This Iconic Build by the ‘Knight of Vespas’ Just Got Even More Powerful

Same distinctive look, now with a lot more oomph

August 15, 2017 9:00 am

If you didn’t know the name Giuseppe Cau, now you do.

And now that you do, know that instead of matching to a face, it belongs to the Vespa Sei Giorni.

That’s the custom-built bike that Cau, sometimes called “The Knight of the Vespa,” rode during the 1951 edition of the Sei Giorni Internazionale endurance race in Varese, an event that saw Vespa capture nine individual gold medals despite being a massive underdog entering competition. 

Piaggio was so pleased by Cau’s success with the custom Vespa that they named it Sei Giorni (six days) and decided to keep building the scooter, but stopped inexplicably after churning out just 300 models (now collector’s items). Finally, decades later, that wrong has been righted.

This summer, Piaggio revealed they’d created a modern version of Cau’s off-road ride that’s based on the current Vespa GTS and features the same distinctive look as the original, but also has been outfitted with the most powerful engine ever used in a Vespa.

Vespa Six Days (4 images)

Thanks to its single-cylinder electronic injection engine, the new Vespa Sei Giorni 300 puts out 15.6 kW of power at 7,750 RPM and top out at 73 MPH. With an 8.5-liter tank that’s larger than most, Vespa calls it “the most powerful and technologically advanced Vespa of all time.”

Clearly it’s the most powerful because of the engine, but the “technologically advanced” tag comes from the USB in the luggage compartment, LEDs, thermal covering and TomTom GPS.

Starting around $6,400, find out more about the special scooter by getting the brochure.

Win the Ultimate Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix Experience

Want the F1 experience of a lifetime? Here’s your chance to win tickets to see Turn 18 Grandstand, one of Ultimate Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix’s most premier grandstands!