The 80 th anniversary of the Italian icon Vespa is being celebrated in Rome with a four-day event.
Between the 25 th and 28 th of June, Rome’s sports complex, the Foro Italico, famed for hosting the 1960 Olympics and the 1990 World Cup, will be taken over by Vespa Clubs from an estimated 60 countries.
The Italian Minister of Economy and Finance is said to be presenting a Vespa-themed commemorative coin to kick off the event and a photo exhibition curated by renowned photographer Giacomo Bretzel will take centre stage.
Piaggio Group Executive Chairman, Matteo Colaninno said: “The Vespa was created in 1946 with the Italian Republic: in 80 years it has witnessed changing times, lifestyles and generations.
“Its journey is indissolubly linked with the history of Italy: the difficulties and hopes of the postwar period, the recovery of the 1950s and 1960s, the economic boom and mobility.”
The event will host the European Vespa Rally Championship and will test the most experienced riders with the Vespa Gymkhana World Championship, before a grand parade that will see thousands of Vespas of all models take to the streets of Rome, and around the city’s historic sites.
The grand finale is pegged on the Elegance Contest, which will see the rarest and most interesting models from over the decades cavalcade throughout the complex. Such models include the Vespa 150 Troupes Aero Portees, which were commissioned by the French military to carry anti-tank weaponry.
The first 98cc, 3.2bhp Vespa scooter was launched in 1946. Like many companies after the Second World War, Piaggio, which had previously made aeroplanes, needed to diversify to meet the demands of the new post-war world.
There have been over 150 different models and styles of Vespa produced over the years, from the classic two-stroke, three and four speed semi-automatic models of the 20 th century to the bubblier modern four-stroke CVT designs of today.
With the joint effort from factories in Italy as well as Vietnam and India, the company are bordering on nearly twenty million scooters built worldwide.
The event is open to everyone, and entry is free; however, registrations must be made in advance here .
What an achievement for the little buzzing scooter! It’s lovely to see a company still caring enough about its heritage to run a free event of this stature, especially for those who love it the most. It’s not a sales event, but a celebration of love and passion. Good on you, Piaggio.
Interested in almost anything mechanical, Tommy has written about everything from bicycles to politics. He uses his Himalayan 411 for absolutely everything and hasn’t cleaned it in two years.
motorcycle tinkerer, gaffer taper and rider both on and off the tarmac.