The Best and Coolest Scooter-The Vespa

The Vespa has been around now for over 50 years and has ever since been found to be the coolest way to navigate the streets of Italy. Today the Vespa is associated with everything Italian from food to clothes.

Jamie Oliver is the latest celebrity to be seen riding the cool machine ,as he regularly shoots off on his Vespa on his shopping trips. Gwyneth Paltrow is also a fan of the Vespa.

The original idea for the Vespa came from Enrico Paggio, whose aim was to give all the Italian people a modern and reasonably priced mode of transport.Corradino d'Ascanio was an Aeronautical engineer who designed the Vespa, which was based on a small motorcycle designed for parachutists.

Sales of the Vespa made a slow start, but in 1953 sales hit the roof after the film Roman Holiday showed Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn touring Rome on a Vespa!At the height of the sixties it was reckoned one in fifty Italians owned a Vespa.

 The Vespa adopted it's name from the Italian word for wasp(many people think it is because of the high pitched sound of the engine).But actually it is due to it's  slick design;the thick rear ,narrow middle and eye catching handlebars that give them an antennae  look.

There have been a few tweaks to the Vaspa design over the years, and the Mod revolution increased it's popularity in the UK . People have remained loyal to the Vespa ,especially as  the use of scooters swill help ease congestion on the highways. The Vespa will definitely remain a favourite for many years to come!