Monday 18 May 2015

Week 5 (18.05-24.05) THE POLISH VESPA

http://weteranszos.pl/motopedia/pojazd/56



First I wanted to write about design in the Polish People’s Republic (PRL). I think it was an amazing time for the Polish design and a broad topic to write about. Then I realized the topic might be too wide so I decided to present one of the masterpieces of the socialist period - a scooter called Osa.



Osa is a wasp. It is no accident that the vehicle bears the same name as the Italian Vespa.

















Osa’s story officially starts in 1959, but prior to that various prototypes or predecessors were developed, amongst them ‘Żuk’ (beetle), ‘Bąk’ (gadfly) or Odra 1 and Odra 2. The main creators of Osa were three engineers, Krzysztof Brun, Jerzy Jankowski and Tadeusz Mathia. I am not going to get into technicalities because they are not what I find crucial for this article. It is worth mentioning though that the development phase of this scooter lasted for around seven years, from the moment the Head Constructor of the Warsaw Motorcycle Factory initiated the project.




It is not known who is personally responsible for Osa’s brilliant design. Most of the sources mention a few people responsible for the scooter’s construction. Apart from the well-known engineers, there was a bunch of anonymous people behind them. Destroying documentation, scrapping prototypes and the time that has passed since then caused that a lot of people do not get credit for Osa’s development. Above – one of the few preserved photos of Osa M08 prototype during test.

What’s interesting, the newly developed version of Osa – M 52 – in production since 1962, was mainly exported to India. Osa was very popular abroad, mostly due to successes achieved in motor sports. Before introducing the scooter into the production phase, the whole plan had seemed very controversial considering the political conditions back then.  A communist government could not simply waste metal for such a disgusting manifestation of capitalist individualism. The mentioned sport success had made the media strongly interested in the little vehicle though, so the government was not able to simply turn a blind eye on it.

It’s also worth mentioning that scooters in their ‘modern’ form go back to military motorcycles, used e.g. in parachute squadrons during the Second World War. The first popular civil scooter, the already mentioned Vespa, has been produced since 1946.  Also Czechoslovakian engineers developed a very interesting scooter in their communist times, a weird-looking CZ 501:
















Sources:

29 comments:

  1. Hi Anna! It's really interesting article. I like stories about polish engineers in the old years. Too bad their talent was wasted by the communists... I think it was not the only reason of wasting steel that they couldn't produce vehicles on a larger scale - leadership in Moscow claimed that only the Soviet machines are worth of production. Why? Because the are Soviet :)

    There are many stories like Osa's - see story of a beautiful car Warszawa 210, made in 1964: http://powrotlegendy.pl/graphics/warszawa_210/1.jpg or Polish Lamborghini - the FSO 1100 (1300) coupé http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/5/10534/z10534095Q,Prototyp-FSO-1300-Coupe--1974-.jpg.
    By the way - several years later engineers from England made same looking Lotus Esprit - they stole Polish design - over 10 thousand cars were sold....

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    1. Hi Piotr!

      Thank you and I am glad you liked the article. Engineers back in the days were truly talented and indeed it's a pity their potential could not have been fully used and developed. Partially you are right with the Soviet machines, also you can check Wiatka, a Soviet copy of Vespa from 1959, as well as Osa -
      http://skoratech.republika.pl/obr/wiat9.jpg.

      Nevertheless, Czechs had Jawa (a pre-war brand) and CZ, East Germany had MZ, etc.Another Czechoslovakian classic - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Babetta.jpg/1024px-Babetta.jpg.

      I regret both Warszawa 210 and FSO 1100 coupe, beautiful cars!

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    3. MZ... that was great machine. I haven't seen Babetta before, it looks funny ;)

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  2. I have checked allegro... It's amazing how expensive those scooters are!
    It's about 10 000 pln! Wow! I believe it's because they have symbolic value.
    People have a lot of sentiment for this kind of things. I remember a story of my friend, who had "Trabant" two years ago and every time he went to mechanic he got a huge discount because, as mechanic said, "it was a pleasure to repair such a car".

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    1. The price is indeed high and I can not even imagine what are the costs of maintaining such a vehicle in good condition. Not to mention the time consumed...

      It's nice that people appreciate old vehicles, especially if they are people who work with those vehicles ;)

      Unfortunately Osa doesn't fall within the bellcurve of motorcycles-that-can-be-driven-with-b-category-driving-license, because the engine usually had the capacity of 150ccm. It exceeds the 125ccm limit.

      A year ago I saw CZ501 being sold on allegro. The price was similarly ridiculously high...

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  3. Thank you for this article. I really like stories like that. Osa was or is a nice scooter but I am curious if it is not just a copy of Italian Vespa? That is sad that someone destroyed documentation of first Osa. I also agree with @Przemek that it’s amazing how expensive is Osa now. To be honest I definitely don’t want to spend such amount of money for scooter, even if it looks like that ;)
    I also know a lot of similar stories when communist blocked amazing projects. For example Warszawa 210 – which was mentioned by @Piotr – or computer Kar-65 which was developed by Jacek Karpiński (more information about this Polish genius engineer you can find here: http://nt.interia.pl/komputery/news-jak-prl-pograzyla-polskiego-geniusza-komputerowego,nId,691311)

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    1. Thank you for you comment, Tomasz, I am glad you liked the article.

      You could say all scooters of that time were copies of Vespa, to be true ;).

      Never heard of Kar-65, neither of K-202, the supposedly first 'regular' sized computer. What the communists did to Karpiński is indeed very frustrating.

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  4. Thanks for nice atricle.
    Very interestning story about piece of Polish automotive history.
    Well motorcycles and scooters are not my zone of interest, but I think Osa is cult.
    Have you ever drive any version of Osa?
    Have you got one?

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    1. Thanks!

      I never drove an Osa unfortunately. I mostly appreciate the design and the history, the historical context, so to speak. My boyfriend has a Honda scooter, he is a fan of Italian Vespas (and also finds Osa beautiful). Unfortunately Vespa, as well as Osa, is a ridiculously expensive brand. The price of a new scooter is double in Vespa to what you would pay for a good quality scooter of a well known manufacturer, with a modern engine etc.

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  5. Thank you for this really interesting article, I'm also a great fan of automotive designs of those times. Personally I dreaming about my own tuktuk :), it's narrow like a bike so you can move faster in crowded city but at the same time have a roof and a place to sleep or bigger luggage. In India or Sri Lanka they are still very popular, and there is so many version of them. Even two floors version - my favorite. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Kandy-Tuk-tuk_(1).jpg

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    1. There are some interesting designs of Tuk Tuks indeed :) It is a convenient way to move around a crowded city, that's for sure.

      I am not so sure about the Polish weather though...

      http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Citroen_2CV_-_Flickr_-_mick_-_Lumix.jpg

      This would also a be a nice way to move around ;)

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  6. Nice piece of work. Very... nostalgic story I would say. By the way, check this out: http://www.junak.com.pl/.

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    1. Thanks, yes I tend to be nostalgic from time to time ;)

      Regarding Junak - this one is beautiful http://www.junak.com.pl/foto/static/motor-36.363.crop.920.560.jpg

      unfortunately the brand has been bought by a Chinese company and is produced exclusively there, the quality is not very good from what I have heard.

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  7. This stuff isn’t from my age and to be honest motorcycles and scooters aren`t my favorite ways to transport. In my opinion this kind of vehicle isn’t safety all the more on our roads. Of course in city it’s one of the fastest way to travel but I`m really scared to make a use of it. Both vehicles (Vespa ond Osa) look very similar and after your article I know why…

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    1. The statistics are not for the motorcycles' advantage, I agree. I don't ride the scooter around the city, because I find it too dangerous myself :)

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  8. Nice article! The topic is extremely narrow so it's kinda hard to comment but I can tell it's something you're interested in. Do you actually own that vehicle?
    The fact of the article for me is that Osa == Vespa. I've heard the name all my life and yet I never associated it with a Vespa.
    I'm actually considering a purchase of a motorbike. For a while I was thinking of something Vespa-like but with my 6'5" I would look like a gorilla on a unicycle:) I see them around a lot though.

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    1. Thanks Sebastian!

      I don't own it unfortunately, but either way I would need an A category driving license, because it exceeds the allowed 125ccm. But to be honest, I don't find riding motorcycles in Polish cities very safe, people still didn't get used to them that much I think.

      You can always consider buying a bigger scooter! No big 'classics' are available at a reasonable price.

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  9. I've heared a lot about vespa and other scooters from Poland from my father. He with y brother even bought old, broken "Komar" and they made him running :)
    This old things have some kind of special charms. It may not be something good but they are really awsome

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    1. I don't think that old scooters or motorcycles are practical nowadays (awkward turning, bulky weight and old braking technology) but I perfectly understand old car enthusiasts with a lot of money to spend just to feel the climate and, in many cases, more comfortable interiors :) Jay Leno is a prime example for instance.

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  10. I have ridden on my friend’s vespa but the end wasn’t very well. Unfortunately I stopped on a sand, lost a balance and fell off the vespa. Luckly it wasn't damaged so I didn't have to pay for the repairs. That's good, because it's very expensive scooter.

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  11. Interesting article. Thank you for posting it.

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  12. I had wasp when i was younger. My grandfather gave me one. Then I've got something stronger, my first MZ ;) I agree with Przemek about the price. Our oldschool scooters, bikes, cars are pricy nowadays. I belive that a lot of people old enough wants to buy them to enjoy the same joy they had as kids. Nice post, more technical details would be nice.

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  13. Hey,
    Thanks for the article. I am not fun of scooters or motorbikes. But I have to admit - the Osa has a character and style. It looks really cool. This is the feature of old fashioned automotive for me. I like classic old cars :D. By the way, in my opinion this is detriment that nowadays Poland doesn't have our's own automotive. I like the Polonez :D. This is not good car - just check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InW8zSOjJdk (I am not ok, that they have smashed it on the ground....).
    But the Poldek still arouses positive emotions to me :).
    In my opinion there is nothing strange is actuall prices of Osa. Everything can be collectible and if we look at the Osa - how old and rare it is - this is normal :P.

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  14. Hey,
    Thanks for the article. I am not fun of scooters or motorbikes. But I have to admit - the Osa has a character and style. It looks really cool. This is the feature of old fashioned automotive for me. I like classic old cars :D. By the way, in my opinion this is detriment that nowadays Poland doesn't have our's own automotive. I like the Polonez :D. This is not good car - just check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InW8zSOjJdk (I am not ok, that they have smashed it on the ground....).
    But the Poldek still arouses positive emotions to me :).
    In my opinion there is nothing strange is actuall prices of Osa. Everything can be collectible and if we look at the Osa - how old and rare it is - this is normal :P.

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  15. Osa is a big part of a polish automotive history. It was very popular back then and my dad always dreamed about buying used Osa to repair it and renew it but he never did. Nowadays it seems that most of scooter manufacturers produce motorbikes which looks exactly like osa or vespa. Now it's just called vintage but it's still a cool vintage style for hipsters :D *just kiddin*. Back in the days I owned a scooter but a little different style, it was a modern Suzuki scooter and I have to say it is a real fun to ride a scooter, it is very comfortable, the experience is a little bit different than a race bikes but still it is fun :-)

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  16. Interesting article, I've heard that in past we produced the scooters but I did't know that they had such a cool look. Unfortunately, the government then often blocked interesting projects like OSA. Because of that we lost not only good projects but also great engineers. I don't know the technical details if they were good but I hope that the Polish automotive industry will reborn again.

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