Vespa in Vogue: the Stylish Scooter Stinging the Competition

Originally manufactured by Piaggio & C. SpA to provide an economical means of transportation for a WWII-devastated Italy, the Vespa's innovative design was the product of Italian aeronautical engineer Corradino D'Ascanio's utter disdain for motorcycles. Believing the motorcycle to be cumbersome and dirty, D'Ascanio moved the engine beside the back wheel and covered the whole affair in a pressed steel unibody (known as a monocoque frame). This made the Vespa clean, durable and easy to maintain. Upon seeing the completed prototype in 1946, Enrico Piaggio, the company's president, remarked that the vehicle looked like a wasp, or vespa in Italian, and the name stuck.

The product was a success, selling approximately 2,500 models in 1947 and more than 60,000 in 1950. However, what escalated the Vespa's commercial triumph exponentially was its subsequent association with chicness and freedom after being featured in hit movies such as Roman Holiday, resulting in the sale of over 100,000 Vespas in 1952 alone.

During the 1960s, the Mod subculture movement engendered enthusiasm for the Vespa in the U.K., creating the largest market for Vespas outside of Italy. The brand's prestige was further augmented when numerous thrill-seekers took the Vespa on cross-continental journeys. By the late 1980s, Piaggio had sold over 10 million Vespas worldwide. For over 40 years, the Vespa seemed to blaze an inexorable trail of success; however, the 1990s would bring about its first considerable halt.


時尚化身：偉士牌經典魅力 打造無敵競爭力

原本由比雅久生產，為提供被二戰摧殘的義大利一個經濟實惠的交通方式，偉士牌機車的創新設計是義大利航空工程師科拉迪諾．達斯卡尼奧對摩托車的完全鄙視之作。達斯卡尼奧認為摩托車既笨重又骯髒，遂將引擎移至後輪旁，用一體成型（以單體結構為人所知）的壓鋼覆蓋車體。這讓偉士牌機車既乾淨、持久又容易保養。公司董事長恩里寇．比雅久於 1946 年見到產品原型時，表示此交通工具看起來就像隻黃蜂，即義大利語的 vespa，於是名字就這樣定了。
這項產品非常成功，1947 年的銷量約為兩千五百輛，1950 年則超過六萬輛。然而，偉士牌得以加速在商業上的勝利，則是車子在《羅馬假期》等賣座電影現身後，與時尚和自由等概念相結合的緣故，結果偉士牌在 1952 年的單年銷量就超過十萬輛。
1960 年代，摩德族次文化運動在英國引發人們對偉士牌的熱衷，創造偉士牌機車在義大利以外的最大市場。該品牌的聲望在許多尋求刺激的人騎乘偉士牌機車展開跨洲之旅時逐漸攀升。到了 1980 年代晚期，比雅久已於全球售出超過千萬輛的偉士牌機車。四十多年來，偉士牌似乎開創了一條銳不可擋的成功途徑；然而 1990 年代卻開始了品牌的第一個嚴重撞牆期。