When was the vespa made

More than this, the Vespa — which happened to sound like a wasp, too — was fun. Especially so in a post-war Italy still recovering from the Allied bombings and that now turned to the production of modest machines for a domestic market longing for entertainment but with precious little to spend.

Women certainly loved the Vespa. Its appearance in Roman Holiday, the romantic comedy starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, is said to have been worth , sales. Perhaps it was. The glamorous Hollywood couple spun carefree around Rome on one of the scooters, aimlessly and stylishly.

Audiences wanted to do the same. As fuel prices have soared worldwide, and as urban commuting has become ever busier and parking spaces fewer, more people have taken to scooters. And, despite ambitious rivals over the years, the Vespa has been top of the polls since it first turned a pair of tiny pressed-steel wheels. Although thought of as essentially Italian, the idea for the motor scooter we know so well came to former Italian aero-engineers from watching US military aircraft drop tiny, olive green Cushman Airbornes to troops in the industrial heartlands of Milan and Turin fighting fierce German resistance.

Made in Nebraska, the Cushman Airborne — a skeletal steel motor scooter — allowed troops to nip about deftly as never before. Several rival scooters emerged from Germany, while Japan produced the Fuji Rabbit, which, like the Vespa, also debuted in Britain got in the act, too.

Who now remembers the fast, sweet-handling, twin-cylinder Triumph Tigress designed by Edward Turner in ? Vespa differs from other scooters in that its body frame is made entirely of steel stampings that are welded together, which is exactly how Piaggio made its airplanes.

The goal was to create a simple, robust and affordable vehicle, and the end result of their combined efforts was the Vespa, the scooter that would take the world by storm and become the benchmark for all mopeds. Piaggio Vespas would soon be swarming the streets of Italy with 1 million sold in the first 10 years of production. Vespas have been manufactured uninterrupted since at the Piaggio plant in Pontedera, near Pisa, in Tuscany, Italy. Vespas are more than just scooters.

Over the years, they have become an icon of Italian culture and of "made in Italy" itself. At the time, Piaggio was building in the aeronautical and naval field and the owners decided to reconvert the company in a new field: personal mobility. After the war, Italy had to start up again. And through this vehicle, simple, cheap, and for everyone, they thought they could give a significant contribution. Vespa has made and sold over 1. Vespa debuted in at the Rome Golf Club, and it quickly gained popularity.

It went from selling 2, scooters in to more than 20 times that in only three years, selling 60, in Vespa prices were very competitive, and this, together with its sleek design, is what turned it into a success. He designed this Vespa based on who was supposed to drive it but without the constraits of motorbikes back then.