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Vespa 125 Record Racer

The Vespa motor scooter was introduced in 1946 by the company founded by Arnaldo Piaggio. This scooter was so popular that it immediately took over a large section of the two-wheeler market. Other companies followed suit and produced their own motor scooters. Among them was Innocenti, manufacturer of a similar product, the Lambretta.

Vespa and Lambretta carried on a publicity war in Italy as well as a technical and racing rivalry that was unprecedented in motorcycle history. The Innocenti scooter was the first to go after world records. It set several records over long distances. But on March 24, 1950, at Montlhery, Vespa won the titles away from the Lambretta.

The odd-looking vehicle that performed this feat was similar in many ways to the ordinary production model. The usual body was simply given an aluminum fairing, but the single-cylinder two-stroke engine had been powered up. This scooter was driven by Mazzoncini, Spadoni, and Castiglioni at Montlhery. The Vespa 125 covered a distance of 1,235 kilometers (about 770 miles) in ten hours and proved to be very reliable. In 1951 an 18-h.p. split-cylinder model with torpedo fairing set a new world record of 171.102 km./hr. (about 106 m.p.h.) for the flying kilometer.

Motorcycle: Scooter Vespa 125 Record Racer
Manufacturer: Stabilimenti Piaggio, Pontedera Type: World record Year: 1950
Engine: Piaggio single-cylinder, two-stroke, with cross-port distribution. Displacement 125.3 cc. (56.5 mm. x 50 mm.)
Cooling: Forced air with fan on the engine shaft Transmission: Three-speed block Power: 14 h.p.
Maximum speed: About 87.5 m.p.h.
Chassis: Two-shell welded bearing body in stamped plate. Front and rear, elastic suspension
Brakes: Front and rear, central drum