1948

The Italian economy is slow to get back into motion, and with it industry, trade and craft activities. The transport of goods is entrusted to large trucks, clearly of military origin, to expensive commercial vehicles resembling automobiles or to heavy and slow moped bicycles; while in the city mainly three-wheeled vehicles with pedals and pushcarts are used. From the observation of daily reality and its needs arises the Ape, an intuition of Enrico Piaggio and Corradino D’Ascanio. «The“ Ape ”moto-van is destined for success – writes Motociclismo magazine – It is a very modern vehicle with limited costs and consumption, within the reach of the most modest company, but designed without false economy according to rational criteria, both in terms of functionality and construction ». The first Ape of 1948 inherits from the Vespa all the fundamental characteristics – even though it has a three-wheel structure – besides of course the front section and the 125 cc engine mounted on the Piaggio scooter in 1948, and originally a displacement of 98 cc.

D’Ascanio, the genius aeronautical engineer, inventor of both the Vespa and the Ape, said: “There was a gap in freight handling after the war that had to be filled. The market needed a small commercial vehicle with a small displacement, with limited consumption and moderate purchase prices and maintenance costs, easy to drive, maneuverable in busy city traffic, and especially suitable for and fast in the home delivery of goods bought in the stores » . The first to benefit directly from it are the small and medium-sized traders and the promotion of the company car is therefore aimed at them: «The Ape contributes to increasing the rhythm of trade and sales, expands, so to speak. the frequency of a store and creates a valued connection with the customer ». The result of this brilliant intuition is resounding. Swarms of Ape vehicles begin to traverse an Italy “in black and white” with the name – in pretty letters – of the company employed on the back.

1956

After the first improvements with the B version, a new model emerges, the Ape C, the first Ape with a closed cab and door (initially intended as an option, becomes standard equipment after only a few years), a very small truck weighing up to 350 kilos can load. The arrival of this new Ape is announced with an appropriate promotional campaign, millions of leaflets in five different languages ​​and significant promotional activities in the points of sale. It’s the Italy of the tree knocking at the door. But these are also the years that the Ape, in the passenger transport version derived from the Ape C called Ape Calesse, built up its timeless charm and linked its image to the photos of the Hollywood stars vacationing on the islands of the Mediterranean. , where they are often tracked down by paparazzi and captured in photos as they move around the resorts with an Ape. The Ape became the main character of the mundane life of legendary places such as Versilia, Capri, Ischia, Portofino.

1958

The Ape D is born: even larger dimensions, cabin with doors, front headlight mounted on the protective cover of the cabin instead of the mudguard, a cylinder capacity of 170 cc. Everyone now associates light transport with this three-wheeled vehicle, which is absolutely brilliant in its content and user-friendliness. The image of the Ape has become established and Piaggio takes advantage of the new social and cultural trends and forges the slogan “Ape, the vehicle that helps you make money”. In 1961, the Ape took the “leap” and became five-wheeled with the Pentarò model, an original vehicle with a high payload (700 kg), following the example of the larger trucks with trailers.

The “Apino” makes its appearance: a “commercial vehicle” with only 50 cc cylinder capacity

Just a year later, in 1969, a new important result: Piaggio presents the Ape 50, in turn an event because it is the first model of the Ape series to belong to the motorcycle category. The Ape 50 arises – as often in the history of Piaggio products – in response, in terms of light transport, to the success of the two-wheeled Vespa 50, launched in 1964 as a result of the new standards of the Italian road regulations, which Mandatory registration plate for vehicles with a larger cylinder capacity.