Piaggio Vespa scooters: books - history and types (2/5)

Vespa - Alle Motorroller seit 1946 (Typenkompass)

The first Vespa, which came onto the market in 1946, was called "Paperino" (duck), had a displacement of 98 cm³ and a maximum speed of 60 km/h. Its inventor was Corradino D'Ascanio.
The original Vespa 98" was supposed to be simple and economical. The drive and power transmission in particular were to be as simple as possible and so he opted for direct drive, especially since chain drive was almost impossible at the time due to a lack of materials. The ingeniously simple concept was then patented under the name Vespa on April 23 1946. The rest is scooter history!

Each type is presented with the help of a photo, a historical description and technical data.

Product details

Author:	Thilo Kozik, Norbert Meiszies
Details:	128 pages, 20.5 x 14 cm / 8.1 x 5.5 in, paperback
Illustrations:	12 b&w and 137 colour photos
Publisher:	Motorbuch Verlag (D, 2013)
Series:	Typenkompass
ISBN:	9783613035621

Vespa: Die Chronik von 1946 bis heute

In this unique volume, all Vespas ever built are presented in words and pictures and with technical data - including the variants and their further developments. Of course, the models built under license are also included.

The Vespa Chronicle - now in its third and again expanded edition - is much more than just a catalog of the cult scooters built over the past 70 years. Here are everything about the historical context, pictures from the legendary Vespa calendars, anecdotes and celebrities, all sorts of things about the role of the Vespa in art, film and music.

In addition, there is everything worth knowing about the world of Vespa clubs, about sensational sporting successes, about the delivery van derivative called Ape and about the factory history.

This is a unique reference work for the millions of enthusiasts who have made the Vespa success possible with 17 million scooters sold in the past 70 years. And of course for all the many other fans.

Product details

Author:	Giorgio Sarti
Details:	496 pages, 27.5 x 25 cm / 10.8 x 9.8 in, hardback
Illustrations:	numerous b&w and colour photos
Publisher:	Heel-Verlag GmbH (D, 2016)
ISBN:	9783958432970

Motorlegenden - Vespa

From the beginning, the Vespa was much more than just a cheap means of transport. The scooter from Pontedera expressed a new attitude to life among young people with the freedom it offered and soon became a cult brand beyond Italy's borders.
Countless celebrities were also enthusiastic about it, whether Audrey Hepburn, Ursula Andres, John Wayne, Brad Pitt or James Dean, not to mention the British Mod scene in the 1960s!

The book offers a broad, colorful and iconic kaleidoscope with plenty of period color and lifestyle surrounding the trendy scooter from Italy.

German edition of the book "The Life Vespa".

Product details

Author:	Eric Dregni
Details:	240 pages, 22.5 x 17 cm / 8.9 x 6.7 in, hardback
Illustrations:	180 b&w and colour photos
Publisher:	Motorbuch Verlag (D, 2019)
ISBN:	9783613041806

Vespa - Die Geschichte des Kultklassikers

Enrico Piaggio certainly did not envisage that the construction called Vespa, born out of necessity, would one day achieve cult status when he launched the mother of all scooters, the Vespa 98, in 1946.
But the worldwide triumph of the economical and easy-to-ride two-wheeler was unstoppable from then on - a popularity that continues to this day.

Günther Uhlig tells the story of the Vespa from its beginnings to the present day. As one of the best Vespa experts on the subject, he has a lot to say about the triumph of the scooter from Italy and the countless types and models that have appeared to date.

Product details

Author:	Günther Uhlig
Details:	298 pages, 26.5 x 23 cm / 10.4 x 9.1 in, hardback
Illustrations:	600 b&w and colour photos
Publisher:	Motorbuch Verlag (D, 2019)
ISBN:	9783613042094

Vespa Granturismo - Die großen Vespas: GT, GTS und GTV

With the Vespa GTS series introduced in 2003, the successful Italian scooter manufacturer Piaggio said goodbye to beloved design principles such as air cooling, foot brakes and manual transmission. Only the external design is reminiscent of its predecessors.
What initially looked like a risk for the traditional manufacturer continued the Vespa's success story. In Germany in particular, the GTS models lead the registration statistics.

Günther Uhlig tells the story of the Vespa Granturismo from its beginnings to today. With the help of 200 unique photos, the reader experiences the triumph of the GTS series first hand.

Product details

Author:	Günther Uhlig
Details:	208 pages, 27 x 23.5 x 1.7 cm / 10.6 x 9.25 x 0.67 in, hardback
Illustrations:	200 b&w and colour photos
Publisher:	Motorbuch Verlag (D, 2022)
ISBN:	9783613044968

Vespa mi amore

In the beginning, the Vespa was just a practical, frugal car replacement. But then came the Swinging Fifties and movies in which a Vespa played a major role - and today they are more popular than ever.

Lutz-Ulric Kubisch and Günther Uhlig tell the history and stories of and about the little things with the knobbly wheels: a loving homage to unmatched classics that became trendsetters, copied many times - but never equaled.

This completely revised, updated and 32-page-extended Vespa chronicle pays tribute to all Vespas, tells of technology, cult, kitsch - and offers countless great photos.

Product details

Author:	Lutz-Ulrich Kubisch, Günther Uhlig
Details:	264 pages, 27 x 21 cm / 10.6 x 8.25 in, hardback
Illustrations:	409 b&w and 257 colour photos, 60 drawings
Publisher:	Motorbuch Verlag (D, 2014)
ISBN:	9783613037007

Vespa: Das offizielle Buch - Alle Modelle seit 1945

Small, nimble and often painted in candy colors: anyone who sees a Vespa on the streets recognizes it immediately. Since 1945, the cult two-wheeler has been traveling around the world in a triumphant march that continues to this day.
The iconic Vespa design was more of a pragmatic nature: the motorcycle had to be practical, economical and affordable, as well as maneuverable, just the thing on the potholed post-war roads.

Davide Mazzanti has documented the entire history of the Italian cult brand in an incomparable illustrated book. From the first prototype to today, all Vespa scooters and models have been captured in fascinating photos, many of them specially for this book. A must for every Vespa fan!

This manufacturer-authorized brand history of Vespa from 1945 to 2018 brings together all Vespa models, including the Vespa Ape, Vespa Primavera and Vespa GTS 250. Many never-before-seen Vespa pictures and many unique documents from the Piaggio factory archive.

Product details

Author:	Davide Mazzanti
Details:	384 pages, 26.5 x 22 cm / 10.4 x 8.7 in, paperback
Illustrations:	1037 b&w and colour photos
Publisher:	Delius Klasing Verlag GmbH (D, 2020)
ISBN:	9783667118585