Piaggio Classic Bikes
Founded by Rinaldo Piaggio in 1884, Piaggio initially
produced locomotives and railway carriages. During
World War I the company focused on producing airplanes.During
World War II the company produced fighter planes,
but Piaggio emerged from the conflict with its Pontedera
plant completely demolished by bombing. Italy's
crippled economy and the disastrous state of the
roads did not assist in the re-development of the
automobile markets. Enrico Piaggio, the son of Piaggio's
founder Rinaldo Piaggio, decided to leave the aeronautical
field in order to address Italy's urgent need for
a modern and affordable mode of transportation.
The idea was to design an inexpensive vehicle for
the masses.
| Bike |
Image |
Description |
| 1953 Piaggio Scooter, 125c |
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Along with Lambretta The Piaggio built
Vespa transported an entire generation
of Italians in the post war period...the
hitherto humble scooter went on to become
part of popular British youth culture
and was a favourite transport of the fashion
concious Mods.......countless models and
incarnations have been built over the
years yet this beautiful early version
really does encapsulate the Italian style
and charm of that bygone era from almost
60 years ago.
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1968 Piaggio Ape 500 |
 |
175cc.
The Piaggio Ape (pronounced "ah-peh"
- Italian for bee, vespa meaning
"wasp") is a three-wheeled light commercial
vehicle built by Piaggio. The Ape was
first built in 1948. The vehicles comes
in various configurations such as van,
pickup and autorickshaw (Tuk-tuk). The
Ape is produced in India by Piaggio India,
and a similar vehicle is manufactured
by Bajaj Auto.
The Ape is a common sight in Italy where
its compact size allows it to navigate
narrow city streets and park virtually
anywhere. It's also often seen at the
roadside where the load area is used as
an impromptu market stall by farmers.
The first Apes were essentially 125cc
or 150cc and more recently 175cc Vespa
scooters fitted with twin rear wheels
and a load platform above them. Later
models added a cab around the driver.
Performance is suited to the job, with
good torque for hills, but a low top speed
(irrelevant in cities), and Apes are customarily
driven as close as possible to the curb
to allow traffic to pass. |
1968 Piaggio Ciao 1° |
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