Piaggio Logo – Piaggio is a company based in Italy that produces cars, motorcycles, scooters (scooters) and aircraft. Founded by Rinaldo Piaggio in 1884, Piaggio initially produced locomotives and railway cars. During World War I the company focused on the manufacture of airplanes.
During World War II, the company manufactured fighter aircraft, but Piaggio emerged from the war with its plant in Pontedera completely demolished by bombing. The affected Italian economy and the sorry state of the roads did not help the rebirth of the automotive market. Enrico Piaggio, the son of the founder of Piaggio, decided to leave the aviation industry to meet the urgent need of an Italian modern transportation and economic time. The idea was to design an inexpensive car for the masses.
The aeronautical engineer Corradino D’Ascanio, responsible for designing and building the first modern helicopter Agusta, was chosen by Enrico Piaggio to design a simple vehicle, robust and affordable. The vehicle had to be easy to drive for both men and women, had to be able to carry a passenger (plus driver) and not let dirt in the clothes of the driver. Consequently, in 1946 Piaggio launched the Vespa scooter (Vespa = Italian term for “wasp”), and in 10 years and were made over a million units.