Vespa scooters became a sensation during the 1950s, and Hollywood films played a big part in this popularity. In the 1952 film Roman Holiday, Audrey Hepburn rode a Vespa, which helped the company sell more than 100,000 scooters. Other Hollywood stars like Dean Martin, Marlon Brando, and Abbe Lane jumped on the Vespa bandwagon as well and became a part of the global phenomenon that has continued since Vespa’s inception. Fan club membership for Vespa began to flourish and the company took part in this growth by working on and improving the original design. The Vespa 125 came into fruition in 1948, and featured a spanking new rear suspension, while the front wheel was positioned to the left of the column for ameliorated riding steadiness.
The 1953 Vespa 125 U is one of the most memorable and highly sought after Vespa models in history. It‘s a collector‘s dream! The “U” in the model’s name means “utility,” and it was comparatively inexpensive to vie with their competitor Lambretta. Moreover, this model is the first Vespa to have a headlamp positioned near the handlebar. The 1955 Vespa 150 GS, which stands for Gran Sport,, was the start of the huge more powerfully frame scooters for the Vespa brand and afterwards production of GS was also modified so that the electrical wires were concealed inside the body of the scooter whereas before, the network of wires were situated directly atop of the handlebar.
The 1960 Vespa 150 Standard with model numbers beginning with VBB, skyrocketed to fame as Vespa’s largest frame models in history. During the 1960s, Vespa essentially began producing two diverse lines of scooters. Small frame less expensive scooters, up to 125cc displacement, were all founded on the three-speed Vespa 50 V5A concept from 1963. One of the key motives for the smaller scooters was the price together with the convenience of not needing a driver’s license to operate the scooter.
Later, this collection developed into the PK scooters in the 1980s. A more powerful frame design began with 125cc engines, all a consequence from the most revolutionary Vespa 125 N of 1960. This scooter was very distinctive from all the other Vespas throughout its history. For example, this model included shock absorber mounting, four-speed transmission, a carburetor linked to the cylinder, concealed cables, and alloy handlebars. In fact, this model became the criterion for large framed scooters changed into the PX line at the end of the 1970s.