Powering the Vehicle is a 175-horsepower
Gibbs has patented several technologies that allow it to retract its wheels like an airplane retracting its landing gear. The vehicle recognizes it’s in the water. The vehicle recognizes it’s in appropriate depth. Trim tabs are deployed to an optimized position. The wheels are retracted. As the vehicle enters the water, the driver simply presses a button to trigger the vehicle’s four-second transformation. The engine drive to the road wheels is cut.
Dr. Keith Alexander, a senior lecturer in mechanical engineering at Canterbury University, who acted as a consultant on the Aquada. On the road, it is expected to handle and perform like an average sports car, but Jenkins doesn’t identify a specific comparator. It is intended as a leisure vehicle with agility on the water. In developing the Aquada, Gibbs designers and engineers used the Seadoo watercraft as their comparator for water performance, according to Neil Jenkins, Managing Director of Gibbs Technologies.
This popularity soon moved to American celebrities – stars like Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda and Audrey Hepburn were pictured on Vespas (Brockway, 25). Once Vespas were associated with celebrities, their popularity spread worldwide. Vespa Colour Family Album. Brockway, Eric. Vespa: An Illustrated History. For more information on Vespas, motorcycles and related topics, check out the links on the next page. More than 60 years after they were created, Vespas inspire a devoted following among an international scooter-loving subculture. Sparrow, Andrea & David. Niche magazines cater to the Vespa enthusiast, and decades-old scooters are sent to restoration experts to be returned to their original glory. Vintage Vespas and retro remakes are lined up for club meetings, day-long rides and even long-distance runs.
By that time, the Vespa name and design was being licensed for production in other countries as well. While the sales numbers for Douglas Vespas represent a fraction of overall sales, the cultural influence of the UK Vespa craze is difficult to understate and certainly increased worldwide popularity. In 1951, British motorcycle company Douglas began producing Vespas under license (they had been importing Piaggio-made models for two years prior). Despite financial difficulties in the 1980s and 90s, and several changes of ownership, the Piaggio Company and the Vespa names still exist. More than four million Vespas had been sold by 1969 (Brockway, 96), not counting licensed production.
