Wednesday, February 3, 2010

A Place for those "No Moped" Types

Over in the Southeast part of Munich is a dealer and service center for that Italian cultural icon, the Vespa. It even states on the Vesbar website, not to even think about bringing in some moped. They don't do that sort of thing around there. Vespas are all over Munich, with the proximity to Italy. They are built primarily just over the border, outside Pisa, and were created as a result of a severely restricted airline industry after WWII. For decades they have been the ultimate in Italian design, selling millions of units - driven in large part by Hollywood glamorizing in movies like Roman Holiday. That success lasted largely into the 90s when the Vespa was undersold by cheap scooters from Asia. Now bouncing back from the edge of bankruptcy, the company seems to be on track again. Either way, no one can take away what the Vespa has done for pop culture.

1 comment:

Bill said...

Ahh the Vespa. My favourite mode of transport. I always wanted to own one but never had the chance. Now it's too late for me but I keep dreaming.