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It’s Monday. At the office? Cheer up with a cute music video which features anthropomorphic Vespa scooters singing in Italian. More »
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Some of you have remarked that Piaggio’s Vespa-based minitruck bears a remarkable similarity to the Looney Tunes character. Reader Juan Diaz nails the proof with Photoshop. More »
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Trucks are big things with big V8 engines, spewing diesel smoke, correct? Not quite. Trucks are things for hauling other, smaller things—and when the hauling is on the narrow streets of Italy, nothing beats the pint-size Piaggio Ape. More »
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The Vespa scooter has a classically appreciable shape. Portuguese craftsman Carlos Alberto managed to fashion one from laminated hardwood. The result is stunningly beautiful. More »
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Seems even retired warmongers are feeling the pinch at the pump these days, as everybody's favorite former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, has purchased the least-aggressive form of transport in the world, a Vespa. Yes indeed, Rummy has picked up a shiny new LXV 150 to use for scooting around the Maryland seaboard while getting 60 MPG and being ridiculed by every biker he passes. Wonder if he will be followed by a phalanx of secret service boys in black Suburbans? [Examiner] More »
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Japan rightly sits near the top of the world's strange automotive trend setters. What is cool in the United States now is so two years ago for our pals over in the land of the rising sun, so it pains us to speculate that overly gaudy tuner scooters will be the next big trend over here. Hell, people are already installing media centers in them. Our Japanese-savvy friends over at Pink Tentacle have rounded up some of the more unusual looking tuner-scooters from Japan and we're more confused than titillated. A low rider scooter? That's just asking for trouble. [Pink Tentacle] More »
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The march of soul crushing eBay projects continues. After seeing the amazingly terrible mid-engined 1976 Mustang II yesterday, a less malaise but far more European project emerges from the bay of 'e' and it's a terrifying one. 28,000 examples of the Vespa 400 were built in France between 1956 and 1961 using an Italian design and sporting as much as 17 horsepower. This one is almost completely disassembled and comes with seven crates of parts. That's a looooong way from mint Vespa 400's we saw at Autorama two years ago. Good luck on this project to whoever is insane enough to to hit the bid button. (Thanks for the tip Robert) More »
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Pardon us for still trying to wrap our brains around this whole Vespa modding trend, but here is another Vespa-style (it's actually a Lambretta, but details, details) scooter mutilation worthy of noting. Not only is this person driving scooter, but it's a scooter with a sidecar, a sidecar that is modified to look like a Volkswagen Bus. So, Jalopnik faithful, which would you least want to be caught in: the scooter or the sidecar? At least in the sidecar you could possibly duck down low enough to not be seen. [Presurfer] More »
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Put a computer in it, of course! Sure, this Vespa GTS 250 still has a 250cc, four-stroke engine capable of propelling the scooter to more than 60 mph. But the real shine comes with the integrated PC. I'm not entirely sure why anyone would want a PC in a Vespa, especially in the area of the two-wheeler this one was placed, but it doesn't matter because nobody will question a Vespa with a high-end computer. More »
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Yesterday's all-Corvette Choose Your Eternity poll resulted in the '68 just barely edging out the '69, no doubt due to the Jimi Hendrix connection. Now it's time to try a different type of theme; we haven't yet seen a selection of cars based on a model year alone, so today we're going with two vastly different- yet vastly cool- choices from Anno Domini 1958, the year Nikita Krushchev became premier of the Soviet Union. More »
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We saw all sorts of little vehicles zipping around as folks prepped their vintage race cars, from Segways to golf carts, but this was by far the coolest (and most useful for hauling Whitworth socket sets, cases of $50-a-quart oil, etc). This Vespa-with-truck-bed looked to be in great shape... but what's up with the drip pan? More »
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It seems like everyone's trying to get in on the cross-branding action for the new upcoming Transformers movie, and the Piaggio, the maker of the Vespa death trap on wheels scooter is no exception. They've got a new promotion running starting tomorrow branding the Vespa as a "Transportation Transformer." For real? Anyway — if you head into a Vespa dealership to test drive a Piaggio-built pooter-shooter from June 14th to June 24th, you'll get to walk out with a free movie ticket to see the new live-action film that'll give you a robogasm. In addition they've also got a contest to enter to win a Vespa just like the one seen in the movie! Oh wow, we can hardly contain ourselves. OK, on this one — we can probably contain ourselves a little bit. More »
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I'm sorry Ben, that may very well be a Vespa, but it's not a Vespa I'd be caught dead in. This, on the other hand, is a Vespa that's taken out the sissified 349 cc engine and replaced it with more power! That's right, it's now become simply epic with the addition of a Chevy Big Block engine. And that, my friend, is a real man's Vespa. Just sayin'. [Hat tip to Pat!] – Ray Wert More »
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Okay folks, last day of tardy Autorama coverage. I'm going to go all out and provide a show-centric post every hour, on the hour. Why? So that all you slackers suffering through a Friday in the confines of your cubicles can keep from going insane waiting till five o'clock rolls around. See if you can hang on to your seats. I've saved the best for last the leftovers for week's end. More »
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When we used to work at the corner of Polk and Turk in SF, we often found ourselves jealous of our co-worker Matt, who would cross the Bay on his Honda in record time and then only pay five cents an hour to park his bike right in front of the office. Matt, on the other hand, was jealous of our skills with the ladies at the office Christmas party. Unfortunately for us, that never translated into a sugar mama. Anyway, the kids at Piaggio are supporting a petition for more two-wheeled parking, and having been in love with Vespas since childhood, we can't resist their charms. So if you're in favor of bike-based commuting, go ahead and sign the thing. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=182809&view=rss&microfeed=true The Motorpasions had this posted on their site and we fell in love with it. It doesn't matter that we no habla Espanol. Or for that matter, Eye-talian. Because Vespa is universal in any language, as are fresh-faced, sexy Sixties mod girls. The only downside to this absolutely exquisite piece of vintage Piaggio advertising is that we can't stop muttering "Vespa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa..." We'll be down on the corner by the bodega all week. Thanks for stopping by. More »
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