Book Description

Now a venerable icon of Italian style, the internationally known quintessential scooter - the Vespa - was once a two-wheeled revolution, offering mobility to everyone. Today it has come to symbolize scootering status, style, and freedom. As Vespa reaches its 60s without showing a wrinkle, this book celebrates its decades of incomparable spirit. In glowing images and words, the book shows Vespa in its many guises—as the two-wheeled vehicle of the post-war economic boom; as the symbol of the forward-charging ideas of the 1960s; appearing in romantic films such as Roman Holiday; and promoted in delirious ads that claimed, “Whoever Vespas, eats apples.” Decades of period ads and famous calendars are included, as well as technical and production information on every model ever built, including rare prototypes and variants. Each model is detailed in over 30 categories, from engine specs to production facts. Filled with stunning color photos and illustrations, the book is itself a stylish tribute to the iconic vehicle it celebrates. Author Giorgio Sarti knows Vespa, and this book is a thorough and thoroughly enchanting tribute to the scooter as it has sped through history, meaning something new to each generation, and in the process making its unique mode of personal transport synonymous with freedom. Officially licensed and includes a foreword from Piaggio Group President Roberto Colaninno.