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The Vespa 400 is a rear-engined microcar, produced by ACMA in Fourchambault, France, from 1957 until 1961 to the designs of the Italian Piaggio company. Three different versions were sold, the "Luxe" , "Tourisme" and "GT".[2][3]

Vespa 400
Overview
Manufacturer	ACMA
Production	1957–1961
Assembly	Fourchambault, France
Body and chassis
Class	Microcar
Body style	2-door cabrio coach
Layout	Rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Powertrain
Engine	24.0 cu in (0.4 L) two-stroke I2
Transmission	3-speed manual (GT 4-speed)
Dimensions
Wheelbase	1,693 mm (66.7 in)
Length	2,850 mm (112 in)
Width	1,270 mm (50 in)
Height	50 in (1,300 mm)[1]
Curb weight	375 kg (827 lb)[citation needed]

Overview

The car made its high-profile public debut on 26 September 1957 at a press presentation staged in Monaco.[4] The ACMA directors ensured a good attendance from members of the press by also inviting three celebrity racing drivers[5] to the Vespa 400 launch.[4]

The 400 was a two seater with room behind the seats to accommodate luggage or two small children on an optional cushion. The front seats were simple tubular metal frames with cloth upholstery on elastic "springs" and between the seats were the handbrake, starter and choke. The gear change was centrally floor mounted. The rear hinged doors were coated on the inside with only a thin plastic lining attached to the metal door panel skin allowing valuable extra internal space. On the early cars the main door windows did not open which attracted criticism, but increased the usable width for the driver and passenger. Instrumentation was very basic with only a speedometer and warning lights for low fuel, main beam, dynamo charging and indicators. The cabriolet fabric roof could be rolled back from the windscreen header rail to the top of the rear engine cover leaving conventional metal sides above the doors. The 12-volt battery was located at the front of the car, behind the dummy front grill, on a shelf that could be slid out. The spare wheel was stowed in a well under the passenger seat.[4]

Marketing

The high-profile launch paid off, with 12,130 cars produced in 1958.[6] That turned out to be the high point, however, and output fell to 8,717 in 1959 despite a price reduction for the entry level 2-seater "normal" coupé from 345,000 francs to 319,500 francs between October 1957 and October 1958.[6] Commentators suggested that the chic image created at the time of the launch was not always matched by the car itself, with its awkward gear change, poor sound-proofing and, especially before a modification to the carburetor specification, high fuel consumption.[6] The car's origins, developed by a leading world producer of motor scooters, Italy's Piaggio Company, makers of the Vespa since 1946, was reflected in the installation, in the Vespa 400, of a two stroke (motorbike style) engine which required oil to be added to the petrol/gasoline whenever the car was refueled.[6] During the summer of 1958 the cars were fitted with a semi-automatic device for adding oil to the fuel, but a fully automatic fuel mixing device was not included until two years later.[6]

Road test

The British Motor magazine tested a 400 de luxe saloon in 1959 recording a top speed of 51.8 mph (83.4 km/h) and acceleration from 0-40 mph (64 km/h) in 23.0 seconds and a fuel consumption of 55.3 miles per imperial gallon (5.11 L/100 km; 46.0 mpg_‑US). The test car cost 351,725 "old" French Francs,[1] cheaper than the 374,000 "old" French Francs domestic market starting price quoted towards the end of 1958 for the cheapest version of the larger but (even) less powerful Citroen 2CV.[4]

Specifications

Engine

Two cylinder, two stroke, air cooled. Bore, stroke: 63 mm x 63 mm (393 cc). Motor cyclists at the time were used to mixing oil into their fuel, but the manufacturer belatedly realised that this might compromise the 400's standing as a "car", and from the summer of 1958 "two stroke oil" was held in separate reservoir with a semi-automatic dispenser on the right side of the engine bay.[4]

Compression ratio

6.4:1 with 13 hp, later increased respectively to 6.6:1 and 14 hp.[4]

Suspension

Four wheel independent. Four double acting hydraulic shock absorbers with coil springs. Front anti-roll bar.

Manual transmission

3 speed plus reverse, with 2nd & 3rd synchromesh. 4 speed available only in Europe markets.

Brakes

Hydraulically operated drums of 6.75 in (171 mm) diameter.

Performance

With only 14 hp (10 kW), top speed is 50 to 55 mph (80 to 90 km/h), depending on road grade, wind conditions, etc. Achieving top speed takes 25 seconds. Fuel economy is about 5 L/100 km (47.0 mpg_‑US).

References

Further reading

• G.N. Georgano, G.N. (Editor) (1982). Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars. London: Ebury Press. ISBN 0-85223-234-9. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vespa 400.

• My Vespa 400, Comprehensive French language site
• Vespa Restauro, Italian language site with information about the 400
• Dennis Gage: Microcar Show, MyClassicCarTV, YouTube, 9 August 2013

На других языках

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[de] Vespa 400

Der Vespa 400 ist ein Kleinstwagen des italienischen Fahrzeugherstellers Piaggio.

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- [en] Vespa 400

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[es] Vespa 400

El Vespa 400 fue un microcoche producido por el fabricante francés ACMA (Ateliers de Constructions de Motos et Accessoires) en Fourchambault, Francia, desde 1958 hasta 1961, según los diseños de Piaggio. Estaba disponible en dos versiones: "Lusso" y "Turismo". Arrastrado por el rotundo éxito que iba teniendo el producto estrella de la casa, la Vespa lanzada en 1946, uno de los hijos del fundador de la Compañía, Enrico, decidió dar un salto adelante y adentrarse en el mundo de los automóviles, creando este microcoche. Sin embargo, el modelo tuvo un escaso éxito y apenas permaneció unos pocos años en el mercado, en parte debido a la presión en contra de la propia Fiat que no deseaba un competidor para su modelo 500. Básicamente, el coche era un dos plazas con un pequeño espacio detrás de los asientos delanteros para transportar a dos niños de corta edad u, opcionalmente, un exiguo equipaje. El conductor y su acompañante se sentaban en dos simples asientos tubulares envueltos con tela elástica y entre ellos se situaba el freno de mano y el estárter. La palanca del cambio de velocidades, por su parte, iba colocada en el centro del piso. El cuadro de instrumentos era muy simple y contenía un velocímetro así como unos pocos indicadores, a saber: intermitentes, carga de la dinamo, luz de carretera y aviso de combustible bajo. Existió una versión descapotable que contaba con un techo enrollable hacia atrás mediante un raíl situado en el techo y que iba a caer sobre la rejilla del motor trasero.

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[fr] Vespa 400

Développée par Piaggio, le célèbre constructeur des scooters Vespa des années 1950, et sortie en 1957, la Vespa 400 est une voiture compacte comme les affectionnent les Italiens. À l'instar de la Fiat 500, sa compacité, son petit moteur et son encombrement réduit en font une citadine idéale. Propulsée par un moteur deux cylindres de deux temps consommant du mélange, elle permet d'atteindre une vitesse maximale de 80–90 km/h.

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[it] ACMA Vespa 400

La ACMA "Vespa 400" è una microvettura progettata dalla Piaggio e costruita a Fourchambault, in Francia, da un'azienda consociata, la ACMA, dal 1957 al 1961. Sono state vendute tre diverse versioni, "Luxe", "Tourisme" e "GT".

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