The Vespa 200 GT

Forever Young

Few other popular creations – maybe a piping hot Neapolitan pizza – convey the life-loving verve of the Italian people than a Vespa. As our city planners and legislators grapple more with the effects of traffic congestion and dwindling resources, it wouldn't surprise me some 20 years down the line to find that the Vespa has become as common in the USA as the drive-through window in neighborhood burger joints. In cinematic terms, the "wasp" is already an American icon. Hollywood studios churned out 60 movies that featured the peppy import in 1962 alone, and leading lights John Steinbeck, William Holden, George Lucas, Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn all enjoyed the Vespa ride. You can always pop in a copy of Roman Holiday when you need a vicarious reminder of what it's like.

The Wasp Begins to Buzz
Rinaldo Piaggio was 20-years-old when he branched off from his father's timber concern and founded a ship outfitting company in 1884. Based in Genoa, he expanded to smaller marine craft, and later to land-based transportation, railway and automotive. In the early 1940's, he also invested in aeronautics.

And just as Henry Ford created a vehicle for the masses in his Model T, Enrico Piaggio, a son of the company founder, devised a postwar counterpart for Italians in 1946, the Vespa motor scooter.

Piaggio quickly rebuilt his bombed-out factory in the Tuscany town of Pontedera, and the Vespa rose from the ashes to become one of the first positive symbols of Italy reborn. Since then, the little Vespa has exemplified the country's beauty and its sunny, resilient, vital nature.

Piaggio enlisted the ingenuity of Corradino D'Ascanio, an aeronautical engineer who built the first modern helicopter, to create a simple, affordable vehicle, and tasked him with the goal of designing one that could be driven easily by men and women of any age. D'Ascanio came up with a 98cc scooter incorporating a radical design concept. The elegant body style protected the driver from road dirt and the elements. D'Ascanio moved the gearshift lever to the handlebar, positioned the engine back to the rear wheel, and he developed an aeronautical-style arm, similar to an aircraft carriage, to make tire changes easier. Combining the best elements of automotive, aeronautical and motorcycle design, the Vespa instantly became a model of design and economy. Upon seeing the original prototype, Piaggio's president remarked, "It looks like a wasp!" Thus the name Vespa....

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