The histories of the Vespa, Cushman, Honda Super Cub, Lambretta, Zundapp Bella, and scads more are exciting and interesting!

The Beginnings

Many of the great scooters of past years (i.e., Vespa, Cushman, Lambretta, Zundapp Bella and others) remain lovingly maintained today, with a few even being manufactured still.

How all these scooters evolved as a transportation niche unto themselves is an incredibly interesting story.

Here's how it all began.

Beginning circa 1860, there were attempts made to automate the bicycle with steam-power both in Europe and the US. Few of these very early contraptions ever scored highly with the general population until 1894 when Hildebrand & Wolfmueller developed the first gasoline powered scoot.

It exhibited the classic step-through design feature we all recognize today as a motor scooter. It featured a four-stroke 1488cc engine that could reach speeds of nearly 25 miles per hour or more if pointed downhill.

Patented in Germany on January 20, 1894 this was the first motorbike to really be commercially mass produced. Among other design queues, it utilized stout rubber bands in the drive train.

Hildebrand & Wolfmueller built several hundreds of these clutchless machines. They never really caught on commercially, however.

Scooter Evolution

French and the US enterprises started in the early 1900's. This is when the first mopeds were thought to have been fabricated for production purposes in the United States. This was around 1910. France was first though, in 1902, when the company Auto-Fauteuil put their scooters into production status.

By 1914, Long Island New York's Autoped Company started manufacturing a very small scooter designed to be used locally. This fledgling scooter never really got off the ground either, having been produced during World War I when gas was at a premium. Once the war was over, sales of this scooter declined significantly as folks found other means of transport.

Cushman - America

The first great and still vaunted American motor scooter was the Cushman. They were manufactured by Cushman Motor Works in the mid-western United States starting in the 1930s. Learn a little about the history of Cushman motor scooters here. Cushman History

Vespa - Italy

As you probably already know, Italian motor scooters have played a very significant role in the evolution of scooters in Italy, and around the world.

Let's start with history of the Piaggio motor scooters. Vespa History

Lambretta - Italy

Within a very short time after Piaggio had started working on his Vespa's, Innocenti began designing the other major Italian motor scooter, Lambretta. See the history of the Lambretta here. Lambretta History

Heinkel Tourist - Germany

At the same time, Heinkel began producing motor scooters for the German people. See the history of the Heinkel Tourist here. Heinkel History

Zundapp Bella - Germany

The Zundapp Bella was another German engineered scooter that has remained popular over the years. Zundapp Bella history.

Honda Motor Scooters - Japan

The Honda Motor Company is another leader in the production of scooters for the fast growing scooter marketplace. Click here to see Honda motorcycles and scooters.

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For much more comprehensive information on every motorscooter imaginable, the book Scooter Bible: From Cushman to Vespa, the Ultimate History and Buyer's Guide by Eric Dregni and Michael Dregni is, by far, the very best around!

These two gentlemen are gods when it comes to knowing scooter manufacturers and models, histories, trivia and the like. We highly recommend you give this book a look see! From Cushman to Vespa,the Ultimate History and Buyer's Guide

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