Vespa 98 Corsa, the first racing Vespa

Vespa is 75 years old and the company is celebrating by announcing a 19 million production run and counting. However, there were a very special set of Vespas, the Racing Vespas. Here is the story of the Vespa 98 Corsa.

Ever since its birth, the humble Vespa has been subject to criticism. Many questions were asked. Can those small wheels handle the terrains? Can the miniscule body be subjected to various conditions? Can the little engine last long? The little Vespa stood strong and passed all tests with flying colours. But there was one aspect where the little Vespa had to prove itself. Racing! That happened in 1947! The Vespa 98 Corsa Thanks to the growing love of Vespas, Enrico Piaggio was inspired to produce a vehicle with an "aggressive" design that would race to win. The Vespa 98 Corsa then was built to race with only speed as priority. The body was hand built on a steel frame. The brakes were drums but to ensure performance the rear had an air intake for cooling. The Corsa ran on Pirelli of the “corsa” type, 3.50-8". The vehicle's original colour was red. It was a little “meteor" to dream with and inspire dreams on in those first few Vespa years. Other changes include a rear set seat, repositioned brake lever and so on. Much of the bodywork was also shaved off and overall the weight was reduced to just 77kg.The Vespa 98 Corsa engine