Finally, no more walking. Finally, no more riding the tram. Freedom at last - thanks to VESPA. That was the advertisement for Italy's first motor scooter, which is now world famous. 75 years ago, aircraft manufacturer Enrico Piaggio registered the patent.
Photo: Javon Swaby on Pexels.com
To date, more than 20 (!!!) million Vespas have been sold worldwide. The Italian scooter has starred in more than 150 films. The Hollywood breakthrough came in 1956 with the film "A Heart and a Crown". Here Audrey Hepburn clings tightly to Gregory Peck during a Rome joyride - on a Vespa, of course.
But from the beginning: The Second World War and fascism are over. Freedom is back - but still you can't get around. Industry and transport are down.
Aircraft manufacturer Piaggio sees the US Army's small cargo scooters flying over the airfield. He commissioned engineer Corradino D'Ascanio (designer of the first Italian helicopter) to develop a similar device for transporting people.
D'Ascanio has no experience with two-wheelers. He builds the 3 hp two-stroke engine, which is normally used to start aircraft engines, directly onto a scooter rear wheel and places the handlebars on the front wheel. The front wheel is suspended only on a fork, just like on an aeroplane.
Piaggio's sheet metal factory still has intact sheet metal presses. The construction is covered with sheet metal. The design was inspired by the sweeping international aircraft construction. The curves were not in keeping with Italian taste at the time.
"It looks like a wasp," Piaggio is said to have exclaimed when he saw the finished scooter for the first time. Wasp is the Italian word for Vespa. The rest is history. On 23 April, a patent for Vespa was filed.
written by Adriano Pesca, first published on 29 November 2021
Cover photo: Piaggio Germany
Sources: Vespa.com; Deutschlandfunk - Hartmut Goege "75 years of Vespa patent"; Motorad Magazin: 75 Jahre Vespa
