During 68 years long career, Vespa has been produced in 13 countries and sold in about 20 million copies. Vespa story began as a cheap means of transport and time turned it into an icon of style.
After World War II, Italy lay in ruins. Most of the Italian industry worked for the army, and as the war ended, this market has virtually disappeared. Industrialist and aero engineer Enrico Piaggio had the idea of two-wheeled vehicle that supposed to be cheap and reliable. To create the first specimen of such a vehicle, the chosen one was Corradino D’Ascanio. When the prototype was completed, Piaggio was delighted. Due to design and the sound of its engine they named it Vespa, which means wasp in Italian.
After various tests and additional perfecting, Vespa has entered into production in 1946. Although the idea of a scooter was not new at the time, Vespa, thanks to its ingenious design, from the start managed to break away from the competition. Engine was hidden under the chassis reducing the possibility of soiling the driver with oil and dust. This way the “wasp” has become suitable and affordable for ladies also.
Popularity of the Vespa grew instantly and quickly outgrew the boundaries of Italy. Piaggio company began to export to many countries of Europe and the world. Its unique design and practicality were the winning combination. However, another factor significantly affected the popularity of the Vespa: Hollywood! Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn rode a Vespa in the film “Holiday in Rome” in 1953. Thousands of young people were willing to follow their example, just to ride and enjoy.
Although it has been more than seventy years since its inception, Vespa has survived. For all these years of service in cities from Los Angeles to Vladivostok, Vespa has gone through 20.000 mechanical changes, in 120 different models, that were sold in almost 20 million copies. Today it is one of the most popular scooters in the world, with an army of fans united in thousands of clubs worldwide.
Through license arrangements Vespa has been produced in many countries ( Germany, England, Belgium, France, Spain…..).
Indian factory LML ( Lohia Machines Ltd ), operated from 1983 to 1999 in joint venture agreement with Piaggio Italy and produced all Vespa models in that period (one of ten Vespas in Italy was produced in India by LML ). It is completely unjustified to consider that LML Vespa is not the same as the PIAGGIO Vespa.
Therefore, at the end of the story we are proud to present Vespa T5 150. Produced in 1990. Through pictures and specifications, enjoy the offered model.