Vespa 125 Popolino

Vespa1963

Vespa 125 Popolino, 1963 model

When Italian engineer Corradino D'Ascanio designed Vespa scooter, he started by first making a sketch of a person in a sitting position. He then designed the vehicle adapted to the human, and with that he created one of the greatest icons in motoring history.

Vespa used 2-stroke engines with different displacements, and the engine was located on the right side.

The idea behind the scooter with the self-supporting chassis was that it should be a simple, comfortable and affordable means of transport. The construction where you could easily get in and out from both sides, behind the shield that covered from the weather, was as simple as it was ingenious. And under the "bubble" on the right side D'Ascanio placed the small 2-stroke engine that eventually came in various sizes, the smallest at 50 cubic meters and the largest at 200 cubic meters with the resonant name "Rally".

Then The Vespa, which in Italian means "Wasp", went on sale in 1946, it met an almost insatiable need for transportation. In the first year, about 2,484 copies were sold, and by the end of 1947 the figures showed a full 10,000 copies sold. Europe was to be rebuilt after the war, and the increasing centralization with the need for, among other things, labor in industry, created a great need for affordable means of transportation. Piaggio, which made Vespa was one of the largest scooter manufacturers, and although a number of motorcycle manufacturers jumped on the scooter bandwagon, Vespa emerged as the very symbol of the true scooter, the charmer that put Europe on wheels.

Technical data Vespa 125 Popolino, 1963 model:
Engine: 1-cylinder 2-stroke, air-cooled
Displacement: 124 cc
Compression: 7.2:1
Power: 4.6 hp at 5000 rpm.
Number of gears: 3/4
Front tires: 3.50 x 8
Rear tires: 3.50 x 8
Tank: 2.5 liters
Weight: 75 kg (dry)
Top speed: 75 km/h

Vespa appealed strongly to young people who wanted to be trendy