Year 1947
The creative genius of Piaggio's enginer, which had led to the appearance of the first Vespa on Italian roads in 1946, was confirmed a few months later by the emergence of a real jewel from the experimental division of the Pontedera workshops.
The Vespa 98 Corsa was built with the specific objective of showing the world that a small scooter could be extremely competitive on the circuit. In 1947 Vespa 98 Corsa (Circuit) was hence built for speed in the races of its category and represented a consentration of innovative ideas to be tried out on standard production. Its mounted the steering column adn suspension on the right, a solution thet would be applied to the Vespa 125 from 1948 on. The body was handbuild on a steel frame.
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Vespa 98 racing (circuit)
Vespa 98 cc Race
Year 1947
This first fabulous race vespa was conceived for participation in various circuit race. With it, in 1947 Piaggio dealers could enter their participation in speed contests. The vespa in fact took part in several gradient and track races, with many victories in the scooter category, among wich the naples Grand Prix in 1947 and the chronograph climb at Rocca di Papa (Rome).
The Vespa 98 Corsa's form derived from the standard production model, but it had a much smaller, bubble-shaped shield and small handlebars. The horn was taken off the steering column cover and the seat is placed far back, so thet the rider had to strecht to reach the handlebars. The rear brakes were also retracted to suit the rider's elongated, aerodynamic position.
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Classic vespa : vespa 98 II serie
The second series of the Vespa 98 (1947), of which 16.500 units were produced, included significant improvements over the preceding model, design-wise as well as in terms of technical and practical aspects. The front mudguard no longer had a hatch opening, and it had been reduced in size to make wheel changing easier in case of a punchture, a frequent occurrence in the post war period because of bad roads. Magazines ofthe period noted that potential customers had to wait eight months for their vespa 98. This led to the creation of flourishing black market, with Vespas being sold at as much as double their normal retail price.
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Classic vespa : vespa 98
The "motoleggera utilitaria vespa", or light motorised runabout, was presented to the public for the first time in April 1946 at the Rome golf club. The leg shield sported the new piaggio logo, which replaced the former aeronautical emblem. The fortnightly magazines "La Moto" and "Motociclismo" dedicated ist cover to the vespa and the new scooter sparked off curiosity, surprise but also certain scepticism among the public. The first firthy vehicles were produced at the pontedera's factory at the sam time of the official presentation. For the first few months the vespa was marketed by the lancia dealer network, and a total of 2,484 were roduced in its first year of life. And so the adventure of the worlds mostfamous scooter began.
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