motorcycles

Vespa

Italy · Founded 1946

The Italian scooter that rebuilt postwar Europe and became a symbol of la dolce vita.

Heritage

Piaggio built aircraft during WWII. When Italy lost, they needed something else to make. Corradino D'Ascanio, an aeronautical engineer who hated motorcycles, designed the Vespa to be everything motorcycles weren't: clean, easy to ride, and able to protect your clothes. The monocoque steel body was aircraft thinking applied to transportation. Enrico Piaggio supposedly said 'Sembra una vespa!' (It looks like a wasp!) when he first saw it. 'Roman Holiday' made it a movie star. The Mods made it a subculture icon. Sixty million later, Vespa is still the scooter that all other scooters are measured against.

Visit official website →

Vespa Vehicles (1)

1965 Vespa 150 Super

1965 Vespa 150 Super

$4,000-12,000 Motorcycle
Engine: 145.5cc two-stroke single
Power: 8.2 hp @ 6,000 rpm
Trans: 4-speed twist-grip
Years: 1965-1979

The 150 Super is peak classic Vespa — the sweet spot between the too-small 50cc and the physically larger 200cc models. This is the Vespa of 'Roman Holiday,' of the Mods, of Italian summers and cafe stops. The 150 Super designation came in 1965, refining the already-legendary VBB line with better performance and styling. The monocoque body wasn't just stylish — it was an aircraft engineer's solution to keeping riders clean in an era of muddy roads. The twist-grip shift takes getting used to, but it's part of the charm. This is transportation as lifestyle.