Vespa 400 - 1957

At the peak of the success of the Vespa, Piaggio decides to make an entrance into the world of the four-wheeler, still in the optic of producing an economic vehicle for a wide market.

Once again it was Corradino D’Ascanio who set to designing the little Vespa 400, a two-stroke car built in two versions.

After its debut in 1957, 30,000 models were produced by A.C.M.A., Piaggio’s French licensee, and in 1959, it even ran in the Monte Carlo Rally.

Its 394 cc two-stroke engine, its two seats, and its rather Spartan accessories made the Vespa 400 the forerunner of the utility vehicles which invaded the roads of Europe during the sixties.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

A rear-mounted, air-cooled, two-cylinder, two-stroke engine driving the rear wheels

Bore: 63 mm - Stroke: 63 mm - Engine size: 394 cc

Maximum speed: 55.92 mph

Suspension: independent four-wheel

Brakes: hydraulic on all four wheels

Tyres: 4.00-10”

Source : http://www.museopiaggio.it/collezionevespa/collezione_Vespa_en.html