One of the most interesting exhibits at the Vespa Museum in Pontedera is a display of Vespa models from around the globe. In this blog we take a look at how the Vespa brand became an international phenomenon.
Germany
The first Vespa 125 was manufactured in Germany under licence by Hoffmann Werke in Lintorf, after a licence agreement was signed in 1949. This machine was first presented at the Frankfurt Exhibition in the spring of 1950, with production starting in March of the same year. Unfortunately, in September 1954 Hoffmann broke its licence agreement by producing an unauthorised model, the 125 Koningin.
In 1955, Piaggio granted the German production licence to the well known Messerschmitt company who began assembling 150cc models. For reasons that aren’t quite clear
Messerschmitt gave up its rights to the licence in 1957, at which point Piaggio stepped in. They took over the Messerschmitt plant in Augsburg and founded a separate company Vespa GmbH which assembled engines and frames that had been imported from Italy.
France
On 25 November 1950, the ACMA company was founded in Paris, with Piaggio as a majority shareholder. In the following months managers and technicians arrived from Pontedera to establish a factory at Fourchambault, where production began in March 1951. Demand was considerable and by June 1954 the 100,000th Vespa rolled off the French production line with the 150,000 mark being reached just under a year later.
By 1957 around 2,800 individuals are employed at the site and a workers’ village was established along the lines of that to be found at Pontedera. Amongst the more unusual products to emerge from the factory are the military Vespa TAP and a 400cc microcar. Unfortunately, and in common with other nations, sales began to fall in the early 1960s and the Fourchambault site closed its doors in December 1962.
Spain
Work began on the Spanish Vespa factory in September 1952. Because of Sapin’s financial regulations production was managed by a subsidiary company, Motovespa S.A. Based in the Ciudad district of Madrid, the first machine, named the 125 CE, rolled off the production line in February 1953. In the next decade production rose to around 110 machines a day.
The licence arrangement was one of the most successful of those granted by Piaggio, with the Motovespa company existing until 1996.
India, Asia and the Middle East
After India gained its independence in 1948, Piaggio quickly identified it as a key market and by 1948 already had a presence in the sub-continent. In 1960, the company decided to build both scooters and Ape three wheelers locally, signing a licence agreement with Bajaj Auto ltd. Initial production was conducted at a temporary site on the outskirts of Mumbai but in 1963 a purpose built factory with an area of 12,000 square meters was opened in Pune.
That licence agreement would continue until 1970 but in the meantime Vespas and Apes were exported to other countries in the region. Eventually agreements were signed in Malaysia and Singapore with the East Asiatic Co, in Indonesia with Danmoto and then in Japan and the Philippines.
Another key area for Piaggio was the Middle East, where Vespa was sold in Egypt, Iran and Israel. Today Piaggio manufactures Vespas for the Indian and Asian markets at its factories in Bramati (India) and Vinh Phuc (Vietnam).
Brazil and South America
It was in 1957 that Piaggio first set foot in Brazil. This was thanks to a licensing agreement with Panauto S.A in Rio de Janeiro. Their plant in Santa Cruz began manufacturing the Vespa 125 (M3), followed by a four-speed 150 (M4) in 1960. The body and many components were produced in Brazil, whilst the engine and flywheel were imported from Pontedera.
Demand continued to rise and by 1963 the factory covered an area of 100,000 square meters and employed 270 employees. Unfortunately the local financial situation and high costs of importing components created a very complicated operating environment and Piaggio withdrew the licence in 1963.
The Vespa remained popular and a few years later Piaggio returned to Brazil with the Moto Vespa company, an organisation that continued until 1990. Although Brazil was the only South American company in which Piaggio granted a production licence, exports were made to Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The United States
In the United States, Piaggio entered into a distribution arrangement with the mail order company Sears. The first model released onto the American market was the 125U, which was rebranded as the ‘Vespa Allstate’ in 1951.
This arrangement continued until 1966, although by that time there were several distributors operating for Piaggio in the USA. Indeed, in the second half of the 1950s, Piaggio created its own distribution company ‘Vespa Distributing Co’ based on Long Island but wound up those activities in 1961 when an agreement was reached with the Cushman Motor Works in Nebraska who marketed the ‘Vespa Cushman’ up to the end of the decade. The final US specific company was the Vespa of America Corporation which operated between 1970s and 1985.
Rest of the World
The first Vespas to land on Canadian shores were Douglas Vespas, imported from the UK in 1951 but by 1953 these had been replaced by Allstate Vespas that had crossed the border from the USA.
In Australia it was Malver Star, a well known bicycle manufacturer based in Melbourne, that introduced Vespa to the Australian market. In New Zealand that task fell to Airco who were tasked with assembling the 50SS and 90SS smallframe models.
Many African nations welcomed the Vespa, including Congo, Kenya, Morocco, Tunisia, Tanzania, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal. In South Africa, distribution was the responsibility of Grosvenor Motors with the Vespa proving so reliable and versatile that it would be baptised ‘Bromponie’ (Moorland Pony).
Another busy market for Piaggio was Sweden, with special models being produced for the small, but vibrant Scandinavian market.
In the UK
The first Vespa imported from Italy was shown at the London Motorcycle Show in September 1949, attracting the attention of the press and visitors alike. The director of Douglas Motorcycles, Claude McCormack, had been in discussions with Piaggio to obtain a licence to manufacture Vespa since 1948. Although the agreement was finalised in the final months of 1949, it would be March 1951 before production began.
The first model was a 125cc machine, already obsolete by Italian standards that required various modifications to comply with British road traffic regulations, notably moving the headlight onto the legshields from the mudguard.
Unfortunately, the relationship between Piaggio and Douglas was often fraught and if you’d like to read more, have a look at our ‘Do I own a Douglas’ blog which covered the subject in more detail.
Serving the world
Today, the Vespa brand remains as popular as it ever was and we regularly ship parts to customers across the globe.
Whatever your Vespa requirements, we’re here to help and if you cant see what you need in our spares, accessories , rider wear or apparel sections just get in touch and we’ll do what we can to help.
