lunes, 2 de agosto de 2010
Posted by Medellin English | lunes, 2 de agosto de 2010 | Category:
Living In Medellin,
Services,
Visiting Medellin
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The Vespa scooters with their iconic design features emerged from the ruins of an Italian economy crippled by World War 2 to become the first globally successful ¨moto¨.
The designer, Corradino D´Ascanio, was given a simple brief to design the Vespa. It had to be cheap (people had little money) and reliable (the roads were in a bad state of repair). The scooter also had to be easy to drive for men and women, be able to carry a passenger, and not get its driver´s clothes dirty! The result was distinctive design featuring that was robust and reliable.
While later designs such as Harley Davidson made the ¨moto¨ a machismo symbol, the Vespa crossed the gender divide. It had a special appeal for women. The front protection ¨shield¨ kept the rider dry and clean while the pass-through leg area design made it easier to ride for women wearing dresses or skirts.
In 1970 Vespa opened its first distributorship in Medellin.
It was also the beginning of a passionate love affair between the de Felipe family and Vespa. Felipe Snr started work in the new distributorship and in 1999 Felipe Jnr opened Vespa Tuning 23 to repair, rebuild and sell the Italian line of scooters. The family has become an important part of the Vespa story in Colombia.
In the late 1990´s the classic retro Vespa design was adopted by a new generation of Antiquenos who were embracing design and innovation as part of their lifestyle. Today Felipe Jnr sells Vespas to women and men from all age groups and different income groups. If you travel outside Medellin you will find Vespas sharing the roads with Mules and other traditional forms of transport.
Every week the Vespa Club, with more than 240 members, take to the streets of Medellin and show off this iconic design that has come to symbolize part of the cities design and innovation culture.
Footnote:
If you would like to see some wonderful examples of this iconic design you can call into Vespa Tuning 23 at
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