Vespa 50
The Vespa 50 was launched in 1963 in response to regulatory changes in Italy. By 2002, the Vespa 50 and its variants had sold roughly 1.42 million units across the world. This is a remarkable success for a vehicle which was launched to escape the regulatory constraints more than anything else. The popularity of ‘small body’ Vespa has grown through the decades. With the introduction of ‘Highway code’ in 1962, vehicles larger than 50cc were required to have a license plate. 14 years and above were allowed to ride scooters under 50cc without a license. Young riders who till then was a small share was rapidly becoming mobile and affluent. Vespa 50 circumvented the regulatory challenge and opened a hew world for the youngsters. The marketing campaign revolved around this. “Giovane, moderna e…senza documenti” or “Young, modern and… without papers” |
The Vespa 50 which was produced from 1963 to the 1990s, and over four million copies sold. When Piaggio started manufacturing the 50 series it was a completely new development. The spot welded from sheet metal shells self-supporting chassis was much smaller and lighter, there was only a small flap for access to the engine . This frameworkis referred to in the collectors scene as "Small Frame" . |