With seventy years of history, the Vespa (which, fun fact, means wasp in English) has embedded itself into Italian culture. After its premiere in a golf club in Rome in April 1946 by Piaggo & Co., the Vespa was an immediate success but this success wasn’t contained in Italy for long. This new and innovative mode of transportation would soon take the world by storm. 

Since, its inception the Vespa has seen nearly 50 iterations. The most notable including 1951’s Vespa Siluro (Torpedo), a racing model that broke it’s own record, the flying kilometer with a time of 21.4 seconds. In the same year, Vespa introduced the sidecar to allow for a more comfortable passenger experience. Then, at the height of their success, Piaggo decided to enter into the world of four wheels with the small Vespa 400 but they didn’t stop there. Piaggo continued to push the limits of design and functionality in the years to follow. 

It wasn’t just the Vespa’s incredible design that contributed to it’s major success and recognition. The scooter also found it’s way into the hearts and minds of the public by entering into the Hollywood scene, through major films like Roman Holiday, Ciaro Diaro, and even Zoolander. The Vespa soon became the common travel companion of movie stars on at least one thousand film sets from Hollywood, Bollywood and European cinema. 

Over the years, Vespa has become an icon in its own right and will only continue to ingrain itself in cultures all over the world.