Vespa ET4 and ET2

By Annie Durst

With today’s gas prices it is no wonder that the Vespa is making a remarkable return. The Vespa (Italian for wasp) is a sleek Italian motor scooter made by Piaggio since 1946. Piaggio is an Italian based company.

vespa et4

The Vespa was first introduced to the United States in 1951. Unfortunately California’s strict environmental laws challenged their emissions. After other state’s adopted the same strict emission laws themselves, Vespa left the United States in 1985.

With two new models introduced, that are environmentally friendly and fuel efficient the Piaggio built Vespa returned to the United States in the year 2000. The ET2 model replaced the usual mineral oil with a synthetic oil which meant they emitted less smoke while driving. This model can reach 40 mph and can get up to 60 miles to the gallon.

The second model, the ET4 allows for a clean burning motor by lubricating it’s engine much like a car engine is lubricated. This model has a more explosive acceleration and can hit speeds of up to 60 mph. The ET4 can get up to 45 miles to the gallon.

Now, having the United States as the basis of stores, you are seeing more and more of these classy scooters on the road. They currently do not need motor vehicle registration, as they are fuel efficient and a reliable source of transportation. With the current weak demand in Europe sales due to the falling Euro against the U.S. dollar, now is the perfect time for scooter enthusiasts to jump on this reliable, fuel efficient sleek riding machine.