2012 Vespa LXV 125

. The biggest sales promotion ever came courtesy of Hollywood.

Audrey Hepburn side-saddled Gregory Peck's Vespa in the feature film Roman Holiday for a ride through Rome, resulting in over 100,000 sales.

And had more engine power and a restyled rear fairing. A cheaper spartan version was also available.

With a 150 cc engine, a long saddle, and the faired handlebar-headlamp unit. Then came the 50 cc of 1963, and

John Wayne dismounted from his horse in favor of the two-wheeler to get between takes on sets, and Marlon Brando, Dean Martin, and the entertainer Abbe Lane had become Vespa owners. William Wyler filmed Ben Hur in Rome

. The largeframe Vespa evolved into the PX range in the late 1970s and was produced in 125, 150 and 200 cc versions until July 2007.

Allowing Charlton Heston to abandon horse and chariot between takes to take a spin on the Vespa. Vespa clubs popped up throughout Europe, and by 1952, worldwide Vespa Club membership had surpassed 50,000. Piaggio came under the control of the Agnelli family, the owners of car maker Fiat S.p.A. Vespa thrived until 1992 when Giovanni Alberto Agnelli became CEO, but Agnelli was already suffering from cancer and died

Vespa 125 Primavera became one of the most durable of all. Vespas came in two sizes, referred to as "largeframe" and "smallframe".

An 80cc version was available as well. Piaggio reintroduced the PX 125 and 150 models

To 69,000 units

Morgan Grenfell Private Equity acquired Piaggio, but a quickly hoped-for sale was dashed by a failed joint venture in China. By 2003 the company found itself close to bankruptcy.

With the ET2 (two stroke 50 cc) and ET4 (four stroke 150 cc). With a new, more modern style ET series, in 50 cc two and four stroke, and 150 cc four-stroke. "These adjustments in engine power and the production of high-end “touring" Vespas make it apt for long-distance driving." According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, U.S. scooter sales increased fivefol…

. Vespa sales in the U.S. increased 27 percent between 2001 and 2002.

The company introduced a gas-electric hybrid scooter and a scooter with two wheels at the front and one at the back. Piaggio acquired scooter and motorcycle maker Aprilia The PX (model year 2005) was reintroduced to North America to meet market demand for the classic Vespa design. Growth in the US market and worldwide environmental concerns meant a need for larger and cleaner engines, so Vespa developed the LEADER (Low Emissions ADvanced Engine Range) series of four-… Vespa reintroduced a modernized PX 150 to the United States. In the fall of 2005, Piaggio offered their largest-selling Vespa scooter ever, the 250 cc-engined GTS250, available in Europe with ABS.

The ET was withdrawn from Europe and North America and replaced by a new small-frame scooter, the LX range. These were available in the US in 50 cc and 150 cc versions, while Europeans could choose a 50 cc, 125 cc and 150 cc..

And in that same year Piaggio shares were launched onto the Borsa Italiana with the listing symbol PIAGF. Piaggio first came back into the market Spawned the iconic GTS-250ie version, with an upgraded suspension and the new QUASAR (QUArter-liter Smooth Augmented Range) 250 cc fuel-injected engine, capable of 80+ mph. As of the end of 2010 the GTS 250 has been replaced by the GTS 300 which has a 278cc fuel – injected engine.

Vespa released the GTS 300 which can cruise at 105–113 km/h (65–70 mph).

With a revised EURO3 compliant engine. The smallframe evolved into the PK range in the early 1980s, although some vintage-styled smallframes were produced for the Japanese market as late as the mid-1990s.