Scootering
will always be dominated by a couple of big names.
Like
Vespa and Lambretta, the Piatti was concieved in late 1940's, this scooter
was avant-garde
... to say the least.
In
a market flooded with clones, the Piatti was technically and aesthetically
original
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Fresh
after the sucess of his
'minimotor' (1949 clip-on 50cc bicycle motor) Italian designer Vincent
Piatti saw a market for a lightweight and easy to handle scooter. |
![]() Vincent 1948 |
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The
125cc Prototype (right) shows the headlight in the 'nose'. |
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The scooter was eventually to be made in two countries,
by two very different companies.
In Belgium by D'Ieteren, and later in the U.K by Cyclemaster.
D'Ieteren, a well established automobile
manufacturer, with a history of coachbuilding going back to 1805, took on
the production of the Piatti in 1954. Having produced such greats as Packard,
Studebaker, Rolls Royce and Hispano-Suiza. This company was a ripe pick
for producing the scooter.
Initially, Vincent sold a contract for 5000 scooters, and his involvement
went into overseeing the inital stages of the production line, ensuring
a quality product. The scooter was designed entirely by Vincent, and was
now coming to life.
The Parts for the scooter came from various sources, Like the engine, which
was a Sachs from Germany, the bodywork was pressed in Italy, and the Speedo
was an English Smiths. The birth of a very international scooter.
The small car market was beginning to boom in the mid '50s, and scooter
sales were on the decline, so it seems the Piatti came along a few years
too late. 800 scooters were made.
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D'Ieteren Piatti
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Cyclemaster Piatti
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Cyclemaster, the
makers of 'Cyclemate' a clip-on cyclemotor, which was in direct competition
with Vincent's Minimotor, bought the U.K rights to produce the Piatti.
The English operation , beginning in May 1956, was to have an entirely different
focus to the Belgian. Cyclemaster (later Britax), based in Byfleet, Surrey,
sub-contracted almost all of the manufacturing, and in essence, were only
assembling the scooter, with little direct input from the designer. In doing
this they lost a degree of quality control. Only the engine was produced
in-house, and English components were used throughout.
To compete with other scooters on the market, many accessories were produced
, like a perspex windshield and front basket.
The tradition of craftsmanship was not evident in the British production
of the Piatti, but the sales and marketing was strong, and a lot of the
budget was spent on the service network, which claimed to reach to over
twenty countries.
Some bold quotes from the British marketing campaign.
"Piatti sets a new fashion in scooter design, achieving a standard of elegance, lightness and stability never before attained in it's class, here is a scooter of the highest mechanical perfection and individuality of design, yet offering the finest value ever at £104 10s 0d basic price"
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"The beautifully designed PIATTI, the centre of attraction wherever it goes. A scooter you will be proud to own." |
"A happy twosome in comfort and safety. |
"detailed research was undertaken and rigorous test were carried out over a long period before the Piatti was passed for production. Cyclemaster Ltd. are confident that their new product will uphold the reputation for quality that has always been associated with their name"
"sturdily built, yet wonderfully light and easy to handle, the latest construction methods and all-British manufacture combine to make the finest scooter of them all "
The Piatti: a Standard scooter? .... never
1957 and with small car sales rocketting, scooters
were more-and-more being sold on price alone.
For 1958, Cyclemaster, whose product was already the cheapest on the market,
released an even more affordable model called "Piatti Standard".
Lacking luxuries like spare wheel, double seat and parcel carrier and available
only in grey. It is believed that 14,000
British Piattis were built.
The 125cc Piatti was not known for blistering
performance or reliability, but the design alone has stood the test of time,
the attention the Piatti recieves today is testament to how avant garde
it was in the 1950s.
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