The Vespa Rally – Piaggio's saviour of the 1970s
In 1968 Piaggio launched the Vespa Rally, which served them well for over 10 years. Was this the scooter that saved the company?
In 1968 Piaggio launched the Vespa Rally, which served them well for over 10 years. Was this the scooter that saved the company?
This year marks the 40th anniversary since Piaggio stopped production of the Vespa Rally. It lasted for 11 years, having first being launched in 1968, and was one of the longest production runs in the company's history, and certainly as a flagship model. Its debut couldn't have come at a harder time in the industry with people's attitudes changing towards the way they travelled, beginning a progression towards the motor car. Staying afloat was becoming more and more difficult as sales of two-wheeled vehicles began to decline drastically. Only the fittest would survive, and along the way
many would fall. Even the once mighty Lambretta didn't make it, succumbing in 1971. For Piaggio, it was vital that they maintained strength through sales, and undoubtedly the Rally played a major role in that happening.
Launch
The Rally first made its debut in 1968 and was seen as a direct replacement of the SS 180. The engine, for now, would remain the same capacity at 180cc, but later on in production would change. Though there were alterations they weren't too drastic, and certainly from a bodywork point of view both looked similar from the outside. Of course, there would be some changes, but they were subtly introduced. Surprisingly, certain parts were slightly smaller or narrower than that on the SS, most notably the front mudguard and also the leg shield toolbox.
This was in all probability an attempt to slightly streamline it without radically changing the looks too much.
One thing it did have though, was a much larger seat than its predecessor. Fair enough, you might think, with its extra power that makes it an ideal two-up touring machine. The idea of a bigger seat for comfort seemed appropriate enough, but the problem was that it
protruded over the frame both at the front and back. It almost gave a look that suggested it might initially have been intended for something else and was stuck on because nothing else was available. Whatever the reason for the design, it was there to stay and became an easily identifiable feature of the Rally.
Motoring along
Probably the biggest change was to the engine, being the same capacity as the SS180, but with more power and a totally different delivery method, moving away from the orthodox piston port inlet to rotary induction. This was probably in answer to what Innocenti was doing with the Lambretta. Though the Rally was launched at the same time that the SX200 was being made, Piaggio must have presumed that Innocenti's next model would have even more power, so didn't want to get left behind when it came to performance. The idea of the rotary induction was to make it far more reliable and economical, while at the same time giving it smoother power delivery.
Maximum power was 10.3bhp with more than 1.6bhp more than the SS180. This gave a top speed approaching 63mph and enough to give its rival, the Lambretta, a run for its money. With far less vibration through its compact and almost bulletproof engine, it made it an attractive option to the buyer. Fuel consumption was greatly improved and the oil-mixture percentage was drastically reduced from 5% to 2%, making it even cheaper to run. The fuel tank was enlarged and now stood proud on the top of the frame where it sat. The larger tank made the range between fill-ups even greater, again another plus from a touring point of view.
The electrical system, for now, remained 6-volt, which was probably the only downside as this meant the lights were not that bright. It still retained the contact breaker points style system that had served so well over the years. New technology in this area was on the horizon, however, and surely an upgrade in this area would be welcome? For now it would do and was adequate enough to serve the purpose.
New version
In 1972 a revised version of the Rally was launched, rather than building a totally new model. Reasons for why Piaggio opted to stay with the Rally were debatable, but a lot of it may have been to do with investment in a new model at rather a precarious time for the industry. Innocenti had stopped production of the Lambretta the previous year and seeing their main rival vanish was a welcome boost. It must also have been a worry that even the biggest manufacturers were not susceptible to the downturn. Investing huge sums in designing a new model and production line for it could have dire financial consequences for the company if sales failed to take off. The Rally 180 still remained in production until 1973 so there was a crossover period, but this is common practice when models are upgraded rather than changed completely.
By now the Rally was well established and the new model was significantly improved, so that's what Piaggio decided would be the best way forward. Its biggest selling point was the engine, which had been boosted to 200cc. This was the first time any Vespa had been fitted with an engine this size. With the power increased to 12bhp, this was now the most powerful Vespa ever built to date and according to official figures was capable of speeds just shy of 70mph. With the rotary induction system proving so reliable on the Rally 180 the layout remained the same and the increased capacity and other slight internal changes making the difference. Having shown how good it was, this engine would remain the same throughout the rest of production. When the P200 was introduced, despite having minor upgrades, it was albeit the same engine, proving that Piaggio had produced one of the best two-stroke engines ever with the Rally 200.
Apart from a set of sporting stripes, cosmetically everything remained almost identical to the 180 version. These were placed along the front mudguard and also the side panel. On the flywheel side it bore the word ‘electronic' in relation to the new ignition system which was now fitted. This
There is even a page in the book giving details of how to set the clearance of the pick-up in relation to the cam, suggesting that if the owner couldn’t sort it, to send it to their dealer for them to try and solve the problem. It’s almost as if they were anticipating the problems owners would have with the system in future!
addition was fairly simple, but transformed its looks. It must be presumed that the idea was taken from the Lambretta GP as it showed a striking resemblance to its design.
Achilles heel
Not only was the 200cc engine a first when the Rally 200 made its debut, but so was its new type of ignition. For the first time ever an electronic ignition would be fitted to a Vespa. While this was seen as a good thing, improving reliability and giving a much better and controlled spark, it did come with its problems. The system was made by a Spanish company called Femsa and would be known as the Femsatronic. The system, which oddly still remained 6v, had a rather weird layout. The pick-up trigger of the stator ran internally close to the crank, totally opposed to the Ducati one which ran close to the outer circumference of the flywheel. The main problem arose when wear started to occur on the main bearing on the flywheel side. Slight movement and play would cause a misfire as the crank and flywheel would go out of line with the pick-up. This was a frustrating development and one that only an engine rebuild would seemingly fix.
The odd thing about it all was why Piaggio had used the system in the first place? Ducati had produced a working electronic ignition by 1970, fitting it to their motorcycles and not long after the Lambretta. The system proved fairly reliable and no doubt Ducati could have produced one for the Rally, so why use one made in Spain that quickly proved it had flaws? Perhaps it was down to cost or a political decision, but surely it was best to use outsourced products from their homeland rather than buy from a manufacturer in another country?
The instruction manual supplied with the Rally 200 described the ignition as an electronic device that offered many advantages, a rather odd and somewhat vague description to anyone reading it when they first purchased one.
There is even a page in the book giving details of how to set the clearance of the pick-up in relation to the cam, suggesting that if the owner coudn’t sort it, then it should be sent to the local dealer for them to try and solve the problem. It’s almost as if they were anticipating the problems owners
would have with the system in the future!
Piaggio plugged away with the Femsatronic until 1977 when – wait for it – they switched to a different one made by none other than Ducati! This was far more reliable and solved the previous misfire issues. One thing that needed to be changed was the design of the crank to accommodate it. Therefore, if a Femsatronic system is fitted today on a restoration it requires the crankshaft that was made for it originally. Rather oddly, the new Ducati system still retained 6v lights. Why it was not changed to a 12v system, which would have had much more powerful and brighter lights, remained a mystery. It wasn't until the P range came out that it was upgraded with 12v lighting fitted as standard. Production of the Rally 200 finally stopped in 1979 after 11 long, illustrious years. It was replaced by the P200 when the new P range was first launched in 1977, the Rally continuing for two more years before it was finally phased out. Over that time approximately 26,500 Rally 180s were produced and just over 42,000 of the Rally 200. There is no doubt that it was one of the best Vespas Piaggio ever produced and it certainly helped them maintain a viable business during the 1970s. The launch of the P range was built on a continuation of the success of the Rally and probably would have never happened otherwise.
Beware of the Russians
When it comes to restoring a Rally, the major problems are rust and corrosion. Some frames can literally fall to bits and require major surgery to save them. Why were they so bad, and who was to blame? Certainly during the 1970s the majority of steel being imported into Europe was from Russia as it was far cheaper to produce, so deals were negotiated to buy cheap Russian steel. Italy was one of those countries and a lot of this steel made its way into their automotive industry. The reason it was cheap was because the quality was poor, but in the Italian climate that didn't matter so much. In the UK it was a different story and the much damper conditions didn't suit it, hence over time the rust led to it almost rotting away and disintegrating completely!
This is one of the reasons blamed on the problem with Rally frames today – cheap Russian steel back in the day. You don't see the same issue so much with either the earlier or latter-day Vespa models, and certainly not on the scale seen with the Rally. So while repairs to a frame can be made, always look to see how bad they really are before purchasing one for a restoration. The Rally has become a collectable classic and good examples fetch in excess of £5000. Though the Rally 180 is the rarer model because far fewer were produced, it is the Rally 200 which fetches the higher premium.
Forty years after its demise, the Vespa Rally has become a classic for many reasons, keeping the company productive and strong during what were difficult times in the two-wheeled industry. It was the first Vespa to ever have electronic ignition and a 200cc engine fitted, plus classic styling that with today's laws wouldn't be possible to produce any more. More than anything though, it was a beautifully crafted machine and possibly the pinnacle of all Piaggio's designs based on the original Vespa two-stroke concept. Long may its preservation continue into the future – rust free, of course.