MOD ROD REDUX VESPA SET FOR U.S. COMEBACK.

Byline: Chris Sieroty Staff Writer

SHERMAN OAKS - Vespa, the ultimate symbol of Italian style, has returned to the United States. After a 15-year absence, the scooters will go on sale today as the first Vespa Boutique opens for business in Sherman Oaks.

``Vespa is a classic,'' said Michael Lee Malamut, president of Autoland and partner in the 6,500-square-foot dealership. ``What makes them so popular is the style, the feel and the look.''

Along with the dealership, Malamut plans to sell the scooters at area colleges, on the Internet and through credit unions that already have contracts with Autoland.

He has also signed partnership agreements to operate Vespa dealerships from Carmel to San Diego. Other boutiques will open this year in Houston, Chicago, and Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Boca Raton in Florida.

In addition to selling the unique steel scooter, each boutique will handle service, parts and restoration of the classic scooters named for a wasp, the small creature of speed, agility and great precision in motion.

``There are a lot of expectations,'' said Peter J. Laitmon, director of sales and marketing for Piaggio USA Inc., manufacturer of Vespa. ``We chose Southern California to open our first store because of the warm climate and lifestyle.''

The dealerships also feature Vespa clothing by Italian designer Loro Piana, watches, leather attache cases, gloves and helmets.

A number of vintage Vespa scooters - produced mainly during the 1950s and 1960s - will also be sold at each location, Laitmon said.

Demand for the scooters has been so great that there is a waiting list that amounts to more than 10,000 orders, he said.

Although the Vespa was first introduced in the U.S. in 1951, it wasn't until two years later, when Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck fell in love on the back of a Vespa in the Academy Award-winning film ``Roman Holiday'' that Americans began to purchase the stylish scooter.

``It's a very appealing product,'' said Fabio Ballarin, owner of Vespa Supershop Inc. in San Diego. ``It's one of the machines that everyone loves because it brings back memories of a different time.''

Piaggio USA, a subsidiary of Piaggio & CSPA, was formed in 1998 for the purpose of bringing Vespa scooters back to the United States. The company was forced to suspend sales of the vehicles during the 1980s because they didn't meet air pollution standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Giancarlo Fantappie, president of Piaggio USA, said the two Vespa models being sold in the U.S. are the ET2 (50cc), which retails for $2,950, and the ET4 (150cc) that sells for $3,950.

Both models are available with an automatic gearbox and electric starter. Fantappie said by the end of next year a third Vespa model will arrive in the United States.

If a standard Vespa is not exactly your style, there is the special Vespa featured in this year's Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog.

Laitmon said the $3,500 scooter is painted black and features a handcrafted leather saddle seat. About 60 of the Neiman Marcus edition scooters have been sold, he said.

Developed in 1946 by aeronautical designer Cortradino D'Ascanio, the Vespa has become the world's best-selling motor scooter ever, with more than 16 million units sold to date.

In Europe, Vespa sold 500,000 units last year, which is equal to 30 percent of the motor scooter market, said Giuseppe Boni, vice president of Piaggio's two-wheeler business unit.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) A vintage Vespa set against a backdrop of Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck aboard an Italian motor scooter evokes the romance associated with the small speedster, above. At left, dealer and company representatives Michael Malamut, left, Giancarlo Fantappie and Giuseppe Boni watch Peter Laitmon show off one of the new Vespa's cargo compartments at the Vespa Boutique in Sherman Oaks.

(3) A rear-view mirror reflects the new American version scooter in the window of the Vespa Boutique in Sherman Oaks.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer