Vespa scooter in the old center of a village in Italy.
Originally, Piaggio was a (war) aircraft manufacturer that was no longer allowed to build aircraft after World War II. After all, Italy had collaborated with the Germans. Therefore, the Piaggio management decided to transform their production line into a scooter factory.
In 1946, Piaggio became famous for producing scooters that were named Vespa (wasp).
Many aircraft parts were initially used. For example, the front wheel was the nose wheel of the earlier planes, the engine was a modified starter motor, etc. Soon these scooters - designed by Corradino d'Ascanio - became popular in post-war Italy, where there was a great need for simple means of transportation. Vespa thus became a brand name.
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