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Behind the Wheel - Vespa Culture
By Amy Maestas
HISTORY OF THE VESPA
Out of the ashes of World War II was born Europe's most recognizable motor
icon - the Vespa. Countries across the globe were still recovering in
post-war 1946, when two Italian men invented the Vespa as a means of cheaper
transportation.
Industrial designer Corradino D'Ascanio, who helped develop the helicopter,
joined Enrico Piaggio, president of the family-run warplane factory, to
design the Vespa, which in its life of 53 years has seen nearly unparalleled
popularity in the scooter world. The name of the scooter came after the
design. The scooter is generally one piece - a sleek design with a wide
front-leg shield, bicycle-style handlebars, a hidden engine on the side,
footboards, small wheels, and a flared and rounded tail. It looks like what
Vespa means - a wasp.
The Vespa was cheap - to buy and to operate. It appealed to the masses. Men
used the scooter as a means of transportation and squeezed into tight parking
spots in crowded cities. Women were liberated by the bench seat, which
allowed them to wear tight skirts and ride without straddling and
compromising their femininity. Originally intended as a vehicle for married
couples, the Vespa soon transformed its purpose and was a means of conquest
for teen-age boys. Everyone began riding Vespas, including scores of
Hollywood actors on the silver screen.
Traffic gridlock, rising gas prices and parking problems - mostly in
progressive European cities - kept the Vespa alive well into the 1990s.
Though the scooter is not available for purchase (unless it is used) in the
United States, Piaggio is hoping to catch a technological edge with its new
fuel-injected, two-stroke engine model.
Piaggio also plans to begin selling Vespas in the United States this year.
Last summer the company announced its decision, citing a ripe climate to
reintroduce the scooter to people who value its "freedom, lifestyle and
fashion statements."
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