The name Vespa is surely one of the most iconic in the history of all motorised two-wheel transportation.
Ask your Average Joe or Jolene in the street to think of a make of scooter and a majority are likely to name the famous Italian marque.
The brand was first patented on April 23, 1946, by the Piaggio company of Pontedera, in Tuscany, Italy.
The firm had been founded in 1884, in Genoa, by Rinaldo Piaggio – originally producing luxury ship fittings, then rail carriages, goods vans, coaches, trams and aircraft.
After the Second World War, Rinaldo’s sons Enrico and Armando were determined to be part of the rebuilding of post-war Italy, and focussed on personal mobility.
Engineer and designer Corradino D’Ascanio came up with a motorbike with bodywork which fully enclosed the drivetrain and a tall splashguard at the front.
He mounted the 98cc engine next to the rear wheel and employed direct drive from the transmission to the wheel.
It had a unit spar frame, with stress-bearing outer panels, meaning it could have a step-through design.
D’Ascanio put the gear lever on the handlebar and, to make removing the wheel easier, used a single-sided front suspension system.
The first Vespa scooter was born and the firm has never looked back.
Part of its success is that its scooters have always seemed to capture the zeitgeist of the times, from the freedoms of the Fifties and the Swinging Sixties right up to the present.
Which brings us to this latest model – the Elettrica.
This is the first to embrace the move towards battery power.
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The example I am testing here is the 45km/h or 50cc equivalent version – there is also a 70km/h one.
Looks wise, it is absolutely spot on – sleek, modern and uncluttered, with a classic Vespa silhouette.
On board, it feels slim, light and manageable, with a low seat height.
It’s also surprisingly spacious and the flat board allows you to alter the position of your feet.
The colour TFT dash speedo is clear and easy to read and there are blue and green blobs to show how hard you’re riding.
The battery gauge and other info, however, are a bit on the small side for checking while on the move.
Torque figures for electrics are rather misleading and the Elettrica has a whopping 147ft lb at the wheel.
The great thing is that it’s virtually instantaneous as you twist the grip and whizzing up to the maximum 30mph is smooth and super quick.
This scoot has a very low centre of gravity due to the under-seat battery and wheel-mounted motor.
That plus the steel frame, front fork, single rear shock and 12in wheels all combine to provide smooth, dependable handling.
Yet despite the battery, the Elettrica weighs just 130kg and is super manoeuvrable and easy to flick around in the traffic of the urban jungle.
The front disc and rear dum brakes do a perfectly acceptable job of bringing the little scooter to a stop.
The maximum range is just over 60 miles, but depending on how you ride and in which of the two modes, a more realistic figure is about 50.
That’s more than adequate for the sort of use this scooter is intended for.
The 4.2kWh battery takes around four hours to fully charge from zero, which it would never get down to of course.
There is enough room under the seat for an open-face helmet, plus there is an optional topbox.
Six grand is a lot for a 50cc-equivalent scooter, but your running and maintenance cost are tiny – and the Elettrica looks super cool and is great to ride.
