Scooter Life

By Preston Lerner / Photograph by Don Whitlow



Vespa!

The name evokes not only an image but also the sights, sounds, and aromas of a scene that’s imprinted on our collective consciousness—an intersection in a picturesque Italian city teeming with elegantly dressed riders on nimble little scooters jockeying for position with drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Maybe it’s a memory we brought back from a trip to Florence, or maybe we recall Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck gliding over cobblestone streets in “Roman Holiday.” Either way, a Vespa is less a form of transportation than an approach to life.

Vespa is Italian for wasp, which is a triply appropriate metaphor: The scooters buzz like insects (though not so much now that the original two-stroke engine has been replaced by a quieter, more eco-friendly four-stroke). They look vaguely wasplike, with their scalloped midsections and rounded rear ends. And, like a flying insect, they can slip quickly through the smallest cracks and go almost anywhere.

Since its premiere in Italy immediately after World War II, the Vespa has become synonymous with the scooter. Tens of millions have been sold, and they’ve served hundreds of purposes, from cheeky runabout to utilitarian workhorse, from family heirloom to military antitank vehicle. Italy remains their spiritual home, but Vespas have been built under license in several other countries and remain a staple in the Third World. Just about the only place the Vespa hasn’t become a fundamental cog in the machinery of urban transportation is North America.

True, there always has been a small-but-hard-core group of Vespa aficionados in the United States. Several generations of celebrities have ridden Vespas on movie sets. But there was no real place for scooters in an automotive landscape dominated first by shiny land yachts and then by hulking SUVs, so Vespas were relegated to cult status. And this, ironically, is fueling a spike in stateside interest in these friendly little wasps.

“Vespas are the Ferraris of scooters,” Michael Kosakowski tells me as I examine the undeniably sexy and surprisingly pricey models on the floor of his small showroom on Coast Highway in Newport Beach. The S 50, which tops out at 39 mph, goes for $3,199, and a highway-legal, top-of-the-line GTV 250 with cool retro styling has a $6,899 manufacturer’s suggested retail price.

Kosakowski—a partner in a Ford dealership before getting into the scooter business four years ago—owns Vespa stores in Oceanside, San Diego, and Newport Beach. He says his O.C. customers tend to be more affluent than those farther south. “Here in Newport,” he says, “I get the [American Express] Black Card crowd, people with a lot of money. To them, the Vespa is a toy.”

Maybe they could be more than that. In 2008, with gas prices at record highs, national sales peaked at 18,695—up more than 50 percent from 2007 and more than double the 2005 numbers. Last year, with discretionary income in free-fall, sales of playthings were way down. But Kosakowski remains optimistic because Vespas are perfectly placed to profit from growing concerns about traffic, parking, and the environment.

Tailpipe emissions are minimal, and the scooters get more than 70 miles per gallon. “We’re never going to get completely away from cars,” he says. “But instead of two cars, families could have one car and a scooter for commuting or running errands. One of my customers calls it ‘mediating the carbon footprint.’ ”

Generally, the defining feature that separates scooters from motorcycles is the so-called step-through design. This means that you don’t have to throw your leg over the seat, and it allows for a stable and comfortable upright seating position with both feet flat on the floor. Modern Vespas are equipped with one-speed transmissions, which means no shifting or manipulating a clutch, and front and rear brakes are applied bicycle-style, by hand. (On motorcycles, the rear brake is controlled with a pedal.) The result is an all-but-idiotproof vehicle. “I’ve taught people to ride them in 10 minutes,” Kosakowski says.