Indian-based design firm, Mightyseed, has recently revealed their interpretation of a future Vespa Scooter with their concept called the Vespa 98. Make no mistake, Vespa already has an electric scooter called the Elettrica, but the design could certainly use some improvement.
The first Vespa, produced by Enrico Piaggio, was inspired by the Cushman scooters used by the American military during WWII. It was designer, Corradino D'Ascanio, who first produced a scooter design for Ferdinando Innocenti of Lambretta. After a disagreement, D’Ascanio took his design to Piaggio, then an aircraft manufacturer. The Vespa name which means "wasp" in Italian, was attributed to Piaggio, when he first saw the design, exclaiming that the scooter looked like a wasp.
“As an Industrial Design firm, we believe looking back to history will give more insight into the future,” said Mightyseed.
Clearly, the intention behind the Vespa 98 concept was to reincarnate the original design of the iconic scooter. The concept is much more like a modern reincarnation with sleek styling cues and streamlining features. In a nutshell, it looks like a modern scooter with a retro feel.
The front wears a bolder look than the original one with a modern handlebar, integrating turn signals. Just like the original the front fender is also crowned by a modern LED headlight. The single-seat scooter does not get any rear-view mirrors but instead uses LIDAR ̶ a light measuring device similar to a LASER ̶ to detect oncoming vehicles from the sides or rear.
The motor draws energy from a 30 Ah lithium-ion battery pack that’s located in the belly of the scooter. Power is delivered to a hub motor in the rear wheel. The rear gets a coupe-like tail. The haunches on either side get a strip of LEDs for turn signals, matching the longer tail lamp in the center. These all combine to give the Vespa 98 concept a very unique look.
The Vespa 98 concept scooter is also equipped with a huge storage area under the seat. It doesn't just look good, it's practical for a holiday trip too.
So far, these are the only details that were revealed as of this writing. Unfortunately, it's just a design exercise from a firm that works independent from Vespa and won't likely make it to production.
Still, it would be nice to see more creative designs like these from Vespa themselves.
