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Piaggio Vespa 400 - Italian street flea from France

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Created on January 31, 2020

Reading time 5min

Written by:

Daniel Koch

Photos:

2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

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2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

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Archiv

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Fünf Jahre Entwicklungszeit, und fünf Jahre wurde er gebaut

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Hübscher Geselle

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Schlicht und hübsch

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Freundliches Gesicht

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Motor im Heck

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Über 30'000 mal gebaut

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Das Kombiinstrument der Luxe-Variante

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Innenraum für zwei Personen

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Fussraum zwischen den Vorderrädern

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Reserverad unter dem Beifahrersitz

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Simples Zweispeichenlenkrad

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Von den drei Vorwärtsgängen war der erste nicht syncnhronisiert

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Die Spaltmasse sind beachtlich

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Kunststoff-Heckfenster

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Die Luxe-Variante bekam etwas Chromzierrat

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Lief auf 10'' Rädern

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Derselbe Schriftzug wie auf den Motorrollern

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Der Tank liegt neben dem Motor

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Die Export-Version lieferte 20 anstatt 14 PS ab

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1961) - Typenschild

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Besonders in der Stadt praktisch

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Der Strassenfloh

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Der Vespa 400 war auch bei Männern beliebt

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Eine Grossfamilie konnte man nicht unterbringen, aber für 2 Personen reichte er

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Stolze Besiitzerin

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - ein zufriedener Juan Manuel Fangio am Lenkrad des Kleinwagens

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Sie konnte sich wohl nicht für eine Farbe entscheiden und hat gleich zwei Stück gekauft

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Jean Behra und Juan Manuel Fangio auf der Probefahrt

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Zwei "Luxe"-Modelle mit Chromliesten

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (19611957 - Flink auch in der Stadt

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Die Sitze bieten den nötigsten Komfort

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Fahrwerk vor dem Einbau

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Hinten gab es eine Kunsstoffscheibe

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Mit dem vorgeklappten Sitz wird der Einstig nach hinten freigegeben

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Reserverad unter dem Beifahrersitz, hinten die Sitzmulden, auf denen allenfalls Kleinkinder mitreisen können

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Schiebe- und Dreieckfenster für die Frischluftzufuhr

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - DIe Motoren für Europa leisteeten 14 PS, für den Exportmarkt wurde die Leistung auf 20 PS gesteigert

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Neben dem Motor befand sich der Ölvorratsbehälter mit einer Mischvorrichtung. Nach dem Tanken konnnte die getankte Menge Benzin eingestellt werden, und die Vorrichtung mischte die benötigte Menge Öl durch drehen an einer Kurbel bei. Ab 1959 wurde eine Beimischautomatik verbaut.

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Übersichtlicher Auspuff

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Hinterachse mit Motor

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Technik sichtbar gemacht (Durchsichtszeichnung)

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - wenig Technik an Bord (Durchsichtszeichnung)

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Optimale Platzausnutzung

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Piaggio Vespa 400 (1957) - Insgesamt wurden 30976 Stück produziert

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Summary

The Italian road flea from France ensured that the street scene (especially in France and Belgium) became more colorful. At the Paris Motor Show in 1957, hearts flew to it, and today the rare two-door car with the original folding roof is a sought-after cult object. This report tells the story of the small car and shows it in many pictures and in the sales brochure from back then.

This article contains the following chapters

Long development period
Celebrities at the presentation
Proven engine concept
Original solution
Without luxury
Practical ventilation
Rescue measure without effect

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

In Europe, people wanted to enjoy the long-awaited peace after the war and discover the world, but mobility was slow to take off. After a boom in scooters such as the Vespa or Lambretta, cabin scooters appeared on the roads in Germany, and in Italy the Fiat 500 Topolino took to the roads. The popular "Topo" was replaced by the 600 in 1955, which was followed by the 500 in 1957. From 1952, Vespa manufacturer Piaggio also developed a two-seater with four wheels, which was launched on the market in 1957 at almost the same time as the Fiat Nuova 500. Piaggio presumably thought that the competition from the "Cinquecento" meant that it had little chance of sales in its home country, and therefore chose France as its market. Consequently, the Piaggio Vespa 400 was then also built by the subsidiary "Société ACMA" (Ateliers de Construction de Motocycles et Automobiles) in Fourchambault near Nevers.

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