It played a vital role in the rebuilding of the Italian economy in the 1950s. It was an immediate success and was much used in the building industry and for deliveries to and from shops and markets. Whatever the name, essentially the Ape was half a Vespa pulling a supermarket trolley. It doesn’t look anything like a bee but it sure does sound like one and can be heard buzzing along many a country road. In 1948 the new vehicle was launched and as the big brother to the Vespa (wasp), it seemed natural that it should be christened Ape (bee). Vespa designer Corradino D’Ascanio then had the inspired idea of adding a box and two wheels to provide light industrial transport in parallel with the social transport of the scooter. In any case, it was a great success with fashion-conscious Italians, for whom the front fairing had been designed to keep their clothes protected. Although some believe it does indeed look like a wasp with its rounded rear, I’m sure it refers to the engine note that we have all heard droning through the streets. In 1946, in order to provide ‘transport for all’, the company produced the famous scooter, the Vespa, so named because, as Enrico Piaggio, the grandson, declared: ‘Sembra una vespa’ - ‘It’s like a wasp’. He moved into fitting out ocean liners, built rolling stock for electric trains and also manufactured aeroplanes and helicopters. Grandfather Enrico began as a furniture maker. The company has a long and diverse history in the transport industry. Its strange appearance, not unlike an angular animal, would make it at home in a cartoon or even Noddy’s Toytown.Īpes are manufactured by the Piaggio Company of Pontedera, near Pisa, in Tuscany. But that doesn’t mean Italy has been overrun with buzzing insects either (or does it?) You see, Ape is the brand name for a wonderful little three-wheeled trucklet, and the peninsula positively swarms with them ! Its size makes it ideal for operating in the narrow streets of medieval towns and its robustness suits it to the countryside. Forget all thoughts of hairy primates, because ape, pronounced ‘ap-pay’, is the Italian for ‘bee’. ITALY IS ALWAYS thought of as the land of the olive tree and the vine but the ape is almost as prevalent. Pictures courtesy of Reliant Cars Ltd and Piaggio
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