History

The Vespa has had a long and glorious history full of ups and downs. Today there is a reassurance in interest in the Vespa. Take a walk through the history of the Vespa.

• 

  1884

  Before Vespa

  Founded by Rinaldo Piaggio in 1884, Piaggio initially produced locomotives and railway carriages. During World War I the company focused on producing aircraft.

• 

  1940

  Piaggio makes bombers

  Piaggio is commissioned by the Italian government to supply their air force with bomber aircraft. The Allies bomb the plants in WWII. After the war Italy was forced to cease manufacturing fighter planes.

• 

  1946

  The Vespa (Wasp) is born

  Aeronautical engineer, Corradinio D’Ascanio sold the design he was working on for an inexpensive scooter to Piaggio for the Italian population needing a cheap form of transportationto. It is called the Vespa.

• 

  1950

  Vespas shipped to Canada

  Vespas were shipped to North America via navy ships when sailors were posted and/or docked in Italy. They ended up in cities across Canada.

  Douglas Vespa in the UK imported the first Vespas to Canada. They were sold at Dupuis et Frères Retail Store in Montreal. Then the first Allstate available in Canada was in 1953. Sold until 1966.

  The official distributor in Canada was a bicycle shop in Montreal, Louis Quilicot, until 1974, then it went with Vespa Newline in Toronto, with Giancarlo.

• 

  1960

  The Mod Scene

  The birth of the Mod scene in England with The Who, the Kinks, The Small Faces and many more R&B bands at the forefront of music listened to by young Mods. Mods were smart dressers with the latest Italian suits and shoes. Some started buying Vespas (and Lambrettas) to be able to get around to Mod clubs and events. It was also to show off the latest fashion, what they wore and what their “modded-up” scooter wore.

• 

  1970

  SEARS Allstate

  In 1970 the North American market SEARS Co. badged the Canadian/US Vespa as the SEARS Allstate.

• 

  1980

  The Second Mod Movement

  The Mod Revival came about with the release of The Who’s film Quadrophenia set in the heyday of the Mod scene in England 1964-65. As a result of this film there were many Mod revival bands such as The Jam, Purple Hearts, The Lambrettas and more that complemented Quadrophenia. Teens took to the sounds of these bands, the Mod look, the sounds of the two-stroke Vespa (and Lambretta), the music and the Modded-up look of the scooters.

• 

  1981

  Many Vespa shops close across North America

  Piaggio leaves the North American market due to strict American emission laws. Closing some shops across Canada and the USA.

• 

  1985

  Many owners are left with out mechanical support.

  Some shops across Canada had left-over parts but were hard to locate. This was well before the internet, eBay and Google. You had to know someone who knew someone with extra parts or you mailed a letter to shops in the UK. A UK scooter magazine started publishing in the early 80’s, called Scooter Scene now called Scootering with ads for scooter shops that sold parts internationally.

• 

  1990's

  Keeping the spirit alive

  Vancouver and Toronto were the major cities with the larger populations of Vespa owners were keeping the Vespa spirit alive.

• 

  2000

  The Canadian Scooter Corp is formed

  The Canadian Scooter Corp was created and started opening up shops across Canada with the city’s name attached i.e. Vespa Halifax, Vespa Burlington, Vespa Calgary etc. These shops sold various models (including the ET2 and ET4 models) which were quieter and automatic. These shops sold Vespa-branded products from clothing to books, helmets, baggage for scooters and scooter accessories. The last geared Vespa, the PX150, was imported as late as 2005 into Canada. They were a limited edition and each PX150 came with a numbered plaque attached on the scooter.

• 

  Today

  New and vintage Vespas on the road

  There are many Vespa dealers across Canada and small businesses that maintain and restore Vespas. It's important to our Vespa community to support these local shops.

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