 60,000 in year four. But, the real marketing coup came when the Vespa was featured in the 1952 movie Roman Holiday, with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn riding through Rome on one. Sales shot up to 100,000 as a result and, from that moment onwards, the Vespa became more than merely a cheap and practical form of transport and came to symbolize freedom and imagination. By the mid-1950s, Vespas were being manufactured under license in Germany, the UK, France, Belgium, and Spain. By 1956, one million had been sold, with the two million mark coming up in 1960.

Related: The New Lego Vespa

The Vespa 98

Vespa 98: the first production Vespa
Vespa
Shot of the very first production Vespa, the 98

The very first Vespa model, powered by a 98cc two-stroke single-cylinder engine. Gears were changed via the left-hand twistgrip, operating the gearbox via rods. Sales were slow at first, but soon picked up when Vespa introduced payment by installments. Back then, as it is now, racing was an important marketing tool and Vespa produced the 98 Corsa Circuito racing model.

1950 Vespa Montlhery

Vespa Montlhery Streamlined Racing Scooter
Vespa
Image of the Vespa Montlhery Streamlined Racing Scooter

Just as racing was important, so was record-breaking in the early post-war years. Streamlining and light weight were prerequisites for this activity, and the Vespa Montlhéry was the result; featuring an alloy frame and streamlined (but very ugly) bodywork. Vespa spent 10 consecutive hours setting 17 world records with the machine including 1 hour (average speed 134 km/h); over 100 miles (average 129.7 km/h), 500 miles (average 123.9 km/h): 1,000 km (average 124.3 km/h), and 10 hours during which the Vespa covered 1,049 km. It was a remarkable achievement for a relatively new manufacturer, and, along with movie appearances, really put Vespa on the map.

Vespa Streamliner record breaker
Vespa
Shot of the Vespa Streamliner, the scooter with which the flying kilometer record was broken 

In 1951, the company went for the flying kilometer record with the Siluro - Italian for ‘torpedo.’ It set a record of 170.02km/h, covering the distance in 21.4 seconds, impressive for a 125cc-powered machine.

Related: Vespa in the Paris Dakar Rally

1955 Vespa GS

Silver Vespa GS
Vespa
Front shot of the Vespa GS

The model is beloved by British Mods! The 150 GS was seen as the sports model of the line-up, and it was hoped it would compete with small and light motorcycles currently in production. In production from ’55 to ’61, the engine produced eight horsepower, had a four-speed gearbox for the first time, and the wheels were enlarged to 10-inches. In six years of production, over 120,000 were built.

Onto Four Wheels

Vespa 400 car
Vespa
Shot of the Vespa 400, the company's first and only foray into four wheels

Corradino D’Ascanio, designer of the very first Vespa, hated motorcycles and always wanted to design a car. In 1957, he got his chance and the Vespa 400 was introduced. It was powered by a 393cc two-stroke engine that made 14 horsepower and over 30,000 copies were built. However, the arrival of the Austin Mini in 1959 effectively killed the market for the Vespa 400, as it did the so-called ‘bubble-car’ craze, as epitomized by various Heinkel and Messerschmitt models.

Related: 2019-2021 Vespa GTS Super300 HPE

1967 Vespa 125 Primavera

Vespa Primavera in white
Vespa
Shot of the Vespa Primavera in white

The model that many people associate with the Vespa name, largely because it has been produced for the longest time, through the 1970s, ‘80s, and 90s, and is still being produced today in PX form. It was made ever more practical with the extended wheelbase that made it easy to carry a pillion, while the performance of the two-stroke 125cc engine was enough to help it keep up with modern traffic.

1956 Vespa Troupes Aéro Portées (T.A.P.)

Vespa TAP military model
Vespa
Shot of the Vespa T.A.P., a model built for the French army

How can we leave out one of the most bizarre Vespas ever produced? In the mid-1950s, the French Ministry of Defense requested a Vespa converted for military use and the T.A.P. was born. Based on a 150cc Vespa model, the T.A.P. was equipped with a 75mm M20 recoilless rifle that was capable of firing armor-piercing rounds that could penetrate up to 100mm of steel armor plate. The scooters would be parachuted in pairs, with one carrying the gun and the other the ammunition. The gun was not designed to be fired from the scooter, but it could be, in an emergency, which must have boosted the acceleration more than a little. 600 copies were produced for the French Army.

FAQ

Q: How much does a Vespa cost?

Vespa scooters cost between $3,999 and $10,499

Q: Are Vespa scooters worth it?

Vespa scooters are expensive when compared to Japanese or Chinese scooters but they are extremely well made and reliable, as well as being stylish and practical.

Q: How fast does a Vespa Scooter go?

A Vespa 125 will achieve 60mph and a Vespa 300 will achieve 80mph