Vespa 50 Super Sprint
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 50SS (or 50 Super Sprint from 1971) was a 50cc version of the 90SS with an elongated chrome exhaust and spare wheel located vertically on the platform with a glovebox fitted on top of the wheel. |