By Kip Ewing
Kip Ewing's 1964 Vespa 90Few consumer products have born the mark of modern design with such longevity as the Vespa motorscooter. Just as trademarked names like Xerox and Kleenex have evolved into nouns to describe a type of device or product so has the shape of the Vespa become synonymous with the motorscooter itself. The streamlined shape of the original Vespa essentially defined culture's expectation of what a motorscooter should look like; past, present and future.
The Vespa was invented out of necessity, to provide transportation for a post-war Europe. Just as Germany produced the VW Beetle, Italy produced the Vespa. It was a radically new concept that went against every notion of motorcycle design and complimented the emerging discipline of industrial design.
Vespa was created by the Piaggio Company which had, to that time, been in the business of aircraft design. The task of inventing the Vespa fell to engineer Corradino D'Ascanio, son of Senator Rinaldo Piaggio, founder of Piaggio in Genoa. As far back as 1907, two wheeled machines which afforded some of the weather protection of the Vespa had been attempted with little success in the market. Prior to designing the Vespa, Corradino was a designer of aircraft engines. Given this history, Corradino's success is more notable as it was his first effort in the design of a two wheeled vehicle.
This background in aircraft design afforded Corradino a unique perspective in addressing the design of a motorcycle. He abandoned conventional notions of motorcycle design, such as; tube frames, twin tube forks, training arm rear suspensions, etc. and applied efficient principles of aircraft design. The front suspension of the Vespa, with its stub axle, is a direct application of the nose gear of an Italian fighter plane. This stub axle concept, applied to the rear wheel as well, which afforded easy tire replacement compared to a motorcycle with conventional forks. The unitized steel body of the scooter emulated the monocoque fuselage of an airplane and predated the unitized steel automobile body by many years. Such efficiency was also applied to the engine, which was an adaptation of an airplane's auxiliary power unit. The efficient design of the Vespa allowed for the incorporation of the engine and transmission into a common case, which actually formed the rear suspension arm of the scooter.
The fact that the design was licensed for manufacture in many countries afforded parts availability literally around the world. The Vespa solution of simultaneously addressing; Packaging, Styling, Mechanical Design, and Manufacturing influences the design of modern scooters and stands as one of the greatest achievements in Industrial Design and Engineering. Remarkable, given that the original was designed from scratch in a matter of a few weeks.
In the post-war era, few young people could afford an automobile. Given this dynamic, it immediately began to have an effect on youth culture. Many elements of the Vespa design complimented trends in post war culture and fashion. The enclosed motor protected the rider from oil, fuel, and moving parts associated with conventional motorcycles. The wide legshield and floorpan protected the rider from puddles and, to a lesser extent, foul weather. The stepthrough frame allowed lady riders to wear skirts. Vespas thus became canonized as a symbol of hip urban culture and immediately became a symbol of post-war cool. Perhaps there are few better portrayals of this influence than The Who's film Quadrophenia, where the fashion-conscious Mods drew the ire of the rough and rowdy Rockers who preferred their motorcycles.
Ursula Andres demonstrates the fashion friendly merits of the Vespa step-through frame.With all the modern scooters being marketed, the original Vespa remains the choice of true scooter aficionados. They remain as enjoyable to ride and easy to maintain as ever. I used one for daily transport yearround in sunnier climes. Thus, the influence of modern design (and the Vespa) will remain on the road for a very long time.
