Just launched in Rome by Piaggio, the new Vespa Sprint 50 and 125 scooters which are the sporting variants of their recently launched new Primavera range. So what’s different about the Sprint then?
Not a lot unfortunately, despite Piaggio using the ‘sporty’ word in their PR bumph and the ‘Sprint’ name. Before the Primavera there was the Vespa LX, which was soon followed by the Vespa S and Piaggio have done the same here with the Sprint; basically added a few cosmetic enhancements.
From the rider’s point of view the seat has new piping, the rear view mirrors are new and an improvement too we think, while the headset gets a new speedo face together with a little screen/ surround around it.
The Sprint also gets some fancy new aluminium wheels front and back, the horn grille and suspension are enhanced in red which compliment the new Sprint badges.
The main thing though is the new headlight, squarer in a hexagonal way, and certainly an enhancement in the grand scheme of things.
Aside from all this, the frame and engine remain the same, which is no bad thing as we like the slinky front legshields and deeply pressed sides, and the 3-valve 4-stroke automatic engine is both fast and frugal, which scores points on all score cards.
The slightly disappointing thing however is that back in the 1970s Piaggio produced their original Primavera scooter, and they later added to the range with a new ‘sporty’ version named the Primavera ET3. That boasted electronic ignition over the standard scooter’s points ignition, and also a 3-port engine, which together meant for a faster scooter that justified the speed stripes and new paint schemes, and also the higher price tag.
Today however, we presume the Sprint is going to cost more and for your money you get little more than the cosmetic makeover. Still, it’s always nice to have a choice I suppose…
(for more details visit Vespa’s UK website.).
It is amazingly gorgeus !!