Some companies made the leap from two wheels to four very gracefully and successfully: BMW, Honda, Suzuki and Triumph come to mind. Italian scooter-maker Vespa, however, wasn’t one of those companies, though not for lack of effort.
The Vespa 400 was one of the most advanced microcars of its day – a clean sheet design that didn’t evolve from a motorcycle. Designed by Vespa and manufactured by the French firm, Ateliers de Constructions de Motos et Accessoires, the 400 relied on advanced unit-body construction and rode on four-wheel independent suspension with coil springs. The 400’s rear-mounted, 14hp, 394cc vertical twin two-stroke engine was unique to the car, as were the 4.40×10 – inch wheels turned by the little air-cooled powerplant.
Inside there was just enough room for four on utility-grade seats, a full-length roll-top canvas roof for open-air motoring as well as your most basic controls and instruments. The spare was cleverly located beneath the passenger seat in case of a flat and the 12-volt battery slid out of a drawer in the nose of the car. Top speed? About 50 mph, which could take about half a minute to achieve.
The Vespa 400 was built from 1959-’60 and about 1,700 found their way to these shores. Today they’re rare, especially rust-free examples, and some parts can be difficult to locate. This 1960 400 for sale on Hemmings.com was featured in the January 2015 issue of Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car if you care to learn more about its history and the history of these fascinating microcars in general.
From the owner’s description:
Vespa 1960 400, nice original car featured in Sports and Exotic, volume 10, issue 5. Two stroke, two cylinder rebuilt engine with improved performance. Nice original interior, tires, fold back top. A crowd pleaser wherever shown.
Find more Vespas for sale on Hemmings.com.
from Hemmings Daily – News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/1UN1igu
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