Vespa's first and only car never went on sale in Italy. The Agnelli family, who owned Fiat, stuck sticks in the wheels not to get a challenger for their Fiat 500.
In the 1950s, several microcars appeared. We have previously written about Berkeley, Isetta, Frisky, Goliath, lloyd and Norwegian Troll, brands that today are unknown to many. One brand I really like is Vespa. Their micro car was probably one of the best.
After the war, many people dreamed of their own car, but few could afford it. It created a market for microcars and new car brands appeared. But even if the demand was there, few succeeded. Vespa had a solid foothold in Europe with its scooters. At the same time, Piaggio, which owned Vespa, had spent 5 years developing and testing a microcar which they chose to produce in one of Piaggio's French factories.
It was no coincidence that the production of the Vespa 400 was established outside the borders of Italy. When the car was ready for production, it would have gone on sale at the same time as the new Fiat 500. I do not know what relationship Piaggio and Fiat had, but the Agnelli family and Fiat in any case made sure that Piaggio did not dare to either produce or sell their new model in Italy.
When you study the Vespa 400, you find characteristics of the same type that made the scooters popular. Everything is simple, user-friendly and well constructed. Self-supporting body with a stern-mounted 400cc 14hp powertrain, electric start, 3 forward and one reverse gears, 2 front seats and a rear bench suitable for 2 toddlers only. The front (the "grill") can be pulled out like a drawer to access the battery. An interesting detail is the mechanism that mixes in 2-stroke oil from a separate oil container after filling up with petrol. The solution should be so simple that "even mother can do it" - as they said at the time.
Microcars such as the Vespa have a distinctly feminine feel. It is not inconceivable that it was mother who used the car for her daily chores, while father perhaps drove a Mobylette or Vespa scooter to work? It was hardly common for southern European families to have 2 cars in the 1950s. Today, Vespa cars appear as sympathetic features at car meets. I can tell otherwise that the Vespa engine runs warm and subdued under the bonnet, and provides enough power to follow the traffic in French suburbs.
Facts about the Vespa 400
Place of production
ACMA – Ateliers de construction de motocycles et d'autombiles, Fourchambault, France. Today holds Fiat Powertrain Technologies France to the premises.
Production time
1957- 1961
Quantity produced
Between 30 and 000 cars
Price today
€10.000 – €30.000 based on 24 cars for sale on car exchanges worldwide. Cars under €10.000 are restoration projects.
Afterword
It is quite clear that the Vespa would have been a competitor – not only to the Fiat 500 – but also to the Autobianchi Bianchina Transformable which shared a platform with the Fiat. The Fiat 500 was produced right up until 1975 and the Bianchina until 1970, while the production of the Vespa stopped in 1961, well over a year after the Agnelli family had taken control of Piaggio.
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