Ape: A success story Italian style

The Italian economy is slowly getting back up to steam. Goods are carried on heavy trucks based on military models, costly commercial vehicles based on automobiles and slow, heavy three-wheeled delivery vans; while in town you can often see tricycles and pushcarts. Thanks to the intuition of Enrico Piaggio and Corradino D’Ascanio, Vespa starts work on a product to meet the requirements of daily life in Italy at this time. The result of this intuition combined with the heritage of Vespa is the Ape, which was launched in 1948: “The Ape light 3-wheeler goods vehicle will be a great success” — wrote Motociclismo magazine — “It’s a modern vehicle, available at a reasonable price with very low fuel consumption, well within the limits of even the smallest company, but designed without cutting corners on the basis of a very rational criteria, both from the functional and constructional point of view.”

The first Ape is produced in 1948 based on the Vespa, even though it has three wheels and has all the essential characteristics of the scooter, including the full front end and a 125cc engine. This engine is used for the first time in 1948 on the Piaggio scooter which was previously available with a 98cc engine. D’Ascanio, the gifted aeronautical designer of both the Vespa and the Ape, said: “What we did was find a solution to a demand for compact transportation in the postwar period, introducing a 3-wheeled light goods vehicle with a small displacement, and limited fuel consumption, at a modest price and it was easy to service and drive too, highly manoeuvrable in the busiest city traffic, and particularly suitable, fast and practical for delivering goods from shops.”

The first direct beneficiaries at this time are small to medium-sized dealers, merchants and the promotion of Ape is targeted towards them: ‘The Ape accelerates the rhythm of commerce and sales, to create a mobile extension of the shop and a much-appreciated link with the customer.’ The result is sensational. Ape vans start buzzing busily about all over Italy with the side panels of the vans bearing the bold signs of the businesses they work for.

The first evolution
The summer of 1952 brings more power when the displacement of the Ape increases from 125 to 150cc resulting in a higher load capacity, which until now has been limited to 200kg. The load bed is also modified with a steel model launched in 1954. Such modifications lead to the production of a new model, the Ape C, a small truck capable of carrying up to 350kg. The new Ape is launched with a major advertising campaign and the Piaggio sales network goes into an important promotional drive.

Dimensions grow, more models and more wheels
The Ape world is in continuous evolution. In 1958 the Ape D rolls off the production lines; bigger than its predecessors it has a cab complete with doors, headlight mounted on the front of the cab instead of the mudguard and a displacement of 170cc. Now, everyone associates the idea of light transport with this 3-wheeler, an ingenious mix of content and functional character. The Ape’s image is taking its rightful place in popular culture and on the wave of the latest evolutions in social and cultural trends; Piaggio coins the slogan ‘Ape, the vehicle that will help you earn.’

The technical evolution of the Ape continues in 1961 when Ape produces the most manoeuvrable articulated truck ever; an Ape with five wheels called Pentarò. It’s a very original vehicle with a load capacity of 700kg based on the idea of larger articulated lorries.

In 1966 however, the Ape MP steals the show with a cab that offers the driver and passenger more protection from the elements and a level of comfort that can be compared to that of four-wheel vans. The displacement of the engine is increased to reach 190cc but the real breakthrough is in the technology and design to make the vehicle more rational. The motor is now installed at the rear in a sledge-type structure, the transmission is no longer a chain drive but direct to the rear wheels through half-shafts, with steel wishbones along with rubber spring suspension with hydraulic dampers. In 1968 the Ape MPV is the first Ape to have a steering wheel as an option.

The ‘Apino’ is born
In 1969, there’s a new arrival in the Ape family. Piaggio presents the Ape 50, a remarkable addition as it’s the first model of the Ape range in the moped class. The Ape 50 is designed and built to repeat the success story of the Vespa 50 but in the field of light goods transport. The small Vespa is launched in 1964 to comply with new Italian road regulations that require a number plate on vehicles of a higher displacement.

The Ape Car arrives
The real revolution comes in 1971, when the Ape Car is launched. This model competes with light trucks and is characterised by an extremely modern design for the time. The Ape Car has a new and bigger body with a more spacious and comfortable cab. The vehicle has a steering wheel and a 2-stroke 220cc engine installed at the rear on a specific sledge-type structure. Piaggio’s advertising campaign also focuses on the similarities between this new model and traditional four-wheel commercial vehicles.

Ape TM arrives
The Ape Car is an enormous success but there is another technical-design breakthrough of the same scale in 1982; the year of the Ape TM. The vehicle is a completely new concept designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The dimensions of the cab, the car style steering wheel and dash are all elements that enhanced the comfort and usability of the vehicle. The suspension is new too; an independent system with wishbones and light alloy drum brakes in 12-inch wheels. The Ape TM, still in production today, is one of the most successful vehicles in the Ape range thanks to its solidity and performance.

Diesel power is introduced
While the 2-stroke engine remains the beating heart of the Ape, the time is right for a new engine. The result is the first Ape with a diesel engine. The Ape Car Diesel has a new 422cc diesel engine with a 5-speed gearbox. This revolutionary design is the smallest direct injection diesel in the world. Two years later, in 1986, Ape launches a real record-breaker, the Max able to carry up to 900kg.

The kids are alright
Another Ape adventure begins in the mid 90s and the popular Ape Cross series rolls off the lines to become an immediate success. Based on the Ape 50, the Ape Cross is designed for the multitude of teenagers who love to use the Apino as an alternative to their first moped. It has a roll-bar, a practical and spacious trunk behind the cab and comes in young and stylish colours. You can even have your Ape Cross with an electronic alarm and a car stereo.

The return of the Calessino
Back in the 1950s, the Ape’s timeless charm was in the stars when paparazzi photographers snapped photos of famous Hollywood film stars in an Ape they used as a runabout at their holiday resort on some Mediterranean island. The Ape became the protagonist in the fashionable life of exclusive resorts such as the Versilia, Capri, Ischia, and Portofino.

In 2007 Piaggio reintroduces a unique and limited edition of the Ape Calessino. This latest version pays homage to the story of the vehicle and at the same time is a stylish runabout for guests in exclusive resorts. The Ape Calessino is the perfect reinterpretation of the fabulous design of the 60s; wood inserts, chrome finish, and an elegant vintage blue livery, reminiscent of the sunny Mediterranean. The launch of this limited edition, of which only 999 are available, raises a great deal of interest with the media.

Ape today
Compact dimensions, unbeatable manoeuvrability, a very reasonable purchase price, low running costs and a great loading capacity are still the strong points of the Ape range. A vehicle, while remaining faithful to its constructional philosophy, has grown continuously to meet the changing requirements of professional mobility. Today, with almost two million units sold in Europe alone, Ape is very much still one of the products of reference for the Piaggio Group. Every year more than 10,000 Ape vehicles roll out of the Pontedera factories to travel the roads of Europe.

But Ape’s success goes beyond the boundaries of the Old World; it’s a success story of global proportions. Since 1999 the Ape – in the 501cc and 601cc diesel versions – has also been built in the Indian factory (Piaggio Vehicles Private Ltd) near Pune. Over 140,000 Ape vehicles are produced there every year for the Indian and Asian market. Today the Ape is available in the following versions for the European market: 50cc petrol, Tm 218cc petrol, Tm 422cc diesel and in the two special Classic and Calessino series.

All of the new engines meet the strictest European regulations in terms of exhaust emissions, but the Ape of today is also characterised by new models, new versions and new methods of use, no longer limited to the world of work. The Ape in fact is being used more and more often by numerous companies to advertise their products; the three-wheeler from Pontedera is synonymous of charm and the sunny side of life.