The new factory at Finale Ligure manufactured boats, including an anti-submarine boat known as the MAS, which was instrumental in destroying the Austro-Hungarian submarine fleet.
The older factory at Sestri Ponente principally repaired and maintained war planes. But both factories were soon converted to mass-produce airplanes. In Rinaldo Piaggio bought a new factory in Pisa, and transferred the production of railway cars and wheeled vehicles there.
Piaggio bought another factory, a car works in Pontedera, and began to build airplane engines there. Piaggio produced engines under license to more established manufacturers, and then began designing its own. Piaggio made the "P2," a single-engine fighter plane, beginning in Five years later, Piaggio equipped the Finale Ligure factory with a complete wind tunnel and hydrodynamic testing tank. Piaggio had turned from motorboats to "flying boats"--high-speed planes that could take off from and land in water.
In the s and into World War II, the various Piaggio factories were turning out some of the most advanced flying boats in the world, as well as airplane engines, small planes, bombers, passenger and cargo planes capable of transoceanic flights, as well as railway cars and stainless steel locomotives. All these products contributed greatly to Italy's war effort.
And so the factories were bomb targets. The Pontedera factory was completely destroyed in World War II, having been not only bombed by the Allies but mined by the Germans as they retreated. When the war ended, Piaggio had virtually nothing left. Founder Rinaldo Piaggio had died in , and the job of postwar renewal fell to his two sons, Armando and Enrico. They split responsibility for the company's four factories. It was Enrico who came up with the idea of making motor scooters.
The scooter was not a new idea. Several manufacturers had made small, light motorcycles before, but they had not caught on.
Enrico Piaggio decided that scooters would sell if they could be made right. A small, light, cheap vehicle might be all that many families could afford, so he envisioned a wide market for the scooter. He imagined it as something that women would ride, as well as men. He thought further that it needed room for a spare wheel, which should be easy to change. And if it was not to be just for sunny days, it should have some sort of mudguard to protect the rider's clothes from puddle splashes.
With these general specifications, Enrico contacted one of the chief designers from Piaggio's prewar days, Corradino D'Ascanio. D'Ascanio was a brilliant engineer who had created the first fully functional helicopter. D'Ascanio drew up plans for a scooter that had a pressed steel body with a shield-shaped front and a wide back housing for the engine and spare wheel.
There was no chain linking the front and back wheels, as the rear wheel was powered by a direct drive. The platform seat was built to be comfortable for women in skirts. It took only five months to move from plans to development. Piaggio rebuilt the demolished Pontedera factory to mass-produce the scooter, and in the first model was offered for sale. This was the Vespa, Italian for wasp, so named because of the thin-waisted shape of the vehicle.
The Vespa was an immediate success, and quickly became a symbol of postwar Italy. Enrico Piaggio had been correct in assuming that small, cheap transport would sell well, but he could not have guessed the chic appeal of the little machine. Thanks to Enrico Piaggio's intuition and the genius of legendary Italian aeronautical engineer, Corradino D'Ascanio, Vespa scooters were born in Vespa differs from other scooters in that its body frame is made entirely of steel stampings that are welded together, which is exactly how Piaggio made its airplanes.
The goal was to create a simple, robust and affordable vehicle, and the end result of their combined efforts was the Vespa, the scooter that would take the world by storm and become the benchmark for all mopeds. Mon Sep 26, pm link quote I believe my Aprilia Scarabeo was made in a Chinese plant supposedly under Piaggio supervision Mon Sep 26, pm link quote Vespa's for the official Japanese market are made in Italy.
Mon Sep 26, pm link quote The word is assembled, for Vespathe all parts with the exception on some components are made in italy, but I noticed piaggio scooters do carry a lot more asian parts like the MP3 wheels are made in china.
Mon Sep 26, pm link quote eric marin wrote: The word is assembled, for Vespathe all parts with the exception on some components are made in italy, but I noticed piaggio scooters do carry a lot more asian parts like the MP3 wheels are made in china. Tue Sep 27, am link quote Asian suppliers as well as those from other corners of the Earth are fully capable of producing components of good quality. Last edited by Aviator47 on Tue Sep 27, am; edited 1 time in total Positive.
Tue Sep 27, am link quote Vespa and Piagio also has a plant in Vietnam. Tue Sep 27, am link quote Meaningless question. Tue Sep 27, am link quote Check the 11th digit of your vin number, that tells you where the vehicle was mfg'd.
Tue Sep 27, am link quote OK, but where in Italy? Tue Sep 27, am link quote eric marin wrote: The word is assembled, for Vespathe all parts with the exception on some components are made in italy, but I noticed piaggio scooters do carry a lot more asian parts like the MP3 wheels are made in china. Tue Sep 27, am link quote vintage red matthew wrote: OK, but where in Italy?
The current Piaggio corporate headquarters and the Italian Vespa manufacturing plant are in Pontedera. Co-located with the manufacturing facility is the Piaggio Museum. Not sure when corporate was moved to Pontedera, but it would appear after your scooter was made! Last edited by Aviator47 on Tue Sep 27, pm; edited 1 time in total. Tue Sep 27, am link quote thanks everyone; just curious where my Vespa was made Tue Sep 27, am link quote The scary part of quality control are the china made fuel pumps on GTS recall.
Tue Sep 27, pm link quote eric marin wrote: The scary part of quality control are the china made fuel pumps on GTS recall. Speaking as a person who used to write a lot of specifications, I'll say that's not necessarily the fault of the Chinese.
Chinese manufacturers will make components of the highest quality if that's what the specs call for and if their feet are held to the fire. If not, they'll cut corners where they can to improve their bottom line American capitalists should appreciate that.
Tue Sep 27, pm link quote Silver Streak wrote: eric marin wrote: The scary part of quality control are the china made fuel pumps on GTS recall.
It's food for thought if you're one of those "free market is always best" types, just make sure it isn't laced with Melamine or Clenbuterol. If you're familiar with Star Trek: I've always thought of Chinese industry as quite like the Ferengi. They'll get you whatever you need, for a price, but you can't trust them as far as you can throw them. Back to the topic at hand, Piaggio: As has been mentioned before, final assembly for the majority of scooters destined for Western markets takes place in Italy using components from various origins.
Only the lowest-end plastic-bodied models are made in China since Due to import tariffs, scooters destined for markets such as Vietnam are produced locally. It is a real revolution and is soon rolled out with every range of Piaggio scooters. An early example of its work is the Vespa , launched the very same year, boasting aluminium components, a futuristic design and highly sophisticated electronics.
In , on the other side of the US, the Piaggio Fast Forward platform for new product design is founded in Massachusetts. As part of its commitment to emission reduction, Piaggio creates the MP3 Hybrid, a three-wheel scooter with combustion engine and electric battery combination. Its variety of riding modes offer different types of interaction between the two units to optimise performance and range. Last, but not least, Piaggio continues its work with slowing down emissions with the introduction of the Vespa Elettrica.
With a riding range of km and requiring just 4 hours to fully charge, it is completely silent, respects the environment and delivers a performance that beats that of a traditional 50 cc scooter. Cookie policy Piaggio uses cookie technology — including from third parties — to provide visitors with the best possible experience when using the website.
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