The images that you see above are of a wooden replica of a Vespa which I clicked in a museum recently. I am surprised by the similarity of this model with a Bajaj Priya that used to share the road with some other models from Bajaj in the 80's and 90's! This replica is made completely out of wood and is made by an Italian artist.
Its exactly the same as Bajaj Priya scooter... inch by inch, switch by switch, curve by curve! someone please tell me that Bajaj picked up this design legally and did not steal it! I would be very disappointed if they did steal it!
I checked the Bajaj official website too, it talks about introduction of Bajaj Super, Chetak and Classic, but does not mention Priya anywhere! Was this a Bajaj model at all? or am I wrong? I remember using this scooter when I was doing mu PG. My batch-mate Gaurav used to have this model and it had a bajaj tag on it!
Its exactly the same as Bajaj Priya scooter... inch by inch, switch by switch, curve by curve! someone please tell me that Bajaj picked up this design legally and did not steal it! I would be very disappointed if they did steal it!
I checked the Bajaj official website too, it talks about introduction of Bajaj Super, Chetak and Classic, but does not mention Priya anywhere! Was this a Bajaj model at all? or am I wrong? I remember using this scooter when I was doing mu PG. My batch-mate Gaurav used to have this model and it had a bajaj tag on it!
Wow..thats artistic..really liked the details that artist put in here!!
ReplyDeleteEk dum antique look de raha hai..like the light falling on the scooter, gives a very nice feeling in the picture!!
Priya was definitely Bajaj. Just that initially Vespa, and then later Chetak were MUCH bigger brands. So Priya got a little lost, and is therefore not written much about.
ReplyDeleteThe Vespa model was brought to India by a collaboration between Piaggio and Bajaj. At the end of the collaboration in 1970s, Bajaj came out with Chetak. The license raj and the monopoly status, my guess is, led to focus being on volumes only. There used to be 10 years' waiting on scooters. Therefore, all designs post Vespa could very well have been almost the same.
Btw, love the light play in the pictures.
ReplyDeleteWow!!!
ReplyDeleteKudos to the artist who made this replica and to you for taking amazing pictures of it!
@ Vaishali
ReplyDeleteyea... that replica is a hell lot of hard work!!!!
@ Richa
thank you so much for this information... helps me a lot!
@ Jas
thank you :)
Piaggio made and sold the Vespa scooter from 1949 onwards and to supply demand, went into partnerships with various foreign factories throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
ReplyDeleteThus, Bajaj had a technological cooperation with Piaggio which lasted from 1960 to 1972. Meaning Bajaj built and sold Vespa branded scooters in India. From 1963 onwards all parts were locally fabricated.
In 1972, after the agreement was over and under Gandhi's privatization programme, the Vespa scooters produced by Bajaj were branded as Chetak.
Around 1983, Piaggio had a technological cooperation with both LML and Andra Pradesh Scooters Ltd. (APSL) to build Vespa scooters in India.
From 1975 onwards, Priya was made at MSL - Maharashtra Scooters Ltd, a joint-venture between Maharasthra state and Bajaj Auto.
Many Bajaj Chetak and later Bajaj sunny were assembled at MSL, and sold under Bajaj brand.
A few years ago, Bajaj bought out all stakes in MSL and it is nowadays a Bajaj plant.
correction: "A few years ago, Bajaj bought out all stakes in MSL and it is nowadays a Bajaj plant."
ReplyDeleteThis hasn't been completed yet.
MSL did stop production as they were dependant of Bajaj's CKD scooter kits.
Thank you very much Dave for that detailed information!!! really appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteNice to read your post & to see artistic works especially inputs by Dave also, Now, company has announced to close the production of it , I feel that end of good era…Company has own reasons, producing only 1000 something scooters a month, and in that too they are selling it abroad….
lets see, how well it will go with bike….as they are dreaming to be No 1 in world….