| Vespa scooter is a design icon and a popular ride that became its own subculture. The popularity has spawned due to challenging times, and became the simplest lifestyle in driving a small vehicle. LEGO® has produced a set for their Creator Expert range due to its icon status.
This set is aimed at AFOLs (Adult Fans of LEGO) with impressive details, and if you saw it in person chances are you have been at the Manila International Auto Show (MIAS), where this was displayed beside its real world counterpart. |
The Vespa’s origin hails back to 1944, and it was quite a challenge when Piaggio, who manufactured the original scooters as how the story is told…
Piaggio engineers Renzo Spolti and Vittorio Casini designed a motorcycle with bodywork fully enclosing the drivetrain and forming a tall splash guard at the front. In addition to the bodywork, the design included handlebar-mounted controls, forced air cooling, wheels of small diameter, and a tall central section that had to be straddled. Officially known as the MP5 ("Moto Piaggio no. 5"), the prototype was nicknamed "Paperino" (meaning "Donald Duck" in Italian). Piaggio was displeased with the MP5, especially the tall central section. He contracted aeronautical engineer Corradino D'Ascanio, to redesign the scooter. D'Ascanio, who had earlier been consulted by Ferdinando Innocenti about scooter design and manufacture, made it immediately known that he hated motorcycles, believing them to be bulky, dirty, and unreliable.
D'Ascanio's MP6 prototype had its engine mounted beside the rear wheel. The wheel was driven directly from the transmission, eliminating the drive chain and the oil and dirt associated with it. The prototype had a unit spar frame with stress-bearing steel outer panels. These changes allowed the MP6 to have a step-through design instead of a tall centre section like that of the MP5 Paperino. The MP6 design also included a single-sided front suspension, interchangeable front and rear wheels mounted on stub axles, and a spare wheel. Other features of the MP6 were similar to those on the Paperino, including the handlebar-mounted controls and the enclosed bodywork with the tall front splash guard.
Upon seeing the MP6 for the first time, Enrico Piaggio exclaimed: "Sembra una vespa!" ("It looks like a wasp!") Piaggio effectively named his new scooter on the spot. Vespa is both Latin and Italian for wasp—derived from the vehicle's body shape: the thicker rear part connected to the front part by a narrow waist, and the steering rod resembled antennae.
This sums up how Vespa was named and described a “wasp” (in Italian and French), and it became a popular two-wheel vehicle. In some parts of Asia it is considered a high end premium scooter as there are other low budget competitors that had produced their own scooters.
But nothing like a Vespa, and why LEGO® paid tribute to the brand by producing their version into a kit that’s made of 1106 parts and elements. It remarkable how LEGO® pulled it off when the parts usage with minimal studs and more smooth lines.
Among the models that were on display at the Manila International Auto Show (MIAS) for this year it is the one that’s underrated not being seen in main lounge area with the rest of the LEGO® products on display. It is noting also that this kit is expensive and can only be seen in selected retail stores.
It’s well-detailed and designed that it does not do justice being just seen enclosed in an acrylic display, you definitely have to build it yourself to appreciate the process in putting this together. The price is well worth its admission as this is not geared for a younger demographic, but for adults who would find interest and curiosity to have it.
Vespa 125 is from the Creator Expert with set No. 10298 by LEGO® distributed in the Philippines by Ban Kee Trading retailed at ₱ 6,999.00 Pesos ($ 180.94 AUD | $ 134.55 USD) available at selected Rustan’s, Toys R’ Us, and LEGO® Certified Stores.
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Design Content courtesy of Vespa on Wikipedia
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