Piaggio, already well-known for their iconic Vespa scooter, released the 400 microcar in Monaco in 1957 to an enthusiastic response. The new model was built in France by ACMA in Fourchambault to the Piaggio design. The first year saw 12,000 cars fly off the production line as consumers snapped up the cute microcar. With several advantages over a scooter, the Vespa 400 was perfect for the small cobblestone streets of Europe.

Rear-engined, the microcar had room in the rear of the cabin for luggage or two small children. The pretty little coupe with a rollback roof compared favorably with the stylish Autobianchi Bianchina, apart from its smaller, 400-cubic-centimeter two-stroke motor. The shell was a monocoque, with a unique and advanced strut suspension.

After seeing a classified ad which read “FOR SALE—Weird Little Car” in a Seguin, Texas newspaper, the current owner’s interest was piqued at the prospect of owning such an automotive oddity. At first encounter, the Vespa was found to be in disrepair, stored sideways in a storage unit with the front bumper through a hole in the floor pan. Not dismayed by the project that lay ahead, a deal was struck in January 1999, and the car was trailered back to West Virginia where a nearly five-year restoration effort soon began.

With little access to genuine parts, ingenious measures were taken to create various elements of the vehicle. Uncured brake linings were riveted onto the old shoes, a sliding shelf battery box was fabricated, and molds were fashioned to create various interior trim pieces. Additionally, the Vespa received a new floor pan, custom urethane drive couplings, speedometer glass, and vent glass gaskets. The owner collaborated with local craftsmen on the upholstery and sheet metal fabrication.

Once complete, the Vespa began a successful campaign in the show circuit, winning an AACA 1st Junior award at Greensburg, Pennsylvania in 2005. It achieved senior Status in Jefferson, Indiana later the same year.

A painstaking and detail-oriented labor of love, the immensely well-restored Vespa 400 offered here is dripping with character and will continue to bring joy to anyone who has the pleasure to see it roll by for decades to come.