Autoblog

Poor Maxwell Smart. In the original series, Agent 86 started off pretty cool with a Sunbeam Tiger before the relative demotion to a Karmann Ghia convertible. This summer's retread of the Don Adams vehicle has Steve Carell fighting KAOS with an appropriately crime-fighterly Vespa LX150. With fuel prices pushing or past $4/gallon in a lot of places, things are tight at CONTROL, and the Vespa gets better mileage than pretty much any car. If you want to see what it's like to roll like Maxwell Smart, pay a visit to a Vespa dealer, they're offering free Subway gift cards in exchange for a test drive or product demonstration (hear that, Neff? Free lunch!). A Vespa did feature in the original series, so giving a role to the scooter in the new version isn't without precedent, though an Eos might have been more historically correct.

[Source: Inside Line]

This scooter looks terribly exciting, till you learn that it needs Viagra. Sure, this Vespa Acma packs a badass barrel, but it was designed for transporting the cannons, not blasting other motorists. We wonder what the little 145cc engine would do when faced with the recoil, as well.

We'll admit that our French isn't what it once was, but the gist we took away from some research was that ACMA was a licensed assembler of Vespas in France and it was used by French Paratroopers in the late 1950s. The intimidation factor of puttering around on an "armed" Vespa would be fun. We're not sure how these looked on the battlefield though. We can't imagine that it'd be intimidating to see the troops roll in with olive drab Vespas. Even if they had a mortar barrel and shells on it, we think you'd surrender to laughter first. Apparently, though, these things were like the all-purpose little scooter that could. They even dropped them out of planes with parachutes. Still, it all smacks of something out of Monty Python to us, no matter how lethal. We also wonder if the riding posture is um, erect.

[Source: Hemmings]

To some, the Woodward Dream Cruise is a heavenly celebration of America's love affair with the automobile. Just driving down Woodward these last few days has made people feel like the cars they're driving are a little bit cooler, the music they're cranking is a little bit better and the style they're sporting is a little more kickin'. For others, however, the Cruise and the gasoline consumption inherent therein is a wanton abuse of natural resources and a gluttonous disrespect for the atmosphere.

Could it be that Dream Cruising and Green Living are mutually-exclusive? Read on after the jump to find out.

Are you a scooterist? A new survey released Monday shows that roughly a third of Americans are thinking about it, with 30 percent of U.S. consumers saying they'd consider using a scooter. When consumers were asked if they'd be likely to use a scooter if they could save $25 a week on gas, 35 percent said yes.

The survey was sponsored by Piaggio Group, makers of the iconic Vespa and other two-wheelers (and three-wheelers!), which enjoyed 15 percent U.S. sales growth in 2005. The company expects scooter manufacturers to enjoy record sales this summer.

[Source: Piaggio Group Americas]

The famous Vespa scooter you always see nauseatingly trendy characters tool around on in TV shows and movies was launched by Piaggio in 1946. Fifty years later the company is introducing the MP3, a three-wheeled scooter with two 12-inch donuts up front and one in the rear. Both front wheels tilt independently to provide extreme levels of stability for a little scooter and better braking thanks to the extra disc. You can forget about a kickstand too, as the MP3's tilt suspension can be locked and easily balance the scooter upright while parked or at stoplights. The system is designed to automatically unlock the tilt mechanisms again at speed. Power for the MP3 is provided by either a 125cc or 250cc four-stroke, liquid-cooled engine. Seems like the perfect piece of transport for the cramped cobblestone streets of Europe.

[Source: Italiaspeed]