Modern Vespa

We've been learning about odd Vespas(PGO thread), how about finding all the different places they've been made? I think I know most, but please can you add on if you know more or just details, dates that are brain food for the addicted Vespa crazies? Thanks.

And I know all about Google, but wanna hear what PEOPLE know & remember. You wanna cheat, just go here & I'll pretend not to notice. Factory Photos ~Picture Thread~

Top of my head, no peeky:
Taiwan, PGO

Italy, Pontaderra, and ????

England, Douglas factory

Germany, Messerschmidt and others I believe, but ???

Indonesia, Dan Motors

Spain, MotoVespa? or similar?

India, Bajaj and ???, talk Lambretta if you wanna

France, Acme (right?)

South America somewhere, assembly only

Japan, a run of unique smallies, all Italian or some assembly there?

USA, if you count unique Allstate w/ considerable assembly often required + Cushman was sold nowhere else

Viet Nam, shifties? almost but modern yes

New Zealand - Assembled with 20% domestic content

https://modernvespa.com/forum/post2134964#2134964

France is A.C.M.A. Paris - Atelier de Construction de Motocycles et d'Automobiles
Belgium - MISA Motor Industry S.A.
Spain: Motovespa
Sovjet Union: Vyatka. This was an unauthorised copy btw...

150..it was made with very thick sheet metal but the rest of poor quality, like almost all the rest of the Soviet production of those times of the cold war. The only exception is the Lada Niva (off-road car produced by FIAT in the USSR)

Here's an original factory sticker on my PX150E. It says 'Made in Thailand' but it isn't the case. It was the main assembly plant that imported everything from Piaggio Italy and only assembled the bikes here.

I don't know the numbers, but they were in the very high thousands. There were massive numbers of Sprint and VBB, huge numbers of PX, quite a number of Cosa, and then more limited numbers of GS150, GS160, SS180. There were also a few thousand small frames, Primavera, 50 and 90.

Many of the Sprints are still on the roads carrying loads of cargo in China Town mostly. There are also some collectors who have major stashes of all original rare Vespas and Lambrettas. A lot of people from the west who think Asia has mostly 'Bodges' are ignorant.

Sadly, a lot of the vintage Vespas that were here off the showroom floors are gone, but there are enough workhorses (Sprints) and enthusiasts to continue a pretty strong market for sales and repair/restoration of vintage bikes.

Nomad ... I bought my scooter knowing it was made in Thailand, especially now that I have seen first-hand the high quality do not doubt your ability.

BUDD in the US created stamps for the very early Vespas and produced a few with those stamps

THANKS guys! A gold mine here & we are at close to TWENTY? Gotta go count!


this is heroin for us addicts, who else wudda thought there too?

MORE LABLE pix like this , please? PGO guy?

And BUDD ??? who knew? Those big Apes know stuff too looks like

Wasn't LML in India and Piaggio in cahoots for a while?

Yes they were...
From Wikipedia:
"In 1983 he started a joint venture, owned by the Indian Singhania family and by the Italian Piaggio & C

A model of three-wheeled vehicle 100 cm³ and subsequently scooters and components for the Asian and African market is initially produced, through the company Vespa Automobile Company Limited, including a high percentage of Vespa PX with the Piaggio brand for the domestic market and new models called LML Vespa, NV3, Alfa, T5, 4W.

Some "clones" are born such as the Supreme LML , derived from the Vespa Cosa, and LML Select , derived from the Vespa T5."

Be aware though that, as I said, Vespas were never 'made in Thailand'. The language in the sticker is misleading. The bikes and parts were all imported from Italy
and then assembled by that company for dealers to sell in the local market only.

The deal in Indonesia was different because they actually manufactured whole frames and even parts.

Yes, thanks, and I used the word "made" as loosely as I could. A complete novice outside the Karnasuta plant would likely assume that they were 'made' there. And he would be right, made from the materials & components they got elsewhere, like any factory he's used to. Pontedera is more vertically integrated, but even they never manufactured or fabricated it all, except maybe prototypes.

Anyway, maybe Japan belongs OFF the list if they all went directly from Piaggio to dealers there. Anybody know?

But I think I remember a South American assembly operation I want ON the list. If there was one, I'd like to know more from somebody in South America or who knows from their experience instead of what Google says. At least wait a little while & see like Karnasuta where I was clueless but we dint need no stinking Google(apologies, I do use it to verify & to sound good)

If V espas or obvious clones(Vyatka, also a Russian river) in quantity came out of a large operation, that's all I want, And DETAILS!

Details like how many of these places MADE the engines mostly from scratch? Maybe bearings & a few other pieces made in Japan or Europe, but I suppose these? The capital investment would be a big factor to build reliable motors .
Italy
Indonesia
India
Douglas?
MotoVespa, I think
The rest have Italian motors or ????

Yep. I hope somebody who knows will volunteer to elaborate because I can't much. Of course good ol' google knows the most but maybe we know a few things they don't .

Douglas used to manufacture many parts in Bristol, England, but my 1976 'Douglas' 150 Super (VBC) was made in Italy, yet finished from crate to road by one of the authorised dealers. Douglas by this time was merely the importer of Vespas.

... I didn't know about Douglas ... interesting.

Germany had Vespas built by both Hoffmann and Messerschmitt

My GS was made in Genova, not Pontedera (according to the sticker)

https://www.motociclismo.it/vespa-la-nascita-i-record-la-storia-e-i-modelli-dal-1946-a-oggi-65204

If you open the link with Google Chrome and use the Translate function, you will have clarifications.

Collecting these too, please? What do you have? Let's see some more odd labels.

Brasil had Motovespa do Brasil, which made 3 different versions of the PX200 in the '80s, with the same shape headset as those produced by PT Danmotor for their Exclusive models.

Although the topic is about Vespas, Lambrettas were also made under license by Siambretta in Argentina.

Nice! ^^^, original news of our Southern neighbors who share our ScooterLove.

Here's current love from south of the border, stolen from here DGR 2019 Lima Perú

IMHO, Brazil's PXs had the best and most complete speedos out there...
And a repro "Model Plate" that's going on my T5. These were market specific (not on Greek models) but it will be a nice touch...

Yeah, I've had my eyes on those speedos for awhile. It seems they would pop right into my Danmotor headset, and I'd probably reinstall a battery on my scoot just to see the battery meter work.

I'm jelly too. Chris, does it come stock w/ that "T5" style tray on the glove box too?

Terry, I really don't know. Probably. Not much info on the internet. If I ever go to Brazil I'll definitely bring back a complete headset

I'd say no. None of those I've seen had the tray, and there's no holes left on the glovebox to attest that a tray was intended.

"You meet the nicest, smartest people on a Honda Vespa" la la la

my Spanish motovespa tx200

no idea what was made where tho? all i know is that it smashes the pants off my t5 with a p200e lump.

all day long....

A nice closeup from a Facebook post...

Believe it or not, TX was the Motovespa way to get rid of T5 bodies, as T5 was not rock reliable enough for spanish market because of nikasil barrel & piston. So T5 was a sales failure among us.
Motovespa made "real vespas" (steel frames) from 1953 till late 90's. Allways a bit diferent from Italian models. Most parts were made in Spain as well, frames, engines, etc. In a few parts you can read "made in Italy". It is said more than 1,5 million units came out of Motovespa Madrid's factory. Femsa ignitions are 100% spanish. FEMSA means Fábrica Española de Magnetos, S.A. Robert Bosch took over Femsa in the 80's. Another 1,5 million units out the factory were Vespinos (moped 49 cc), also a spanish invention.
Some say that spanish vespas are at least as good as those from Pontedera, having thicker steel sheet. Products were exported to more than 40 countries. Now all is history...
Proud Motovespa's regards from Madrid.

Did not know most of that! Thanks.

True, even Ducati has built motorcycles in Spain and also Lambretta (Serveta).

Indeed. We also had our own brands such as Ossa, Montesa, Bultaco, Sanglas, Derbi, etc. All of them unfortunately gone, but not forgoten.

I know your Spain motorcycling and automotive history (Hispano Suiza - Pegaso), even your victories; i have not forgotten Angelo Nieto (honor to his merits) who is second in the titles he won, behind Giacomo Agostini.

Argentina.

My first ride out with a buddy after vax with my buddy. I rode my Jet 200 and he on his 150 Special with a 200. We rode to Burn Up, a MC restorer for coffee and wandered around and I spotted the back of this.

Went back 2 days later to pick up.

1961 Siambretta (S2) TV 175

It was advertised on the site about 9 years ago.
1961 Siambretta TV175 for sale, Chicago!

Whoa! BUDD is still around too, I drive past their factory a lot!

siambretta are cool, they made a no cowl s2 based model called the av175. Have some articles on them in Spanish tucked away somewhere…

Douglas exhibited an Italian build Vespa at the 1951 earls Court Motor show, and started production at the Kingswood plant in Bristol soon afterwards with the rod shift model. Production finished in 1965. But they remained the main importers until the late 80's. The reg document for my 81 50 Special lists it as a Douglas Vespa.

German production started with Hoffmann in 50/51, moved to Messerschmitt in 55, and on to Augsberg in 58. Not sure when German production finished, probably mid 60's.

Douglas supposedly went out of business in 1982 however it is not unusual for the DVLA to class later models as "Vespa Douglas". My T5 1989 has that on the V5 (registration docs). It has always seemed random to me, sometimes the licensing people put it as Piaggio Vespa and sometimes Douglas.

What does the green switch/button under the indicator control on the left side do?