The years Scooter 23 rue aidherbe 75011 Paris

Urban insect become an object o worship, tra eling to nearly 17 million copies worldwide since its light in 1946, the espa must its orms engineer Corradino o Ascanio and its name to Enrico Piaggio, irst test, was laconic comment: "It looks like a WaSP." i ty years later, espa, has become a hallmark, is e ol ing in the Piaggio Group which occupies 25 o the market o scooters in Europe and about 18 in rance.

In 1996, produced to this day 460 000 copies, the espa and will ha e a generation o urban scootéristes the tendency o the "nine intage." Saddle, the liberal pro essions, the creati e and the leaders o SMEs (50 o the market in rance), not to mention a quarter o women 25 to 32 years. Retro shapes and smiling cur aceous ragrant Roman holiday, accessoirisée chic o the top box to the helmet, the espa and today ends his career, lea ing room or the new espa LX.

While the we espa PX, launched in 1977 and sold to this day to two million copies, continues to rally to the Spartan cause a ringe o staggered Bobo, the LX is all those who want to "mo e in the city with style and elegance". A bit more angled that that o its elder, the dress o the LX dressed a shell all steel with welded structural rein orcements, compact, rigid and en eloping. Its general outline re i es as the memory o the espa in the 1950s than those o the 1970s.

Optical round headlight, chrome mirrors, saddle two-seater black, bu , red or la ender blue depending on the body color with a ery chic plum called "daring plum", historical espa and Piaggio logos. Detail o the LX re iew pre-paid also a catalog o essential accessories with top box 32 l., protecti e co er o the ehicle, ront and rear rack in chromed steel, windshield and anti roid protection apron and rain in Nylon with a new system o magnetic attachments. arewell the slings, there ore, a horror to see as to manipulate! The helmet demi-jet So t Touch matte inish, her hull in polycarbonate resin unbreakable and a ailable in two sizes (XS/M and L/XL) is partially co ered with leather and treated in i e colour combinations o course matched those, metallized, scooter (with the exception o the red dragon). Proposed three motorized ersions, 50 cm3-2 time Hi-Per2 or 4 Hi-Per4, and 125 cm3 4-stroke, low-polluting, with a larger wheel be ore 11 inches only to the usual in espa, agile, strong and swi t, the LX looks likely as a big commercial success in Piaggio.

Roll in espa collection

Established in Rome in 1994, showcase o a uni ersal passion born rom the end o the 1940s in Italy, the International ederation o espa Clubs today caps 30 o icial clubs based in Austria, Algeria, Taiwan, inland or Japan, nation where the espamania li es up to the hysteria. As the espa Club o rance , it consists o approximately 1,000 members in 36 a iliated clubs and identi ies a collection Park estimated at some 5,000 espa in State o origin or restored. Within budget, i the ratings climb up to EUR 5 000 or a espa 125 Sport 1951-53, the a erage price or a Prima era, the most requested, somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 euros according to the State and the time. With or Grail espa 125 o 1948, the irst o its kind in this engine, rendered mythical by Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman holiday. Or 125 Ho mann Königin produced by Piaggio in Germany in 1954. Collectors are a ate models supraccessoirisés (wheel o keeled relie to America's, 60s chrome...), not without pride display at countless gatherings, rallies and other transects. Each year, in June, Euro espa mani estation thus rameute thousands o espistes rom around the world. A ter Lisbon in 2004 and Carinthia (Austria) in 2005, the 2006 Edition will be held in Turin, while will open the exhibition anthology " espa", 60 years o history

In Paris, the amateur will gi e a blow o handlebars in the direction o the years Scooter shop where Philippe De ant made old scooters o all brands restored trading, bodywork and engine, which it maintains. He must see his workshop, incredible nostalgia ad ertising and mechanical concentrate.

The years Scooter, 23, rue aidherbe, 75011 Paris. Phone: 01 46 59 47 90.

Public price

espa LX 50 2 time: 2 230 euros

espa LX50 4 times: 2 399 euros

espa LX 125: 3 090 euros

To read

espa: an Italian ad enture world, éditions Gründ.