Atlantica - 01.06.2006, Page 10

AT L A N T I CA 9
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Va Va Vroom
She has suitors of all ages. Jamie Oliver. Sarah Jessica Parker and hubby
Matthew Broderick. Even Steven Spielberg has a soft spot for the
smooth lines and pastel colors that are the Vespa, the world’s bestselling
scooter celebrating its 60th birthday this year.
Vespa was born at Italian company Piaggio in 1946, manufactured to
rebuild both the company and the nation after the Second World War. The
creation was christened by Enrico Piaggio, the company’s president who
exclaimed, “It looks like a wasp!” when he saw his creation’s sleek design.
Vespa is the Italian word for “wasp.”
Since her inauspicious beginnings, Vespa has mushroomed from a cheap
and cheerful means of transportation to a modern design icon, made in 138
different versions, with over 17 million produced.
The Vespa’s new design and simple concept made her a hit from the
moment she parked on her first sidewalk. She was a fast and inexpensive
mode of transport, as easy for women in skirts to drive as for men, with
room for a passenger and even a colorful cover over the front wheel to
avoid dirt getting on stylish Italian clothing.
But Vespa’s first and perhaps most enduring romance was with Hollywood.
As early as 1952, Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck put-putted around
Italy’s capital in the film Roman Holiday, finding love and spawning a cult-
like following of the vehicle which drove them around the city’s beautiful
sites.
And Vespa remains alluring to this day. Travel writer Peter Moore, a man so
enamored with the Vespa he wrote a book, Vroom with a View, chronicling
his three-month journey on the scooter, wrote in the UK’s Observer
newspaper: “I’ve long had a theory that Vespas are a bit like Italians. They
are noisy and inconsiderate, yet fun to be around. They are impractical and
temperamental, yet effortlessly stylish.”
Even at 60, she is still beguiling and captivating all those who get to know
her. Vespa made scooters sexy. And she still does. Happy Birthday. ER
Vespa turns 60
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