The Vespa 150 TAP

The Vespa 150 TAP is an Italian Vespa scooter modified to transport a M20 75 mm recoilless rifle, which was used in the 1950s by the French Airborne Forces (Troupes aéroportées, or TAP). It was produced by Ateliers de Construction de Motocycles et Automobiles (ACMA), a licensed assembler of Vespas in France, in 1956 and 1959.


Its mounted M20, a U.S.-made light anti-armour cannon, was very light when compared to a standard 75mm cannon but was still able to penetrate 100 mm of armour by so-called HEAT warhead. The recoil is counteracted by venting propellant gases out the rear of the weapon which eliminated the need for a mechanical recoil system or heavy mounts, enabling the weapon to be fired from the Vespa frame.

The scooters would be parachute-dropped in pairs, accompanied by a two-man team. The gun was carried on one scooter, while the ammunition was loaded on the other. Due to the lack of any kind of aiming devices the recoiless rifle was never designed to be fired from the scooter, the gun was mounted on a tripod which was also carried by the scooter, before being fired.



The "Bazooka Vespa" was relatively cheap: Vespas cost roughly $500 at the time, and the M20s were plentiful. Roughly 800 of these scooters were deployed in the Algerian War.

source wikipedia

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Piaggio & Ducati merger synergies?

Italian Motorcycles SpA

A recent study by a world-renowned management-consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, suggests the possible synergies of a merger between Piaggio & C. S.p.a. and Ducati.

The study was revealed this morning by the Italian newspaper LaStampa.it. As Europe's largest manufacturer of two-wheeled vehicles, Piaggio has already proven itself capable of acquiring other marquee brands. Their current brand line-up includes Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Vespa, Gilera, Derbi and Scarabeo.

This news of the possible synergies comes shortly after Internet rumors of the imminent sale of Piaggio, as they are 55% controlled by IMMSI S.p.A. Company executives have stated that the sale and any plans for a merger are totally unfounded.

Piaggio closed 2009 with a 30.2% share in its home Italian market (up 1.7% percent over 2008), and has reported excellent performance in over 50cc scooters: 33.6% market share in 2009 (+2.1% higher than in 2008) with 5 product families in the top ten bestsellers.

Piaggio stock is also trading near a 52-week high of 2.3825, compared to the 52-week low of just 0.906, so it hard to tell if the group is in need of money.

The US-based Texas-Pacific Group acquired Ducati back in 1996 and took the company public. In 2005, after a very successful run, the company returned back to Italian ownership.

In 2008, Ducati was taken private, again in Italian hands. The new "private" Ducati is known as Performance Motorcycles SpA, so the exact financial condition of the company is unknown.

The other marquee Italian brand, MV Agusta, is looking for a permanent home after current owner Harley-Davidson announced last October that MV is up for sale. For the right money, Italian Motorcycles SpA could be in the works.


source ultimatemotorcycling

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