The History of Motor Scooters

The history of motor scooters is an interesting tale to follow. The history of motor scooters tracks through Asia, France, Italy, and the United States.

The modern motor scooter tracks to France in 1902, where a French inventor designed the auto-fauteuil. The auto-fauteuil has a "step-through frame" and a rudimentary engine in the back. The historical foundation for the motor scooter comes from this "auto-open-sided arm chair".

From 1902 to 1935 the history of the motor scooter in America basically follows small scooter firms that were lackluster in performance. In 1936, Salsbury introduced the Motor Glide, which was the beginning of the motor scooter craze in the United States. Cushman, a competitor, developed the similar Auto-Glide and a fierce competition developed between the two.

There were developments such as self-shifting transmission (1938) and new sleeker models like the Salsbury Model 85 (1948) but for motor scooters, no great history continued to happen in the United States. In Italy, the Second World War brought the economic situation into disarray. Many of the large factories which had made weapons were forced to change over to new products including the motor scooter.

Piaggio, a former military aircraft firm, was directed by Corradino d'Asciano towards a new motor scooter, the Vespa. The Vespa had many new features, easy-to-change tires, better protections from the elements, and a hidden engine. This new motor scooter was well ahead of its time in history.

The Vespa was originally made of pressed steel to help utilize stock from the war and made solely in Italy. In just a few short years, however, Vespa production had spread throughout Europe (Germany, France, and England) and into Asia (India). Each manufacturer helped to shape the history of motor scooters in their respective regions.