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What Is A Vespa Scooter? |
By:
Rae Goodman |
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For nearly three to four decades the whole world was dominated by the vespa scooter. There was simply no alternative to vespa scooter. In countries like India you had to register your name in the waiting list if you wanted to buy a vespa scooter. This could take anything between two to seven years of waiting. The vespa scooter dominated the scooter world to such an extent. The vespa scooter has an interesting history.
There was some attempt to manufacture the scooter in 1935 itself.
As the cost was pretty heavy and the scooter had lot of technical difficulties these early attempts of commercializing the concept of the scooter had failed completely. The credit for commercializing the concept of the scooter globally goes to vespa scooter. The Second World War gave birth to lot many technical innovations. The scooter is also the product of the Second World War.
After Second World War there were lots many problems in Italy. Their aircraft industry was well developed. But after war there were restrictions on the capacities and capabilities of aircraft industry. The road infrastructure in Italy was in pretty bad shape due to bombing, after the war. It was not possible for aircraft industry to go into the car manufacturing. There was an urgent need for the personal transportation vehicle. This situation fuelled the birth of what we know as the vespa scooter today. Earnico Piaggio decided to leave aircraft industry and start the scooter industry.
In the war time USA was already using the scooters. These were extremely useful to combat bridge and road destroying war tactics of the Germans. Thus useful features of the scooter were already proved. The time was ripe to commercialize the concept. Here is an interesting twist in the birth of the vespa scooter.
The design of the first vespa scooter was produced by aeronautical engineer D’Ascaino. He was not the employee of the piaggio company. He was working in Innocenti Company. He designed the scooter. There were serious differences between him and the company. So he left the original company and joined the piaggio. The first prototype MP% scooter was produced in 1945 but Piaggio did not like it. It was modified as MP 6 prototype in 1946. The name vespa scooter was given as Piaggio had said at the demonstration " Sembra una vespa" It means
: It reminds me of the wasp! In Italian and Latin, vespa means wasp. So the name vespa scooter stuck to the scooter forever.
Today vespa scooter is well known global brand. There are thousands of vespa scooter dealers all over the world. The vespa scooter is a part of human culture and was seen in many films. The history of scooters can not be written without giving prominence to vespa scooter.
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Article Source: http://www.friendsofvista.org/articles/article25923.html |
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