Tag Archives: Piaggio Museum

Piaggio Museum Revisited | Part 2

Part Two

With Phil Aynsley


Continuing the tour of the Piaggio Museum with a look at the Gileras. The company’s Gilera collection is displayed on the mezzanine level. Gilera became a part of the Piaggio Group in 1996.

The 1909 VT 317 was the first model produced by Giuseppe Gilera. This one has engine number 25. The 317cc single made 7hp at 3,000rpm and had a top speed of 105km/h.

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Piaggio Museum – A 1909 VT 317 engine, #25.

The sole example of a 500cc sidecar made by the factory (others were built by privateers). It won both the 1956 & 1957 Nations GP held at Monza, with 65hp at 10,500rpm.

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Piaggio Museum – A 500cc sidecar racing outfit

One of the two Bimota GB1 race bikes built in 1993 using the RC750R engines (two of only nine made) from the 1992 Gilera desert racer. Indeed when Bimota first received the motors, sand from the ’92 Pharaohs Rally had to be cleaned from them!

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Piaggio Museum – Bimota GB1

Twin 38mm downdraught Mikunis are fitted. The frame is closely based on that of the DB2. By the 4th round of the ’93 Italian Supermono Championship the bike had been developed enough to claim victory from the works Ducati Supermono by some 20 seconds. 78hp at 8,500rpm. Weight (no fuel) 119kg.

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Piaggio Museum – Bimota GB1

Gilera returned to GP racing in ’92 with this 75º V-twin 2-stroke. It featured electronically controlled exhaust valves and a twin beam alloy frame. Ruggia only finished 17th in the championship with 6 points.

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Jean-Phillipe Ruggia’s 1992 250GP bike

The 1957 175 Bicilindrica (centre) was based on the previous year’s 125 twin GP bike (left) specially for Italian Formula 2 class. 23hp at 11,200rpm offered a top speed of 170km/h.

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Piaggio Museum – 1957 175 Bicilindrica (centre)
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Piaggio Museum – 1957 175 Bicilindrica
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Piaggio Museum – 1957 175 Bicilindrica
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Piaggio Museum – 1957 175 Bicilindrica

Originally designed in 1947, the 500/4 was extremely successful – winning the 500cc World Championship six times between 1948 and 1957, before Gilera quit GP racing. However the factory resumed competition in 1963 (until ’66) with much the same machines, but now fitted with full failings instead of the banned dustbin type. 70hp at 10,500rpm. Top speed 250kph.

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A detail of the 1963 500/4

Gilera’s 500cc single, the Saturno, was employed in many bikes. The first pic shows a 1950 Saturno Sanremo. The second a 1952 Saturno Cross (left) and a 1952 Saturno Piuma (right).

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Piaggio Museum
PA Piaggio Museum Part
Piaggio Museum

The 1944 Marte used the company’s last 500cc side-valve engine. Originally designed for military use it entered production in 1942 and featured a shaft drive. A civilian version (seen here) followed in 1944. 222 of these were constructed from spare parts and 158 from converted military bikes. 14hp at 4,800rpm. Top speed 78kph.

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Piaggio Museum

To finish here is a photo that shows a different side of Piaggio’s output. The company designed and built both aircraft (from 1915) and aero engines. The engines ranged from 370hp to 1500hp. This 1936 P.XI RC40 was an air-cooled, 14 cylinder radial that had an output of 1000hp at 4,000m and was fitted to many Italian aircraft.

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Piaggio Museum – 1936 P.XI RC40 aircraft engine

Source: MCNews.com.au

Piaggio Museum Revisited | Part 1

Part One

With Phil Aynsley


I’ve been lucky enough to have had the run of the Piaggio Museum twice – once soon after it opened, in 2000 and again in 2015, after it had been remodelled. Most of the images here are from the most recent trip although I have included a few shots of individual machines from my first visit.

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Phil returns to the Piaggio Museum in 2015, following a visit in 2000

The museum opened in March 2000 in what used to be the company tool shop in the factory in Pontedera, near Pisa. The 3000 square metres of floor space displays just about every Vespa model ever built plus a range of Gileras and other Piaggio items such as the Treno MC2 de 54 electric rail locomotive from 1936 (Piaggio was the first company in Italy to build stainless steel rail stock, in the 1930s).

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Piaggio Museum

One particularly nice touch is the way the company archives are housed. You literally are able to walk through the company’s history!

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Piaggio Museum

PA Piaggio Museum
Piaggio Museum

Two famous bikes greet the visitor inside the entrance. The record-breaking 1937 500 Rondine Carenata and the 1939 500 Rondine GP (click here for the full feature). The Carenata used one of the six bikes acquired from CNA in 1936 as its basis.

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Piaggio Museum – 1937 500 Rondine Carenata

A longer frame, modified wheels and the fully enclosed fairing (developed in Caproni’s wind tunnel) were fitted. In October 1937 Piero Taruffi set an absolute speed record of 274.181kph with the bike, then in 1939 a one hour record of 205kph.

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Piaggio Museum – 1939 500 Rondine GP in the background

A re-creation (using the original furnishings) of Corradino d’Ascanio’s studio – including the MP6 prototype.

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Piaggio Museum

Some overall views of the museum interior.

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Piaggio Museum

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Piaggio Museum

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Piaggio Museum

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Piaggio Museum

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Piaggio Museum

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Piaggio Museum

The 1943-44 MP5 prototype designed by engineer Renzo Spoiti. Known as the “Paperino” (Donald Duck) the MP5 saw very limited production (about 100) before it was superseded by the first Vespa (the MP6 prototype in the background).

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Piaggio Museum – M5 prototype and Vespa M6 prototype

Possibly the most valuable scooter in the world! In 1962 two Spanish students embarked on a trip from Madrid to Athens on their Vespas. At their first stop, in Cadaquez, they met Salvador Dali – who proceeded to decorate their scooters!

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Piaggio Museum

This 125cc green machine, piloted by three riders, set 17 world records at the Mothlery circuit in France in April 1950. They included: 1 hour – average speed 134kph, 100 miles – average 129.7kph, 500 miles – average 123.9kph, 1,000km – average 124.3kph and 10 hours – average 1,094km.

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Piaggio Museum – The 125cc ‘green machine’ took 17 world records in 1950

One of my favourite shapes! The Siluro was designed in 1951 to break the standing kilometre world record. In February on the Rome-Ostia motorway, rider Dino Mazzoncini broke the record with a time of 21.4 seconds and an average speed of 171.1kph. The very organic design (by Corradino d’Ascanio) used a 125cc water-cooled 2-stroke with twin horizontally opposed pistons that made 17.2hp at 9,500rpm.

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Piaggio Museum

Piaggio Museum
Piaggio Museum

Piaggio Museum
Piaggio Museum

Piaggio Museum
Piaggio Museum

Piaggio Museum
Piaggio Museum

Piaggio Museum
Piaggio Museum

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Piaggio Museum

The single example of the Vespa Alpha was built for use in the 1967 film “Dick Smart, Agent 2007”. A 180 Super Sport was modified by Piaggio and the British Alpha Willis firm to not only be roadworthy but to also fly and operate underwater!

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Piaggio Museum – Vespa Alpha

The very large scale model built in 1977 to promote the launch of the “New Line” models at the Paris Show.

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Piaggio Museum – A large scale Piaggio model for the 1977 model unveiling at the Paris Show

Traffic getting too much for you? You need one of these! The Vespa 150 T.A.P. (Truppe Areo Portate) was built by Piaggio’s French licensee (A.C.M.A.) to meet a French specification to equip paratroop and Foreign Legion units.

Piaggio Museum - Vespa 150 T.A.P.
Piaggio Museum – Vespa 150 T.A.P.

Approximately 600 were constructed between 1956-9. They were fitted with a 75mm recoilless cannon with 6 rounds, 2 jerrycans and a small trolley. (2000)

An Ape used as a fire fighting unit.

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Piaggio Museum – Fire-fighting Ape

A couple of competition scooters. L: 1947 Vespa 48 Circuito. R; Vespa 48 Corsa.

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Piaggio Museum – Competition Vespa scooters

Off road scooters! 1951 125 Sei Giorni (Six Days). One of nine factory entries that won Gold at the 26th ISDT held at Varese.

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Piaggio Museum – Off-road scooters too

1985 T5 Paris-Dakar.

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Piaggio Museum – 1985 Vespa T5

1955 Vespa moped prototype.

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Piaggio Museum – A Vespa moped prototype

Vespa trophy cabinet.

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Piaggio Museum – Plenty of trophies to the Vespa name

Source: MCNews.com.au