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History of Scooters
The origins of the scooter date back to the late nineteenth century, although definitions of such depend often on opinion rather than fact.
The first successful production two-wheeler was the Hildebrand & Wolfmueller, patented in Munich in 1894. It had a step-through frame, with its fuel tank mounted on the downtube. The engine was a parallel twin, mounted low on the frame, with its cylinders going fore-and-aft. It was water-cooled and had a radiator built into the top of the rear fender. The bike became the first powered two wheel vehicle to be offered to the public on a production basis and was crucial in its move away from the foot pedal as the main source of engine power.
Although commercially the bike was not a massive money spinner, it paved the way for a new generation of affordable and practical transport. It wasn't, however, until the end of WW2 that the scooter really came into its own.
The modern scooter was born in the Lambratte area of Milan, as was the brainchild one Ferdinado Innocenti, who was born in Bescia on 1st September 1891. Following the war there was a dire need to mobilise Italy once more, and government help was given to any company interested in addressing this need.
Inspired by some military motorcycles he had seen in Rome, he approached his designer Corradino D'ascanio to discuss the project and the first blueprints of the scooter we know and love today were formed.
Unfortunately the two men could not always agree, and D'ascanio left to join the Piaggio company to work on aircraft design, until such times as he and Piaggio created the 'Vespa'.
Not sitting on his laurels, however, Innocenti, his General Director Guiseppe Lauro and an engineer named Pierluigi Torre designed a scooter, which was unveiled in 1947 at the Paris Motor Show. The scooter was named after the region where the factory stood, and the river it stood on. The 'Lambretta' was born.
The first Lambretta, the Lambretta 'A', first went on sale on December 23rd 1947. It was economical (160-180mpg at a time when petrol was severely rationed), with a moderate top speed of 45mph, and a direct air-cooled engine with 123cc. During its first 12 months of sale the 'A' model, which was available in five different colours (green,red,beige,blue and grey), went on to sell 9,000 units.
The first Vespa was produced in 1946, had a 98cc engine and a top speed of 47mph. The first Vespa 125cc was produced two years later in 1948 …. Let battle commence !!
In the mid 1960's the scooter revolution exploded into a new wave of social culture, immortalised by the 'Mod' and the story of 'Quadrophenia'. The Who's controversial album was originally designed to replace 'Tommy' on stage, but turned out too technically challenging for The Who to perform live, as the band were concerned that a live audience might not understand every little nuance of Mod culture that they were trying to get across.
The story was set around Jimmy Cooper, a seventeen year old who lived in Shepherd's Bush, West London. Jimmy's prize possession was a Vespa Gran Sportique G.S. The scooter had five spotlights, four mirrors, front and back racks, trimmed with fur, and chrome side panels.
Dressed in an authentic US Army Parka with fur-trimmed hood, he was visible to the street. It was impossible not to notice what he and his friends meant and signified. Jimmy Cooper was a Mod. Up to 1964 the Mods were an important, and very visible social force in English, and not just London life. They were significant catalysts of further change, despite their relatively brief life and lack of explicit political programme.
The movement, with its dedication to fashion, music and pills, was the first massive manifestation of youth culture, and formed the advance guard of the truly post-war generation in England. The Mods visibility stemmed directly from their wide-ranging and essential commitment to style - being cool, elegant clothing, talking, dancing, styles of music and mode of transportation.
Their musical tastes ranged from black soul music, old blues numbers adopted and adapted by emerging British talent like the Rolling Stones, The Who and the Small faces, rhythm-and-blues and rock 'n' roll. The word Mod originally applied to all of this youth culture, that reached the height of its popularity in the late Fifties to the early Sixties. The movement effectively died out around 1964, after the infamous riot on the beaches of Brighton between the Mods and the more Fifties orientated Rockers.