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Few people know that, before becoming famous with Vespa, the Italian car company Piaggio used to be one of Europe’s leading civil and military aircraft production centers during the two world wars.
The history of scooters…
Established in the suburbs of Genoa, a prosperous city in Northern Italy in 1884. Rinaldo Piaggio – the father of the Piaggio brand was 20 years old at the time and the idea to give birth to a brand named after himself Rinaldo Piaggio Company.
In the early days of its establishment, Piaggio’s direction was quite chaotic and inconsistent. Initially, Piaggio was determined to focus on luxury seagoing yachts, then moved to produce railway wagons for transporting goods, high-class electric passenger cars for transporting passengers and special-purpose trucks. .
World War I brought about a new transformation in Piaggio’s manufacturing activities for the decades that followed.
Piaggio began to manufacture airplanes and seaplanes. At the same time, many new factories were sprung up, proving the company’s prosperity and success.
In 1917, Piaggio purchased a new factory in Pisa, and four years later through the acquisition of a small factory in Pontedera.
Piaggio officially became the center of aeronautical components production (supplying key components for the industry such as propellers, engines and complete aircraft, including civilian and bomber aircraft) for the entire aviation industry. Europe area.
For this reason, the company’s factories in Genoa, Finale Ligure and Pontedera became important military targets for Allied bombardment and suffered severe damage after the war.
The turning point in 1946…
After the war ended, Rinaldo Piaggio’s two sons, Enrico and Armando, immediately embarked on industrial reproduction, rebuilding the brand’s heyday.
However, the Italian economy at that time was almost completely paralyzed and the condition of the roads was so damaged that the pursuit of aviation became unsuitable.
Piaggio decided to leave the traditional manufacturing sector and turn to the idea of a low-cost personal transport that was beginning to take shape.
The most difficult thing at the moment is to rebuild and revive the most important production facility, the Pontedera factory.
The eldest son Enrico Piaggio decided to arrange the relocation of part of this factory to the city of Biella, in the northern province of Piedmont. Here, he carried out a major reform to bring the Piaggio brand to focus on personal mobility.
Enrico’s tuning showed a very good intuition, because it was later this product segment became Piaggio’s destiny, creating worldwide fame for the Italian car company.
In addition to the direction of Enrico Piaggio, the company’s great success is thanks in large part to the extraordinary design talent of the chief designer – inventor Corradino D’Ascanio (1891-1981).
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Since the end of the war, Enrico has been researching every solution to be able to create a scooter model based on the model of small motorcycles produced specifically for paratroopers.
Vespa’s original prototype was the MP5, nicknamed “Paperino” (Italian for Donald duck) because of its odd shape. But Enrico Piaggio did not like this product and asked Corradino D’Ascanio to redesign it.
D’Ascanio was originally an aeronautical engineer, so he did not have much passion for motorcycles.
The problem to be solved is…
He found them uncomfortable to use, bulky with wheels, and easy to get into trouble if the tires were flat, which is never the case with airplanes.
Worse still, when there was a problem with the drive, they would definitely get their hands and feet dirty, clothes that might not have solved everything (note that at that time motorbikes were not popular, and of course car repair profession is not yet popular).
However, the close friendship and camaraderie with Enrico did not allow D’Ascanio to give up his career at Piaggio.
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And anything will work out…
When he was determined to stick with it, his long experience in the aviation industry helped him quickly find answers to all problems.
To eliminate bad effects during operation and make the car easier to use, he put the gear lever in the steering wheel (what today is an automatic in the throttle).
To make it easier to replace a tire every time it was blown, he created a storage box similar to the luggage compartment on an airplane.
In the end, he created an incredibly perfect product – what has now become a masterpiece of mankind.
A whole decade before the United Nations Health Agency published the results of the most scientific posture in human work, Vespa’s seat design and driving posture had reached the level of helping people use comfortably and safely for hours on the road.
Corradino D’Ascanio’s work was completely unique and revolutionary compared to all other two-wheeled transportation available at the time. And when he saw it for the first time, owner Enrico Piaggio had to say with all surprise and delight: “It looks like a bee”. And so the legendary name Vespa (Italian for bee) was born.
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Even the cardinal must be moved
On April 23, 1946, Piaggio & CSPA officially registered a patent for Vespa to the Central Patent Office, the Italian Ministry of Industry and Trade in Florence with the following description: “a sample” gasoline engine vehicle, complex of many parts, including mechanical components”.
In just a short time, Vespa received copyright and patent registration and began to appear officially to the public.
Choosing the launch event was a gathering of Rome’s elegant Golf club giants, including the presence of a number of American generals – who represented the allied government, the car was The players immediately noticed by the unique look unmatched on the market.
Later, Italians encountered the first image of the Vespa on the front pages of Motor (issued March 24, 1946) and La Moto (issued April 15 of the same year).
Not stopping, Piaggio continued to shock the Milan Show Exhibition that took place a few months later when demonstrating the actual operation of Vespa. Immediately the car received special attention from Cardinal Schuster.
Admittedly, “it is only flour that makes the paste”. It is not by chance that Vespa has the ability to break the market so strongly. Its unique design makes the whole human civilization to this day still have to admire and many people are crazy to become the owner.
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From skepticism to absolute recognition
The first Vespa in history with a displacement of 98cc is sold at two prices: 55,000 Lira (Italian currency) for the regular version and 61,000 Lira for the premium version with some additional options including a watch speedometer, side drums and a white, rear-mounted style spare tire.
Welcoming a new member with a completely different style, the market was then divided into two streams of opinion: one was those who judged the Vespa to be the realization of a great idea, and the other was the skeptics, not ready to accept such a breakthrough.
Initially, when facing a negative reaction to Vespa, Enrico Piaggio planned to choose Count Parodi – the prestigious motorcycle manufacturer Moto Guzzi as the exclusive distributor of Vespa, in order to help his new model increase in popularity. enter the retail network of a more well-known brand, have a higher chance of survival. However, Count Parodi vehemently refused.
The humiliating failure in the first partnership made many public believe that Vespa would soon fail. Fortunately for Enrico (and perhaps for Vespa enthusiasts today) is Lancia – another well-known distributor who has accepted the sponsorship of Vespa.
Finding a strategic partner, in the last months of 1947, Piaggio focused on boosting production and the following year the 125cc Vespa appeared, quickly proving to be a solid successor to the first Vespa 98cc.
The difficult period is over, Vespa has really become a “miracle”. Production output from a mere 2,484 units in 1946 increased to 10,535 units within a year and by 1948, total production had jumped to 19,822 units.
After establishing a reputation in the domestic market, Piaggio began to bring Vespa to fight abroad.
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The world showed real interest in the new scooter model, the public and the press expressed both curiosity and admiration. The Times called it “an Italian product”. Realizing the strong spread of Vespa, Enrico Piaggio continued its outward strategy, creating an extensive service network throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
He maintained the constant attention of public opinion, even mixed opinions around his products to create a buzz, besides creating a series of Vespa fan clubs systematically. system. No less than 20,000 Vespa enthusiasts from all over the world were present in Italy on “Vespa Day” in 1951, less than 5 years after the pet brand was born.
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The business prospects of Vespa Piaggio grew stronger and stronger, transcending national borders and in 1953, thanks to tireless efforts and determination, it had more than 10,000 service points worldwide, including Europe, America and Asia.
Appearing anytime, anywhere, from movies, literature, advertising to real life, Vespa has gradually become one of the most important symbols demonstrating the intense vitality of a changing society. bright.
In 1950, just four years after its launch, Vespa began to be officially produced in Germany by the Hoffman-Werke partner; subsequently obtained production license in the UK (by Douglas Bristol) and in France (by ACMA Paris), before being introduced in Madrid, Spain in 1953 under the brand name Piaggio España.
On February 22, 1964, Enrico Piaggio acquired all shares of his brother Armando’s shares in Piaggio & CSPA, officially taking over all power at the company and focusing on driving Piaggio to follow the era strategy. take off.
Over a long period of history, Vespa has become a monument to contemporary Italian culture, becoming the pride of Europe and beating the hearts of tens of millions of fans around the world. In Vietnam, the name Vespa also makes no less than hundreds of thousands of car enthusiasts excited every time it is mentioned.
New era…
In the fall of 2000, the ET4 50 was the first “Vespino” equipped with a 4-stroke engine. The record distance (500 km/fuel tank) that the car travels has helped Vespa set a milestone in the digital era.
Today, the 946 represents Vespa’s ambition to open a new door to the future while not forgetting to honor invaluable heritage. And that is what makes a legend.
