VESPA 160 GS

The Vespa GS 160 represents the final design iteration of the the most enduring line of Vespas ever made. The GS series was a milestone product which embodied a decade of research and development and laid important groundwork for the next thirty years of scooter design.

To this day the GS remains a prized design icon which holds pride of place in collections ranging from New York's Museum of Modern Art to the neighbourhood garage at the end of the street.

The Predecessor GS 150
Piaggio introduced the GS or "Gran Sport" series in late 1954 which was a culmination of the experience gained from the Vespa Sei Giorni (Vespa six day) endurance races three years earlier. The GS 150 was fast and elegant and as its designation suggested was intended to mirror the qualities exhibited by the famed "GT" series of Italian motorcars of the period.

The GS 150 combined wonderfully organic styling with significant technical advances and was affectionately known as "Vespone" or Big Wasp. With a top speed of 60 mph it was considered remarkable for its day and is still fairly quick by today's standards.

Like many Italian vehicles of the period (or any period for that matter) the GS 150 represented a flawed beauty; Its construction was overly complex, the front suspension spongy and an electrical system which was often the source of temperamental running behaviour. Parts for this model are hard to find and ownership remains expensive.

From 1955 to 1961 the GS 150 underwent five design revisions (VS1 to 5) until Piaggio, in response to market pressure exerted by Lambretta's TV175, introduced a successor.

The Vespa GS 160
In 1962 Piaggio phased out the GS 150 and in May of that year unveiled the Vespa GS 160. This new scooter represented a much larger update than its model number suggested and introduced numerous improvements including an entirely new body, engine, exhaust and suspension system.

The GS 160 engine coupled Piaggio's proven piston ported design with a higher strength crankshaft and resized engine and transmission components. The GS 160 also utilized Piaggio's integrated swing arm and crankcase which allowed the engine to be directly bolted to the chassis without the need for an intermediate link. The new swing arm design which debuted in the 1958 125 VNA greatly simplified the engine mounting within the frame and remained a core component of Vespa design from that point on.

Although the GS 160 lost a little of the acceleration edge exhibited by the GS 150 it gained an engine that boasted superior low end torque, smoother operation with increased reliability and durability.

The GS 160 frame and bodywork also underwent significant revision and represented the beginnings of an entirely new generation of vespa design. The new body shell sported a lighter, slimmer presence due to the new central welding process of the time. Fortunately the handlebars, controls and wonderful art-deco style tail light continued from the VS5 model that proceeded it. A refined front suspension assembly was introduced which integrated the suspension and dampening units into a unified housing.

The rounded side cowls where enlarged in size and made fully detachable to allow fast access to the engine, battery and spare wheel. The GS tool box was uniquely located at the rear of the chassis (above the tail light) in the first series GS 160.

The Vespa GS 160 model underwent two major and one minor frame revisions over its three year production cycle:

	YEAR	DESCRIPTION
GS 160 Series I (round tail)	1962	Rounded rear tail with toolbox located above the taillight
GS 160 Series I (square tail)	1962 (late)	Square rear tail with toolbox located above the taillight. The battery circuit was eliminated in some geographical markets.
GS 160 Series II	1963 - 1964	Square rear tail and front mounted tool box. The battery circuit was eliminated in some geographical markets.

The 1962 GS 160 Series I was manufactured for less than a year and represented an extremely elegant industrial design with minute attention to detail. Piaggio's choice of "Grey White" colour, grey seat and polished aluminium accents sat particularly well with the wonderful lines exhibited by the scooter frame.

A rubber mat replaced the strips on the centre portion of the floor to visually extended the lines of the saddle when viewed from above. Small details such as the equal length offset engine louvers and concave lines at the base of the cowls added up to a scooter with almost perfect proportions. The GS 160 maintains a stance that just looks right from every angle and to this day remains one of the most desirable models of scooter ever produced.

The Series I was supplied with a pressed aluminium number plate holder that mounted on the rounded rear tail section. The initial versions of the seat were light grey with dark grey piping however the colour was not well received and it was almost immediately altered to dark grey with light grey piping. Toward the end of 1962 the GS 160 Series I underwent a small body revision that squared off the tail to better accommodate the license plate. At this point the battery circuit was eliminated from the design in some geographical markets (North America, Scandinavia etc.)

Late 1963 saw a significant update to the GS160 with the introduction of the Series II model which was produced for a further two years. Very few Series I machines were sold outside the italian market and good examples remain very hard to find to this day. It has been estimated that less than 1000 series one GS160s were sold new in the US compared to 6000 to 8000 of the Series II model.

The GS160 Series II abandoned the rear toolbox which offered inefficient storage space and was no doubt expensive to produce. A much larger version was fitted to the inside of the leg shield in front of the riders legs. ULMA had produced a similar aftermarket accessory however it was now to become a permanent Piaggio fixture from that point on. The seat was altered in shape and now coloured black. Small modifications where also made to the engine airbox which took on a flat cast aluminium design.

Several small modifications were made to the series II over the next two years including changes to the toolbox lock (from round to a squarer style) and the elimination of the frame tubes that internally routed the control cables.

Over 60,000 GS 160s were produced from 1962 to 1964 and at the time sold fairly modestly. Ironically this model is now highly sought after and good examples fetch between $US3000 to $US8000. Jerry Seinfeld paid over $US10,000 for his GS 160 Series II which is certainly a long way from the $US510 it would have cost new.