This weekend, we spotted this pink Vespa model in Amsterdam. When we inquired who designed it, it turned out to be the Blonde Amsterdam brand. Don’t you just simply love the cupcake images? VespaVita will keep you posted on this great design.
Vespa is well on her way to conquer the world. You’ve already spotted the scooters in big cities such as Milan, Paris, Amsterdam and Jakarta and now it’s time for Los Angeles. The streets downtown and on the Westside are forever changed by the colorful image of Vespa. The new store ‘Vespa of Los Angeles’ has opened at just the right time. The beautiful location, new models and the popularity of Vespa have quickly turned the shop into a hotspot. The Vespa virus is slowly infecting the trendy hipsters of L.A. Read the article in Vespa lifestyle
Meet a unique Belgian family company that started out selling bikes before the second World War, but developed into a well-known name in the motor and scooter industry: Moto’s Maes, established in the small town of Menen (in French: Ménin) near the French border. This ‘three generations’ company is now one of the bigger dealers in Belgium.
Vespa is an important brand for Moto’s Maes. The second floor of the shop has been converted into a Vespa instore where helmets, bags and other accessories are lined up next to the fabulous scooters. “Our customers are very enthousiastic and we are delighted to give them a tour of our boutique”, says owner Eric Maes who runs the store with his wife Lieve, his sister Nicole and six employees.
A unique sponsered Vespa ride will take place in the United Kingdom from September 30th, 2010 on when a team of airforce pilots drives across the country from Land’s End to John O’Groats. By taking up this challenge, the pilots from the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team (the so called Red Arrows) and four of the pilot fighters from the ‘’ support a number of charities such as Help for Heroes and Wizzkids.
In their BAE Systems Hawk aircraft, the Red Arrows pilots would cover the distance in a little over an hour, but the riders will travel on Vespa 125S scooters, taking four days to complete the 1000 mile journey. Follow this wonderful initiative from day to day on their site.
The brand new series ‘Movie Stars on Wheels’ features iconic Hollywood stars with a love for Vespa scooters. The first episode highlights American actress Angie Dickenson, followed by Belgian-born beauty Audrey Hepburn. Stay tuned for new weekly features! Read the article in Vespa Art
The Vespa scooter has come a long way as this unique picture from a private family collection shows. Back in the days of the colony the Dutch Indies, present day Indonesia, the Vespa brand was highly popular.
Read the article in Vespa Art
Every car aficionado out there knows that Top Gear presenter and car guru Jeremy Clarkson is an outspoken enemy of all motorcycles and the people who ride them.
Always wanted to share the Vespa experience with your friends and family? Look no further: Vespa South Africa has built an amazing ‘Stretch Scooter’ which can seat four people and has two rear ends of the scooter put one after the other. Vespa calls the model “a family car on two wheels”. Now you can stylishly drop off your kids at school or take the whole family on a road trip.
The VespaVita team wishes all her followers a wonderful X-mas and a great 2010! Keep trucking and tracking us on the web! In January 2010, team members will be visiting Indonesia to check out the local scene.
The new series ‘Movie Stars on Wheels’ features iconic Hollywood actors with a love for Vespa scooters. The first episode stars American actress Angie Dickinson.
Read the article in Vespa art
Our friends Pim and Werner at our favourite scooter shop in Hilversum, The Netherlands, made us an offer we couldn’t refuse! They’re tackling the current financial crisis by giving away stuff. Pretty weird, huh? So what’s the deal?
First REGISTER and upload your photo at MYVESPA and tell us why you should own a Vespa and the bike guys might give you half a Vespa for free!
We could now continue by explaining all the rules and regulations of this competition, but it’s pretty obvious that you can only get half the bike from them and nobody else. There is actually no such thing as half a bike you only get it if you pay for the other half. But that’s all obvious, right? Just so you know, there can only be one winner.
Our friends from Vespa fans organize a Vespa Ride in Amsterdam on october 31th. The trip will start at 21.00 hrs, and on Saterdaynight they will have Vespa party at Pakhuis Wilhelmina. Forza Vespa Rotterdam planned their ride on november 1th, therendezvous point at Meent (Cafe Pol) at 12.30 hours.
Getting through Downtown Los Angeles gridlock may become a little easier from November on when a new scooter dealership will open. Vespa of Los Angeles is scheduled to debut at 301 S Central Avenue, said Roger Miyawaka, general manager of the dealership. The 3,000 square foot building will have a boutique-like showroom with a full line of Vespa scooters. The dealership will also carry other Piaggio scooter models, along with clothing and helmets. Plans currently call for sales (starting at $3,200) and service only. Rentals may follow in the future.
VespaVita’s very own promo team visited the Dutch town of Hilversum on Thursday, October 15 to hand out flyers. The funky girls on their mint green and ocean blue Vespa’s attracted a lot of attention from local shoppers. Spreading the word on the increasingly popular Italian scooters, the promo team will next visit the cities of Utrecht, Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Also in the works are VespaVita parties in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Check back regularly for the dates and locations of these not to be missed parties!
Mods love Vespa. And mods love Fred Perry stuff. One plus one is dynamite if you put the two brands together. So, to celebrate the 100th birthday of Fred Perry, the popular clothes brand (loved by mods) works together with Piaggio for a limited edition Fred Perry Vespa. Only 100 in the shop, so act fast!
Belgium. The people there eat fries, speak two languages, like cartoons and like the work of master painter Rubens. What else? Well, you can discover that yourself. Johan Mertens uit Erembodegem started his companie called Vespatrips and organizes (weird-language allert!) all-inclusive trips through the green belt of Belgium.
Mister Johan’s site is in English though…
Our nice friends at consumerreports.org took a bunch of new scooters en toured NY’s Central Park. The gave points, stars, letters, numbers (anything, really) and compared prices. You can find their report here. But the big news: Piaggo, the guys that make Vespa’s will bring a hybrid scooter to the market in 2010.
‘As it stands, every single white person on earth either owns, has owned, or is dreaming about owning a Vespa Scooter. And why not? They are Italian, feature vintage design, low emissions, make the rider look more sophisticated, and they carry a little bit of risk.’
Black, white, yellow, purple, green but who actually cares? Only nice people count, right. Funny guy Christian Lander has this blog of stuff white people likes. Guess what? New on the list: Vespa scooters. Really!
End March, dutch guy Joris got on the train with his early 70′s Vespa. Destination Italy! The two cruise bella Italia for five month. How cool is that. Joris studies architecture and loves the Italian lifestyle.
You can read their adventures in Dutch here!
Cars, motorbikes, speedboats and everything else that runs on a fuel based engine; they all suffer from the economic crisis. Sales have been going down for the past half year. But guess what? We Vesparazzi are not intimidated by economic statistics!
25.000 scooters left the Dutch shops in the first half year of 2009. That’s a lot! A stunning 8 percent growth!
We can only speculate about the current demand for scooters. Is it all about total coolness and style? Or are people just tired of looking for parking spaces for their car? We at Vespavita always say: who needs a car when you can ride a scooter!
The most important thing when you ride a Vespa, is that you drive safely. And stylish as well. The people of the brand Good agree with that rule and have designed the most wicked helmets we’ve ever seen. These helmets are truly unique eyecatchers. Unfortunately, they’re not for sale, but just looking at the designs , is a big pleasure.
The year 2011 is almost here, so high time to show the brand new Vespa calender. Each month shows a beautiful Vespa picture with the days of the month underneath. So if you want to start your day glancing at your favorite scooter, then this is your go-to calender. click here to see the calender.
If you love soccer and Vespa alike, then here’s an amazing scooter that suits your style: the Copa customized World Cup scooter. The 1985 model is a Vespa PK50, decorated with 1000 Panini soccer stickers of the greatest footie players ever. You can see this scooter cruising around Amsterdam or at the Copa Football flagship store in Amsterdam.
The innovators of the handheld video recorder, Flip, have just announced the Mino HD 2.0. This new, slicker itteration of the Mino HD, has now up to 8 GB storage so you now can record up to 2 hours of 720p video, a bigger 2 inch screen, a HDMI port and you can costumize your Mino HD with your own prints on their website.
Check for more info here.
Want to be even more distinctive while riding your Vespa? Start sporting a Vespa shoulder bag with eye-catching designs in bright colours. Sling it around your shoulder and look cooler than the ice cubes in your Snappletini.
For more information: www.scooterproducts.com
New at Etsy: a cool duct tape wallet with a Vespa. How cool is that? This bi-fold wallet is 100% duct tape; no card board or paper! It is very durable and it is also waterproof!
Don’t you hate it when people show up late? Here’s a good one: give them a clock! This bitesize metal wall clock is available fom Vespashopping.com
If you are a scooter enthusiast, why not visit the Piaggio Museum in Italy? On a Saturday morning, our reporter traveled to the small town of Pontedera (near Pisa) which houses the museum. The place itself is calm and peaceful, and not a tourist attraction at all. You’ll find great pilotages in the centre of the city, all remains of the Piaggio plant. In the early days, scooters and machines were positioned here, but now they’re used as parking spaces. The museum itself radiates love and nostalgia for the famous Italian industrial products: the Vespas and Gileras on display are simply beautiful. But the Piaggio Museum is more than Vespa with train units and an old airplane as part of the collection. Interesting fact: designer Rinaldo Piaggio started his career as an interior decorator for train units.
Right after the visit, our reporter went to look for a nearby restaurant. A delicious spaghetti carbonara with a glass of vino rosso completed a wonderful day. In all, the town of Pontedera and the Piaggio Museum are real recommendations for true Vespa lovers.
Vespa is becoming a hot international brand by the minute. At first, you saw the iconic scooter in classic Hollywood and Cinecittà movies from the 60’s on, but the latest craze is the music video for Travie McCoy’s song ‘Billionaire’ featuring Bruno Mars. Shot on the boardwalk in Venice, California, McCoy and his buddies cruise on cool Vespas in stunning colors, ad-libbing to the signature line ‘I wanne be a billionaire so f*(beep) bad’. The reggae vibe and lyrics blend perfectly with the Vespa lifestyle as Vespa stands for luxury and an exciting life.
check the video here
British actress Audrey Hepburn was born in 1929 in Ixelles, Belgium as Audrey Kathleen Ruston. She spent her childhood chiefly in the Netherlands, included German-occupied Arnhem during the Second World War. She studied ballet in Arnhem and then moved to London in 1948, where she continued to train in ballet and worked as a photographer’s model. She appeared in a handful of European films before starring in the 1951 Broadway play Gigi. Hepburn played the lead female role in Roman Holiday (1953), winning an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for her performance. The movie has become iconic with the graceful Hepburn cruising through Rome on a Vespa scooter.
She starred as Eliza Doolittle in the film version of My Fair Lady (1964), becoming only the third actor to receive $1,000,000 for a film role. From 1968 to 1975 she took a break from film-making, mostly to spend more time with her two sons. In 1976 she starred with Sean Connery in Robin and Marian. In 1989 she made her last film appearance in Steven Spielberg’s Always.
Her war-time experiences inspired her passion for humanitarian work, and although she had worked for UNICEF since the 1950s, during her later life she dedicated much of her time and energy to the organization. From 1988 until 1992, she worked in some of the most profoundly disadvantaged communities of Africa, South America and Asia. In 1992, Hepburn was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. In 1999, she was ranked as the third greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute. She passed away on 20 January 1993, in Tolochenaz, Switzerland, and was interred there.
The Vespa scooter has come a long way as this unique picture from a private family collection shows. Back in the days of the colony the Dutch Indies, present day Indonesia, the Vespa brand was highly popular. Most owners took their scooter for a drive up the hillside and mountain roads. While many inhabitants of the colony preferred to drive a BSA, Norton or Indian motor cycle, the sleek Italian scooter made its mark in the city centers of historical towns such as Jakarta, Bandung and Semarang. These days, more and more young drivers gather together at the end of the week for a special Vespa city ride.
Please send us your Good old days pics.
The new series ‘Movie Stars on Wheels’ features iconic Hollywood actors with a love for Vespa scooters. The first episode stars American actress Angie Dickinson.
Angie Dickinson’s film career began with small roles in Lucky Me (1954) with Doris Day, The Return of Jack Slade (1955), Man with the Gun (1955) and Hidden Guns (1956). It was a classic western that finally propelled her into Hollywood’s A-list: Rio Bravo (1959), in which she played a flirtatious gambler called Feathers who becomes attracted to the town sheriff played by Dickinson’s childhood idol John Wayne.
Dickinson became one of the more prominent leading ladies in the Sixties, starring among others in Ocean’s Eleven with her friends Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.
In 1974, she played the lead in an episode of the critically-acclaimed hit anthology series Police Story. That one guest appearance proved to be so popular that NBC offered Dickinson her own television show which became a ground-breaking weekly police series called Police Woman; it would be the first successful hour-long dramatic tv series to feature a woman in the title role. In the series, she played Sgt. Leann “Pepper” Anderson, an officer of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Criminal Conspiracy Unit. The show became a significant hit, even reaching number one in many countries in which it aired during its first year. It would run for four seasons and Dickinson would win a Golden Globe Award, and receive Emmy nominations for three consecutive years.
Dickinson returned to the big screen in Brian De Palma’s thriller Dressed to Kill (1980). The role earned her a 1981 Saturn Award for Best Actress. The film featured Dickinson in a 35-minute sequence, dialogue free, being stalked through the maze of a New York museum and ending shockingly with her character’s brutal murder. Next on, she completed the TV movie Kojak: Fatal Flaw, in which she played with Telly Savalas. She co-starred with Willie Nelson and numerous old buddies in the 1988 TV western Once Upon a Texas Train. The Nineties saw her perform in the romantic comedy Sabrina starring Harrison Ford, a remake of the Billy Wilder classic. Having appeared in the original Ocean’s Eleven, four decades later she made a brief cameo in the 2001 remake with George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
Photographer Clay Enos is riding a Vespa 300 GTS Super from New York to Vancouver on the small, forgotten, out-of-the-way roads that connect rural America. Along the way he’s documenting the people and places he sees from those roads.
Check his website
Vespa riders are unique riders. And unique riders require unique helmets. French designer Jerome Coste has launched Boutique Ruby where ‘the most demanding and imaginative people in the world’ can collaborate with the design team to create their own, original helmet. Checkers, polka dots, stripes…you call the shots.
Check out the Ateliers Ruby.
Every now and then, we will highlight those stylish old Vespa ads. And of course the new stylish advertisements! Check this one: The Squarehead was introduced last year for the Vespa S.
Now is that design or what?
Vespavita…Vespalife…get it? Anyhow, we are very glad our friends at the infamous magazine Life put their complete photo archive online. Beautiful old stuff in black and white. All here for our pleasure. Dream away with fashionable mods, classic Italian couples and jolly old friends.
And of course you can help us build our own archive! Send us your pics and video’s. Or better: put them on your own public homepage!
Vespa is well on her way to conquer the world. You’ve already spotted the scooters in big cities such as Milan, Paris, Amsterdam and Jakarta and now it’s time for Los Angeles. The streets downtown and on the Westside are forever changed by the colorful image of Vespa. The new store ‘Vespa of Los Angeles’ has opened at just the right time. The beautiful location, new models and the popularity of Vespa have quickly turned the shop into a hotspot. The Vespa virus is slowly infecting the trendy hipsters of L.A.
When you ride a Vespa, you’re cruising on a scooter with style. That’s what the shop communicates with her eye-catching collection of Vespas and gadgets. The business is thriving: since the grand opening in November 2009, Vespa of LA has already sold 106 scooters. Thanks to the great sales results, the shop reached the number 11 sales position in the nation. Their target is to sell 225 scooters a year, which is feasible because of the way Vespa of Los Angeles encourages people to travel on two wheels. Residents seem to love the cool image.
A Vespa suits your lifestyle. You show the world what you find important: class and style. More so, driving a Vespa through the gridlocked streets of downtown L.A. has great advantages. Like the owners of Vespa of Los Angeles point out: a Vespa creates freedom in traffic. And the mpg (miles per gallon) accounts for super fuel efficiency in these bad economic times.
Check for more information: http://www.vespaofla.com and photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/VESPAVITA
You simply love your Vespa and you want to show everyone your special crush? Why not wear a t-shirt with the love of your life printed on it? I’mScooterist sells t-shirts with various scooter prints in different colors. So if you want to let the world know that you’re a huge Vespa fan? Check out the collection on: http://www.iamscooterist.bigcartel.com/
Adidas and Vespa have teamed up to launch a brand new line of sneakers. The two brands have a long collaborative relationship with their styles suited perfectly together. Vespa and Adidas both have the perfect expression of a unique distinctive lifstyle and a strong identity. The new line mixes cultural inspirations from pop art and trends and styles from the 60s, 70s and 80s.
Unfortunately for a lot of fans, the beautiful sneakers are exclusively on sale at Foot Locker in Australia and New Zealand. Not only can those lucky Aussies and Kiwis purchase a pair of Adidas Originals Vespa sneakers, they also have a chance to win a brand new Vespa LX50 scooter, valued at $4,999. All they have to do is submit their favorite Original Vespa license in six numbers and letters.
The promotional campaign across Australia and New Zealand Foot Locker outlets started on September 15 and ends on October 10th, 2010.
The Vespa virus is quickly spreading within the movie world. Big Hollywood names such as Owen Wilson, Jude Law, David Arquette and Nicole Kidman have been caught on camera next to famous musicians as Jay Kay of Jamiroquai and the Kaiser Chiefs. The classic scooters are catching on in both Los Angeles and London as the ultrahip, cosmopolitan transportation mode with the best MPG in town.
The world of Hollywood since long has embraced the stylish Vespa scooters. Remember Audrey Hepburn in ‘Roman Holiday’? Now a new generation of actresses can be seen driving around the block on Hollywood’s Hot Ride. The Vespa is a big hit on other continents as well: British megastar Gwyneth Paltrow rides her Vespa in the streets of London where she shares a home with her husband Chris Martin, the singer of Coldplay. Diane Lane joined a local police officer for a ride while shooting ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ and actress/singer Mandy Moore posed for Teen People on a light blue Vespa.
If you want to look like you’re from out of town, hop on a tour bus or, better yet, a Segway. But to play it a little cooler, a scooter’s really the way to go. Conveniently, EagleRider has added Vespa scooters to its motorcycle-rental fleet, which until now has been primarily populated by Harley-Davidsons, Hondas and BMWs.
From 2008 on, the rental company began renting out scooters at its stores in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, CA and Orlando, FL.
Enjoy a quality wine every now and then? Now there is a unique opportunity to order limited-edition wines from Renzo Rosso’s private estate. Rosso is the founder of the A-brand Diesel and has a deep passion for wine, grappa and olive oil. His Diesel Farm collection offers Chardonnay, Merlot and Pino Nero next to sleek bottles of grappa and ‘extravergine’ olive oil. All the products are grown and processed on Rosso’s six-hectare estate in Marostica in the Italian province of Vicenza.
For more information click on dieselfarm.it
Always wanted to escape to Italy and discover the beautiful life south of the Alps? Longing for your first taste of style and passion, for a real espresso accompanied by a glass of grappa? The Vespa Diaries website offers a slew of funny and insightful videos to prepare you for La Bella Italia. It’s so contagious that it will have you sing Dean Martin’s ‘That’s Amore’ within seconds.
See: www.vespadiaries.com.
Adidas teamed up with Vespa to produce awesome sneakers.
Mods love Vespa. And mods love Fred Perry stuff. One plus one is dynamite if you put the two brands together. So, to celebrate the 100th birthday of Fred Perry, the popular clothes brand (loved by mods) works together with Piaggio for a limited edition Fred Perry Vespa. Only 100 in the shop, so act fast!
Accessories, don’t we love ‘em? Sure! Coats, helmets, alarm clocks.gadgets and more, we buy them all. Vespa now celebrates those lovable 50′s pin-ups with a new T-shirt line for the ladies.
The Vespa Pin Up T-shirt is available in pink and white and comes with two unique screen-printed Vespa Pin Up motifs on the front, complemented by rhinestone detailing and an embroidered ‘silvered’ Vespa logo.
Exclusive at Vespashopping.com
Vespavita…Vespalife…get it? Anyhow, we are very glad our friends at the infamous magazine Life put their complete photo archive online. Beautiful old stuff in black and white. All here for our pleasure. Dream away with fashionable mods and classic Italian couples. And of course you can help us build our own archive! Send us your pics and video’s. Or better: put them on your own public homepage! (link)
I am from New Zealand, a lovely part of the southern hemisphere. I have gone back to school as a mature student where I am studying towards a degree in Social Sciences. It would be a great honour to win a prize like this as it would help me get to where I want to go. Petrol prices are very expensive now as are a lot of things. A Vespa is an ideal choice as a vehicle as they are cheap to run and look after and wouldn't break the bank and is great for the environment too. I found this site by pure chance this evening and it would be lovely if I won this prize. Thank you :-)
During a stop in Rhodes, Greece, I ran upon a lonely vespa in the middle of the square. A suspicious package on the back rack kept all bystanders at a distance. It was one of 25 I photographed during my visit to the island.
Classic Girl needs a vespa around LA.
Oh it's just me! Love Vespa scooters beautiful and classy!
I can only show myself right now,on this photo:-( and it'll be much better to look at me, sitting on a VESPA:-)
My Vespa had been stolen so I had to take something else ......
Hey VespaVita! Mine is a bit old, and to much history attached to it ;)
I already got this half, so I hope I win the other half!
i never, ever do this, but you left so fast that i didn’t get a chance to give you my number. we chatted outside for a bit you asked me about my vespa. and i’m sorry if i was curt, i was just frustrated with what i’m writing that i took me a minute to realize how cute you were. you were tall, brown hair and kinda scruffy.
ps. my move was gonna be to go over to you when i was leaving or when you left and give you my card and say something terrible like “call me if you have any more questions about bikes…or anything else.” i know terrible. but on the off chance that you read this please get in touch…
pps. just to make sure it’s not an impostor, if you email me tell me what type of Vespa i have.
Did you (oh, caucasian beauty) see me and my friend buggin out over your lovliness this afty? we were stunned by your grace and style….must have been exactly/5:20 wednesday..while u parked your sweet scooter. I was in the drivers seat across the street…black coat…tall. now youre out there somewhere, will you read this at all? I can only sit and wonder. My mind returns to my blunder-I let you walk away-your face now I see as this sleep overtakes me.
Vespavita is made by five friends that met in Amsterdam during their college years. They share the love for their Vespa’s.
The Italian
Our one and only genuine Italian. He’s our man inside the Vespa factory and is the first to know anything about anything. Rumours, trends? Ask The Italian.
Favourite colors? Red, white and green.
Mister Green
Totally driven by nature, Mister Green (not his real name) writes about anything that has to do with trees, grass, animals and that kind of stuff. He’s the guy to see if you want to help the environment.
Favourite hobby: Ride his scooter to the park for a romanitic picnic.
Derique Technique
Born in the heart of Germany, Derique loves technique. He knows his screws from bolts and can fix any engine in a blink of the eye. Really! Trouble with your bike on the road? You should have asked Derique to come along.
Claim to fame: put a Volkswagen engine in his Vespa.
Madam Fifi
Born in France but graduated in Amsterdam as a student of the beatiful arts. Fifi likes to shop, shop and shop and knows a lot about shopping.
Loves: anything with a pricetag on it.
Femme Chaotic
VespaVita’s newest catch is a chick on a mission. She wants to know everything and because of that she asks lots, lots of questions. She has the gift to stumble over her words and that’s why she loves to write it all down. She’s a bit chaotic and because of her talking and writing she’s late at any place, any time. Now she has her own Vespa, so she can cross around town and won’t be missing a thing. Drop our new girl a line through the website, Twitter and our Facebook page!
The Real Scooter
Our youngest! Scooter will do anything. Professional test rider and womanizer. He’s a fearless freak and we love him for that. O, and scooter is our computer geek, of course.
