In 1946 Piaggio turned a bombed-out aircraft factory toward a small, cheap, civilised machine to put a war-weary Italy back on the move. The Vespa 98's pressed-steel monocoque body — designed by aeronautical engineer Corradino D'Ascanio — was sprayed in "verde grigio," a muted metallic grey-green said to draw on surplus WWII aircraft paint.

This system bottles that quiet machine: streamlined sage-green steel, bright chrome trim catching the light, soft rounded volumes. It is the understated, hopeful optimism of la Dolce Vita rendered as an interface — restrained, humane, and entirely free of nostalgia kitsch.