Posted on: Friday, March 23, 2001
Snazzy Italian scooters return
By Bob Golfen
Special to the Advertiser
The Vespa motor scooter, the stylish Italian conveyance that put millions on wheels all over the world, is returning to Hawai'i after a 23-year absence.
The new Vespas, still made in Italy by Piaggio & Co., will be available starting April 3 at Cycle City in Honolulu, and May 1 on Maui. The new scooters, the ET2 model with a 50cc engine and the ET4 powered by a 150cc engine, are colorful updates of the original Vespa scooters first unveiled by Piaggio in 1946. Like Volkswagen's New Beetle, the new Vespas are designed to evoke the original but with modern style and practicality.
The new Vespas are being launched in the United States by Piaggio USA Inc., which is organizing the stores into Vespa Boutiques, featuring new scooters for sale as well as a line of matching helmets, accessories and fashions. The first Vespa Boutique opened in Los Angeles in November, and dozens more are opening around the country.
A new Vespa was featured in the Neimann-Marcus Christmas catalog.
Joe Nicolai, owner of JN Automotive in Honolulu, is bringing the Vespa back to Hawai'i, adding the Vespa brand to his Cycle City motorcycle dealership, which now sells Harley-Davidson and Kawasaki, and opening the first boutique on Maui. Plans are to open another boutique in Honolulu.
Nicolai, a frequent traveler to Italy to visit family there, said he has been impressed with Vespas that he sees buzzing around city streets. He said Island consumers will quickly find out why Vespas are so popular in Europe.
"Their quality is far superior" to other scooter brands, Nicolai said. "That's what's going to sell this particular product, the quality. And the resale value is very strong."
The 50cc and 150cc models are priced from $2,950 and $3,950, respectively.
Piaggio stopped exporting Vespas to the United States in 1978 because of air-pollution regulations and strong competition from Japanese makes. Vespa continued to be produced and sold in Italy, Europe and India, where the old-style Vespas remain a transportation mainstay.
