Vespa APE
In addition to the two-wheeled Vespa scooter, the company also produced a three-wheeled utility vehicle called the APE (pronounced Ah-pay, it is Italian for bee). While APEs never became fashionable like other Vespas, they were ubiquitous in Southeast Asian cities by the 1960s and 70s. An enduring image for many veterans of the Vietnam War is that of Vietnamese cities thronged with APEs (and knock-off designs) loaded with cargo or people, the precarious freight seemingly defying the laws of physics. Such use is a testament to the durability of the small vehicles, which are still mainstays in urban areas of the Pacific Rim today.
