Screen star Gary Copper enjoys a ride on the Vespa motor scooter, which is a popular vehicle among Romans.[Photo provided to China Daily]

People also liked the price. "In the 1950s and 1960s, you bought a Vespa because you could not afford a car," adds Verges.

As the Italian economy began to boom in the 1980s, life got tougher for the manufacturer.

Obligatory helmets made the riding experience safer but less romantic and families were able to opt for cars as their main means of getting about.

Since 2004 however the brand has been undergoing a worldwide revival thanks to a combination of enthusiasm for the Vespa's retro style and its utility for moving quickly around increasingly congested cities.

From 58,000 units in 2004, production, now concentrated in Italy, Vietnam and India, reached nearly 170,000 last year and the allure of the Vespa brand means Piaggio can command higher prices than rivals.

"The Vespa is still a legend," is how Marco Lambri, the current design director, puts it. "It represents the best of Italian design and the (engineering) genius that allowed aeronautical technology to be applied to the creation of a scooter that has revolutionized our way of getting around."

Marketing manager Davide Zanoli adds: "It is not just a vehicle, it is an icon of Italian style, elegant and irreverent at the same time."

To celebrate the 70th birthday hundreds of Vespa aficionados gather last month at Pontedera near Pisa, where the scooter has been produced continuously since 1946.

Among them was Carlo Bozzetti, president of the Vespa Club of Milan and proud owner of six different models from different eras.

"I use one every day, for work, holidays and leisure," says the 59-year-old. "The Vespa has been part of my life for 40 years."