Haddon - My cool scooter: an inspirational guide to stylish scooters

The scooter: so much more than a stopgap between owning a bicycle, motorcycle or car. Instead it was a form of mobility born out of necessity in a Europe ravaged by war. The scooter picked the best elements of existing transport and bundled them with flair into an agile, low-cost package ideal for narrow, rutted and congested roads. More importantly it gave the majority, not just the well-off few, the mobility theyd craved for so long. What unfolded was nothing short of a phenomenon, surpassing the envisaged form of transport for the masses and becoming far more. Riding a scooter became synonymous with freedom and a symbol of a positive lifestyle in what were harsh times. Inevitably such a romance made its presence felt in cinema and print, further cementing its place in social history. The scooter, without question, takes its place among the most significant icons of the 20th century. Of course scooters existed, in various guises, before the austerity of post-war Europe. However, these first-generation pioneers were scarce and the scooters were often floored by high purchase prices and unwieldy designs. It was left to the second generation of scooter designers to pencil the familiar form we see today.

The question of what exactly makes a scooter a scooter is one that is much debated is it the step-through chassis, the rear-mounted engine, the small wheels? But wherever you draw the line, the classic Italian scooter is unmistakeable. And the catalyst for what so many admire today was steel-tubing manufacturer Ferdinando Innocenti and his foresight in seeing the burgeoning market beckon for a cheap motor scooter. He approached Corradino DAscanio (an Italian aeronautics engineer), who found himself unemployable after the Second World War due to Italys restrictions on researching or manufacturing military or aerospace technology. DAscanio tasked himself with the job of designing a simple, economical, robust, unisex, easy to ride, affordable scooter with partial weather-protection and a space for a passenger riding pillion. And all the ugly mechanics hidden away for the majority who cared not how it worked just that it did.

However, when DAscanio and Innocentis company fell out over Ferdinandos canny insistence on utilising steel tubing in the construction of the frame (thereby boosting his fledgling pre-war company), DAscanio took his preferred aeronautical-inspired spar frame to the more sympathetic ear of Enrico Piaggio. The new allegiance helped Piaggio take the lead in the scooter race by developing and manufacturing DAscanios original concept in the form of the Vespa 98 (vespa being Italian for wasp), launched in 1946. The Innocenti Lambretta Model A, designed by Giuseppe Lauro and named after the Lambrate district of Milan where it was first produced, followed one year later. Thus started the rivalry between marques that exists, albeit good-naturedly, between loyal followers even today. However, one advantage shared by both manufacturers was the edge they had on their soon-to-emerge rivals.

Italys seemingly overnight adoration for the scooter left the world looking on with wide-eyed wonder. Potential customers reacted to this new form of imported social mobility with curiosity, while manufacturing entrepreneurs were all too eager to have their slice of the booming scooter market. The far corners of the globe began turning their hands (often eccentrically) to scooter design. Some succeeded, many failed most eventually fell prey to the automobile as it became more affordable. By the early 1970s road users had fallen out of love with scooters, and they were afforded a level of respect that those of a sensitive nature choose not to dwell upon.

Although scooters can be pinned to other youth movements, the predominant one remains that of the mod era, and the pages that follow naturally reference both the mod explosion of the 60s and its revival in the late 70s, and the influences that music, fashion and scooters had on peoples lives. Impressionable teenagers on both occasions, when mod culture was in full stride, were deliberately and wholeheartedly swept along with it, absorbing the forward-thinking modernist vibe. Thus began the constant teenage battle to keep one step ahead when expressing themselves via the appearance of their scooters as well as their own. Despite the decades that have passed, little has changed; even now an owners personality is projected onto their scooter with an array of lights, mirrors, emblems or even sign-writing all with the aim of being distinct.

Researching this book has not only been an opportunity for Lyndon and myself to develop an appreciation for the aroma of two-stroke engines (not a welcome addition to everyone elses nasal passages, as Lyndon was told in no uncertain terms more than once), but yet again a welcome chance to explore a subject by way of research, photography and narratives. All of this has been made an even greater pleasure by the enthusiastic demeanour of the scooter owners. Its been a joy listening to their varied and fascinating anecdotes about how they came to own their scooter and, at times, about how its changed and enriched their life. I hope their passion is suitably reflected in the personal commentaries that accompany their photographs.

Its often the case that the best design is the first design and its hard to argue that isnt the case with the scooter. However, with the few machines featured that dont herald from Italy, I hope to enlighten existing or aspiring scooter owners to these often unsung heroes, who are fully deserving of their moment in the limelight. I hope you will concur that this book covers a sympathetic mix of scooter marques and styles, and in part will help dispel the stereotypical opinion that anyone with a classic scooter is from the lights and mirrors brigade. To everyone involved, thank you its been a blast.

In what has become an expensive pastime, its refreshing to have been given the opportunity to explore why the owners within this chapter hold their scooters in such high esteem, and to explore their reasons for purposely avoiding the temptation to profit financially from the demand for these sought-after design icons. The same praise can be attributed to the majority of owners within the book, but these individuals deserve to be singled out for their steadfast loyalty to the cause.

These are cherished scooters for many varied reasons. On occasions its the already lengthy term of ownership that has secured the scooters future fond memories from the owners life or that of a loved one. Or maybe its something else: how they came to possess their scooter through a lucky find or by gaining the trust of the previous owner before a sale could take place; how scooters steered one owner from trouble and brought a semblance of order into his life, which resulted from a chance encounter; or perhaps the many years of observation and waiting before a bond between owner and scooter was established. Family heirlooms, extreme levels of workmanship and more will be found within this chapter.