Vespa Scooters

Vespa is an Italian line of scooters manufactured by Piaggio. The company has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 to a company with a full line of scooters. Today Vespa is 1 of 7 companies owned by Piaggio. Paggio is Europe's largest manufacturer of 2-wheeled vehicles and the world's 4th largest motorcycle manufacturer by unit sales. After World War II, Italy's aircraft industry was severely restricted in both capability and capacity. Piaggio's Pontedera fighter plane plant was completely demolished by bombing in World War II. Re-development of the automobile markets was made difficult by the state of Italy's roads and the crippling Italian economy. Enrico Piaggio, son of Piaggio's founder, Rinaldo Piaggio left the aeronautical field in order to address Italy's urgent need for a modern and affordable mode of transportation for the masses. Vespa was founded in 1946 in Florence, Italy. The Vespa was a huge success. Piaggio sold 2,500 units in 1947, over 10,000 units in 1948, 20,000 units in 1949, and over 60,000 units in 1950.

In 1952, Audrey Hepburn, the Hollywood actress side-saddled Gregory Peck's Vespa in the feature, Roman Holiday for a ride through Rome. This resulted in over 100,000 sales. In 1956, John Wayne, used a Vespa, originally to get between takes on sets. By the end of the 1950s Marlon Brando, Dean Martin and various others had become Vespa owners. Ben Hur was filmed in Rome in 1959, Charlton Heston took a spin on his Vespa between takes. By 1956 Vespa had already sold 1 million scooters. By 1960 they had sold 2 million. If you had a Vespa for sale in 1950s or 1960s you probably sold it quickly. By 1970, 4 million units had been sold. Sales reached 10 million units by the late 1980s. Vespa celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1996, by then more than 15 million of the scooters had been sold worldwide, making it the most successful scooter of all time. Vespa still continue to produce scooters today. It's not odd or strange to find Vespa classifieds in publications or Vespa fansites or fan clubs all over the globe.

Related Links:
Vespa - Official Website