Vespa: A Class Apart

Piaggio’s Vespa is nothing short of an icon among automobile lovers. The company has made scooters, a new vehicle then, immensely popular among the general public and managed to bring Italians back to the street after the Second World War. Now they are entering the Indian market all by themselves. The scooter has been a sensation it the country ever since it is introduced but the extra large price has kept a large number of enthusiasts away. Let us take a look at the vehicle and see what makes this new scooter a winner.

The company has fitted the scooter with a 125cc, 4 stroke, 3 valve, single cylinder, air cooled engine that delivers a maximum power of 10.06 PS at 7500 RPM. It is needless to say that 10.06 PS makes this scooter considerably more powerful than its peers. Even with this much power the company is also offering a tad over 66 kilometres per litre mileage, again an impressive feat. A continuous variable transmission is used to compliment the vehicle’s seamless performance. The vehicle’s monocoque steel high rigidity structure gives great strength and rigidity to the vehicle and improves safety significantly. This single piece steel body construction is a unique feature of Vespa, ever since its introduction in 1946. Vespa has an arm with coil spring and dual effect shock absorber in the front, and a coil spring and dual effect shock absorber in the rear. The fuel tank capacity is eight litres. It has a 150 mm front brake dia and a 140 mm rear brake dia coupled with self aligning front brakes, increasing the safety of the vehicle significantly. The vehicle also comes with nylogrip tyres which offers better road grip in conditions, better stability on wet roads, better braking performance and higher life. There is also a link spring mechanism between the engine and frame; this provides better balance and stability to the vehicle.

The scooter has a comfortable broad and long contoured seats with leather feel for comfortable seating for the rider and pillion passenger. In the form of a lockable front glove box and under seat storage with carry basket, there is ample storage space. The headlamps, tail lamps, indicators, and the rear view mirrors all give the scooter a luxurious retro look. Adding more emphasis to this look are the chrome elements present in the vehicle. There is the signature Vespa chrome grill, chrome mirrors, chrome Vespa logo, chrome handle bar ends, front bumper, banded chrome suspension, chrome exhaust garnish, chrome pillion rider hold, sporty dials with a chrome line, and more. Overall the scooter reminds us of the evolutionary process that the vehicle has passed through from the 40s till today. Vespa is truthful to the original vehicle from which it has evolved and yet embraces all the advancements in automobile technology throughout the years. Also, it comes in six different colours.

All those who are intimidated by the price of the vehicle, let me tell you, it is worth every dime. It is a perfect marriage of the classic good old scooter and modern technology.

Price: Rs. 68860 (Ex-Showroom Bangalore)
Alternatives: There aren’t any.