Scooter News Vespa GT 60 The much anticipated Vespa GT 60 will be in showrooms this week. Almost 99 % have been pre sold before arriving but it would still be worth popping in to your local Vespa dealer for a look.
Allen Drysdale If you have missed what the GT 60 Vespa is all about here is some background on this historic model. If you have missed out but love what you are looking at then dont forget the GTV 60 will be out as a regular model in a few months.
The Vespa GT 60° is a surprise celebration of the 60th anniversary of the world’s most famous scooter.
Sophisticated materials and customised elements have resulted in a unique, limited-edition product that will surely be a landmark in Vespa history.
The Vespa GT 60° is a limited edition Vespa: a total of 999 units produced with truly unique features.
The Vespa’s own history has directed every design choice.
Cleverly re-interpreting some of the typical design and technical elements of vintage Vespas, particularly the earliest models of the 1940s and 1950s, this one-off vehicle evokes the romantic, timeless appeal of the Vespa.
Developed on the base of the Vespa GTS, the Vespa GT 60° pays homage to the original scooter: the 1946 Vespa, the “98 model” that started off a unique history and forever changed personal transport, symbolising freedom for generations of young people. Nearly 17 million Vespas have been sold worldwide to date.
The GTS, the 140th model and latest instalment in the evolution of the Vespa, was the perfect base on which to develop this extraordinary model.
The element of continuity on which the strength of the Vespa is based, the steel body, has not been touched. The changes concern all the details that have been modified over the years to keep up with technological and design trends in various periods.
On the very first prototype in 1946 the headlamp was positioned on the front mudguard, moving to the handlebar in the mid-1950s.
The Vespa GT 60° places the headlamp on the front mudguard once again in a clear reference to the origins of the Vespa. The headlamp, adapted to the shape of the new mudguard, is therefore placed the way Corradino D’Ascanio, the inventor of the Vespa, originally positioned it.
A similar change has been made to the handlebar, a simple, visible metal tube as on the very first Vespa prototype — a clearly motorcycle and bicycle derived choice that could be seen on all the early Vespas. The round analogue speedometer-mileometer has relatively retro graphics, plus an up-to-date ride information display and electrical unit with a finish the same colour as the body.
The saddle has been comprehensively redesigned.
The Vespa started out as a single-seater that could be changed into a two-seater, and remained this way on all the early Vespas. The split saddle remains a feature that makes vintage Vespas lovingly restored by collectors worldwide instantly recognisable.
On the GT-60° the saddle goes back to being split into two distinct parts, one for the rider and one for the passenger.
It is upholstered in black leather exactly like the 1946 version, with stylish visible stitching in the same colour as the body emphasising the attention to detail on this model and the skill of Italian leather craftsmen.
The paint on the vehicle also recalls the legendary Vespas of the past. The colour is an exact replica of the first grey used on the original model – named Grey 725 – a pastel shade so simple and stylish that it has never gone out of date.
Chrome-painted metal and aluminium elements complete the vehicle; their reflecting surfaces enhance the classic styling of the Vespa GT 60°.
In sum, the Vespa GT 60°’s shape, materials and colours are combined in a unique way that recalls the original Vespa, while the vehicle features all the modern technology on third millennium Vespas: a 250cc four-valve, liquid-cooled engine with electronic injection, a double rear shock absorber and 12” wheels stopped by two disk brakes. Smooth riding and exclusive styling set apart a scooter that sums up 60 years of history.
published 1/01/2007 |