The Vespa Scooter gave birth to the Piaggio APE

The APE or APE CAR is a three-wheeled light commercial vehicle produced since 1948 by Piaggio.

After World War II the Italian economy was slowly getting back up to steam.  Goods were carried on heavy trucks based on military models, or costly commercial vehicles which were financially out of reach for most small Italian entrepreneurs. Manny of whom were using pushcarts to transport their products.

In 1947, the inventor of the Vespa, Corradino D’Ascanio started working on a commercial vehicle with the goal of meeting the demands of the small entrepreneurs and help to power Italy’s economical reconstruction.

D’Ascanio’s idea was to develop  a three-wheeled vehicle which would have low maintenance costs and a reasonable purchase price. Making it affordable to even the smallest entrepreneurs, in 1948 Vespa gave birth to the APE.

In the original design of the APE  the Vespa characteristics are unmistakable. The first Ape resembled a Vespa 125cc scooter  front end with a flatbed replacing the engine compartment which normally sat behind the rider.

The modern APE no longer resembles its parent the Vespa scooter, but like with a child it developed it own identity.  Today the APE is still in full production with approximately 10,000 units coming out of the Italian Piaggio Pontedera factories and  over 120,000 units being produced yearly in Asia.