Vespa and Lambretta Motor Scooters

Vespa and Lambretta remain the two most iconic motor scooter brands, even four decades after the latters demise. But what made them such a European sensation in the postwar era? And why were they particularly popular in Britain in the 1950s and 60s? Motor scooter expert Stuart Owen explains the rise of Innocentis Lambretta and Piaggios Vespa, from the wartime ruins of Italy, through years of plenty as the two manufacturers exploited a ready market for affordable, economic transport, and then their decline into more uncertain times as motor cars trespassed on their success. He also explores the rich history of accessorising and customising the scooters, their essential role in the mod movement, and the revival in Vespas fortunes following the release of the cult film Quadrophenia.