Vespa Club of Britain forum

History
Founded by Rinaldo Piaggio in 1884,


Piaggio initially produced locomotives and railway carriages. During World War I the company focused on producing airplanes.



During World War II the company produced fighter planes, but Piaggio emerged from the conflict with its Pontedera plant completely demolished by bombing. Italy's crippled economy and the disastrous state of the roads did not assist in the re-development of the automobile markets. Enrico Piaggio



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. The idea was to design an inexpensive vehicle for the masses.

Aeronautical engineer Corradino D'Ascanio


responsible for the design and construction of the first modern helicopter by Agusta, was given the job of designing a simple, robust and affordable vehicle by Enrico Piaggio. The vehicle had to be easy to drive for both men and women, be able to carry a passenger, and not get its driver's clothes dirty. Consequently, in 1946 Piaggio launched the Vespa (Italian for "wasp") scooter, and within 10 years over a million units had been produced.

Vespa
Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of Pontedera, Italy -- to a full line of scooters and one of seven companies today owned by Piaggio -- now Europe's largest manufacturer of two-wheeled vehicles and the world's fourth largest motorcycle manufacturer by unit sales.

1946 Vespa 98cc...


From their inception, Vespa scooters have been known for their painted, pressed steel unibody which combines a complete cowling for the engine (enclosing the mechanicals and concealing dirt or grease), a flat floorboard (providing foot protection), and a prominent front fairing (providing wind protection) -- into a structural unit as well as a singularly endearing and enduring shape.

As the first globally successful scooter, the Vespa has enjoyed tremendous prominence in popular culture -- and has become a symbol of stylish personal transportation.

Concept
The main stimulus for the design style of the Vespa dates back to Pre-WWII Cushman scooters made in Nebraska, USA. These olive green scooters were in Italy in large numbers, ordered originally by Washington as field transport for the Paratroops and Marines. The US military had used them to get around Nazi defence tactics of destroying roads and bridges in the Dolomites (a section of the Alps) and the Austrian border areas.


The product
D'Ascanio, who hated motorbikes, designed a revolutionary vehicle. It was built on a spar-frame with a handlebar gear change, and the engine mounted directly on to the rear wheel. The front protection "shield" kept the rider dry and clean in comparison to the open front end on motorcycles. The pass-through leg area design was geared towards all user groups, including women, as wearing dresses or skirts made riding a motorcycle a challenge. The front fork, like an aircraft's landing gear, allowed for easy wheel changing. The internal mesh transmission eliminated the standard motorcycle chain, a source of oil, dirt, and aesthetic misery.


This basic design allowed a series of features to be deployed on the frame, which would later allow quick development of new models. The original Vespa featured a rear pillion seat for a passenger, or optionally a storage compartment. The original front protection "shield" was a flat piece of aero metal; later this developed in to a twin skin to allow additional storage on the 'back of'/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 8-inch wheels that allowed a compact design and plenty of room for the rider's legs. The Vespa's enclosed, horizontally-mounted two-stroke 98cc engine acted directly on the rear drive wheel through a three-speed transmission. The twistgrip-controlled gear change involved a system of rods. The early engine had no cooling, but fan blades were soon attached to the flywheel (otherwise known as the magneto, which houses the points and generates electricity for the bike 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 mixture of two-stroke oil in the fuel produced high amounts of smoke, and the engine made a high buzzing sound like a wasp

The name Vespa
"Sembra una vespa!" ("It reminds me of a wasp!") exclaimed president Enrico Piaggio when he first laid eyes on what would become the most successful scooter of all time. The name stuck.


Vespa is both Latin and Italian for wasp—derived from both the high-pitched noise of the two-stroke engine, and adopted as a name for the vehicle in reference to its body shape: the thicker rear part connected to the front part by a narrow waist, and the steering rod resembled antennae.

Ape (pronounced Ah-pay), is Italian for bee. This was the three-wheeled variant used for commercial purposes, including the popular auto rickshaw.

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 reveal 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. But 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—then 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 side-saddled Gregory Peck's Vespa in the film Roman Holiday for a ride through Rome, resulting in over 100,000 sales. In 1956, John Wayne dismounted his horse in favor of the two-wheeler to originally get between takes on sets. By the end of the fifties, Lucia Bosé and her husband, the matador Dominguin, as well as Marlon Brando, Dean Martin, and the entertainer Abbe Lane had become Vespa owners. William Wyler filmed Ben Hur in Rome in 1959, allowing Charlton Heston 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. Between 1957 and 1961 a reverse-engineered and partially redesigned version of the Vespa was made in USSR under the name Vjatka-VP150

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 150cc engine, a long saddle, and the faired handlebar-headlamp unit. Then came the 50cc 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 50cc, 90cc, 100cc, and 125cc versions, all using an engine derived from the 50cc model of 1963, and the largeframe scooters in 125cc,150cc,160cc,180cc and 200cc displacements using engines derived from the redesigned 125cc engine from the late 50's.



The largeframe Vespa evolved into the PX range (still in production in 125 and 150cc versions - update Piagio just stopped production July 2007) in the late 70's, while the smallframe evolved into the PK range in the early 80's although some vintage-styled smallframes were produced for the Japanese market as late as the mid 90's.

The 1990s and beyond

By the early 1990s, Vespa was in crisis. Its models were selling slowly (in 1992 Piaggio sold just 800 units), two-strokes were being withdrawn around the world due to environmental concerns, new Asian manufacturers were stealing market share with cheaper/lighter bikes, and cars were very cheap. As a result, sales had fallen and production in Europe had been pulled back to Italy. Vespa needed a miracle—and a new model, beyond the PX.

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 50cc in either two-stroke or four-stroke, up to a 150cc four stroke. Plus, it was launched when traffic congestion in major European cities was on the increase, so the smaller wheel size didn't matter. It was a complete success, and allowed Vespa to re-enter the North American market in 2001 with a new, more modern style.

When Vespa celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1996, more than 15 million of the scooters had been sold worldwide, making it the most successful scooter of all time. Other companies vied with Piaggio for market share, but none came close to emulating the success—or romance—of Vespa. The nostalgic image of Vespa, however, could not hide the fact that Vespa was making a loss.

Under new ownership

In 2003, the company found itself close to bankruptcy. Continual management changes and millions spent on many different plans and products had saddled Piaggio with crushing debts and left it vulnerable to competition from cheaper Asian rivals.

In 1959, Piaggio came under the control of the Agnelli family, the owners of car maker Fiat SpA. 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 acquired Piaggio, but a quickly hoped-for sale was dashed by a failed joint venture in China.

Then came Roberto Colaninno: A lot of people told me I was crazy. Piaggio wasn't dying. It just needed to be treated better. Piaggio's finances were in a bad shape, but its brand was still well-known and its products were featuring in more Hollywood films thanks to the Vespa ET4. In October 2003, Colaninno made an initial investment of 100 million euros through his holding company Immsi SpA 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, and redesigned the factory so that every Piaggio scooter could be made on any assembly line.

Colaninno laid down some rules, and made quick changes: he didn't fire a single worker—a move which helped seduce the company's skeptical unions; all bonuses for blue-collar workers and management were based on the same criteria: profit margins and customer satisfaction. Air conditioning was installed in the factory, and he gave the company's engineers, who had been idled by the company's financial crisis, deadlines for projects. They rolled out two world firsts in 2004: a gas-electric hybrid scooter and a scooter with two wheels in front and one in back which grips the road better.

One of Piaggio's problems Mr. Colaninno couldn't fix from the inside was its scale. Even though Piaggio was the European market leader, it was dwarfed by rivals Honda and Yamaha. A year after rescuing Piaggio, Colaninno decided to salvage another Italian brand: scooter and motorcycle maker Aprilia. On July 11, 2006, shares of Piaggio & Co., became available to the general public through listing on the Milan [Italy] Stock Exchange or Borsa Italiana. Piaggio share prices, converted to US Dollars, may be found under the trading symbol: PIAGF.

Design Icon

With its elegant lines and classic aesthetics, the Vespa is recognized as the epitome of Italian design. There is a dramatic increase in the number of urban commuters who have purchased new or restored Vespas. The difficulty of parking cars and the Vespa's low running costs are two reasons for this upswing in Vespa (and other scooter) popularity. The cultural use of the scooter as a recreational vehicle with a sub-culture following in the USA/Canada and parts of Europe & Japan. 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

Vespa enthusiasts can visit the comprehensive Piaggio Museum & Gift Shop adjacent to the plant in central Pontedera, near Pisa, Tuscany. The permanent exhibition includes those items which toured prestigious venues such as the Guggenheim in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Also on display is, perhaps, the most famous Vespa of them all - the one personally customised by Salvador Dalí in 1962.

Europe

Vespa's largest market by all measures globally is still Italy, but as a result of the Mod youth revolution of the 1960s, the United Kingdom 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 - as opposed to their counterparts the Rockers, who rode classic British oily twins like Triumph Bonneville and BSAs, and needed to dress up in leather against both the elements and their oily bikes.



Mods would modify their Vespas, adding lights, mascots, accessories, various racks and crash bars (profusions of mirrors were NOT a 60's fashion it became one after the realease of the quadrophenia album and film which featured scooters customised this way in the 70's). The whole phenomenon was dramatised with varying degrees of accuracy in Quadrophenia,the film based on The Who album of the same name.



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 hit sales. Despite the introduction of the more modern 'P' range in the 70's however, the lack of development cost Vespa, and like other markets the sales fell off drastically in the economic boom 1980s. Then Vespa introduced the trendy automatic ET2, London introduced the congestion charge - and partly with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's indirect help from his BBC2 series - sales suddenly leap

North America

Much as Vespa had used the Cushman Army scooter as inspiration for its original design, Vespa in turn also made scooters for Sears and Cushman post World War II.

Imported by Morton Colby of the LLM Group , the Sears models were 3 and 4 speed 125 cc Vespas rebadged as Sears Allstate Cruiseaires. Innocenti also distributed their Lambretta brand via Montgomery Wards catalogue at this post WWII 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.

Bankruptcy of Vespa's American importer due to two expensive product liability lawsuits and increased competition from Japanese manufacturers caused a withdrawal from the US market in 1986.

Vespas would have completely disappeared from the American scene if it weren't for the enthusiasts who kept the 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 US market in 2001 with a new, more modern style ET series, in 50cc two and four stroke, and 150cc four stroke. 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, Calif.

In light of vastly increasing US sales, Vespa developed the GT, offered 200cc four stroke and a 125cc variant in Europe. In 2004 Vespa reintroduced a modernized PX 150 to the US. In the fall of 2005, Piaggio offered their largest Vespa scooter model ever, the 250cc engined GTS250 available in Europe with ABS.


Rest of world

Bangkok: Vespa in transport businessVespas acquired popularity beyond Europe and North America. In India, Piaggio transferred Vespa technology to Bajaj Auto. Bajaj used to sell in North America in the early 1980s but later withdrew from the market due to litigation threats from Piaggio.

Another Vespa clone producer in India was LML Motors. They were a large Piaggio parts provider and licensed to manufacture for the P series of Vespa scooters to the Asian markets. LML had manufactured a range of Vespa P series clones using their Piaggo/Vespa molds and machinery. Production of LML scooters has ceased after worker strikes and discontent at the LML factory progressed to a management lockout on March 7, 2006.

Though dominated by Honda and Japanese makes, Vespas are also widespread throughout Southeast Asia. Motor scooters remain economical forms of transport in the congested cities of Asia and there is a large manufacturing base of parts and accessories. The resurgence in interest in vintage motor scooters has also spawned the scooter restoration industry, with many restored Vespas being exported from Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia to the rest of the world. This has created controversy amongst scooter enthusiasts as the quality of the restorations vary greatly.

Famous Vespa riders

This is a list of famous people who have owned or ridden Vespas (not just for career or publicity purposes).

Ursula Andress - one of her payments was a Vespa
Mario Batali
Jean Paul Belmondo
Lucia Bosé (and her husband, the matador Dominguin)
Marlon Brando
Matthew Broderick - Owns Several Bikes GTS 250, 1963 GS160, previously rode a GT 200 in New York
Sandra Bullock
Charlie Chaplin - his daughter was photographed with his scooter
Gary Cooper
Robert De Niro
Gérard Depardieu
Leonardo DiCaprio
Salvador Dalí added his own touches in 1962. Dali's Vespa features the name of his muse and companion Gala as well as his infamous signature. Believed to be the most valuable Vespa currently in existence, it is on display at the Piaggio museum in Pontedera
Britt Ekland
Henry Fonda
James Gandolfini - has been seen riding a grey Vespa, and has also injured himself when he crashed his Vespa.
Zac Goldsmith
Carey Grant
Charlton Heston - rode one while filming Ben Hur in Rome
Dennis Hopper - his pillion was Steve McQueen, and they crashed it into a car door in New York. Neither had a licence
Milla Jovovich
Jay Kay (frontman of Jamiroquai) has a new Vespa Vintage GTV 250 scooter, and also owns the limited edition Vespa GT60, with only 999 in the collection worldwide
David Koch - limited edition GT60
Jane Krakowski - owns a gray LX150 Exalibur
Ashton Kutcher - around Los Angeles, it costs him $6 week in gas
A. G. Lafley, Chairman & CEO of Procter & Gamble - has several vintage models
Matt Lauer - bought a Vespa soon after doing a story on the reintroduction of the brand into the USA
Jay Leno - has three
Chris Martin of Coldplay and his wife Gwyneth Paltrow
Dean Martin
Jacques Nasser - has two
Jamie Oliver
Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband Chris Martin
Sarah Jessica Parker - rides the same Vespa(s) as her husband, Matthew Broderick
Steve Price - Australian radio presenter
Anthony Quinn - and his son Francesco
Mickey Rourke - arrested in November 2007 for operating his Vespa under the influence of alcohol.
Jerry Seinfeld - has more than one Vespa
Kevin Spacey
Steven Spielberg
Tori Spelling
John Wayne - originally rode one on set between takes, later drove one on the streets
Raquel Welch
Andrew White aka "Whitey" from the Kaiser Chiefs
Owen Wilson has a Blue Vespa LX
Tiger Woods - has two Vespas on his 155 foot yacht Privacy


Vespas in Film and Other Media

Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday.
Haruhara Haruko, from FLCL.The first fictional character highly associated with Vespa to have mass public attention was American newspaper reporter Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), in the Hollywood film Roman Holiday. Arguably, the original attention was for Audrey Hepburn's character who as a passenger rode in Italian side-saddle style. The Vespa featured highly in publicity for the film, and in the original poster, assisting greatly in marketing of the brand globally.


Films

This is a list of films that feature a Vespa for more than one sequence

Absolute Beginners - Directed by Julien Temple, starring David Bowie and Patsy Kensit
American Graffiti - Directed by George Lucas, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard and Harrison Ford. The character Toad crashes it into a vending machine in the opening minutes.
American Pie - Directed by Paul Weitz, starring Mena Suvari. Ridden by Paul Finch
An American in Paris - Directed by Vincente Minnelli, starring Gene Kelly
Alfie - both the original with Michael Caine and the re-make with Jude Law
Austin Powers - Directed by Jay Roach, starring Mike Myers and Elizabeth Hurley
Avanti! - Directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills-Both the Vespa and Ape are in this film
Barcelona - Directed by Whit Stillman, starring Taylor Nichols and Chris Eigeman-They are seen throughout the film on the street, and most notably one of the tradeshow girls is riding one
Bob the Butler - Ridden by Bob
Bourne Ultimatum, The - Directed by Paul Greengrass, starring Matt Damon and Julia Stiles-A Vespa is used for transportation around Tangier, Morocco by a CIA-contracted asset. It is later used to deliver a bomb
Caro diario and Palombella rossa - Directed by and starring Nanni Moretti
Chak De India - Shahrukh Khan - Coach of Indian Women's hockey Team
Chasing Liberty - Ben Calder (played by Matthew Goode) rode around Prague with Mandy Moore.
The Conversation - Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Gene Hackman and Harrison Ford
The Darjeeling Limited - Directed by Wes Anderson, starring Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and Adrien Brody-Vespa Ape
Dick Smart, Agent 2007 - features a flying and submersible Vespa, termed by the factory as the Vespa Alpha
Encino Man - Ridden by Stoney
Europa di notte (Europe by Night) - Directed by Alessandro Blasetti, starring Domenico Modugno
Jessica - Ridden by Angie Dickenson's character
L'avventura - Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, starring Gabriele Ferzetti and Monica Vitti
La dolce vita - Directed by Federico Fellini, starring Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg
Le Notti di Cabiria (The Nights of Cabiria) - Directed by Federico Fellini, starring Giulietta Masina-Two Vespa faro basso models are featured in a key scene
Lizzie McGuire - Hilary Duff's character Lizzie rode one with Paolo in Rome in The Lizzie McGuire Movie
The Happy Road - Directed by and starring Gene Kelly
Il Bidone (The Swindle) - Directed by Federico Fellini, starring Broderick Crawford and Giulietta Masini
The Interpreter - starring Nicole Kidman
Of Love and Shadows - Directed by Betty Kaplan, starring Antonio Banderas and Jennifer Connelly
Over the Hedge Ridden by the pizza deliverer.
Professor Nachtfalter - Directed by Rolf Meyer and starring Johannes Heesters and Gisela Schmidting, it was the first movie to feature the Vespa
Quadrophenia - Directed by Franc Roddam: musical with songs by The Who, starring Sting
Revenge of the Pink Panther - with Peter Sellers
Roman Holiday - with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn
Rome Adventure/Lovers Must Learn- Directed by Delmer Daves, starring Troy Donahue, Angie Dickinson and Suzanne Pleshette
Runaway Jury - Rachel Weisz character Marlee rides an ET4
The Russian Dolls - Cédric Klapisch, starring Romain Duris.
The Spy Who Loved Me - Ridden by Vivienne Michel
Saved! - staring Mandy Moore and Mary Louise Parker. Ridden by Patrick.
Saving Silverman - Ridden by Darren Silverman
Spaceballs - the character Princess Vespa of Druidia is named after the Vespa scooter
The Talented Mr. Ripley - Starring Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow
The World of Suzie Wong - Directed by Richard Quine, starring William Holden and Nancy Kwan
Transformers (film) - Directed by Michael Bay, starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox - Vespa's USA webpage is running a contest to win a Vespa like the one in Transformers (film)

Thanks for all the info Happy jack!

looks really good going to have a good read later cheers happy jack