features that come in handy
when riding the streets of
Rome, which haven't seemed
seem to have improved since
the days of Caesar. I chose to
ride the SuperSport version at
the press intro, the GTS 300.
Four other trims are offered:
Classic, Super and Super-
Tech. All feature the same ba-
sic updates, but each comes
with elements that appeal to
different tastes. The GTS Su-
perTech has some additional
features that we'll cover later.
The new powerplant, which
is the same in all four trims, dis-
places 278.3cc, making 23.8
horsepower and 19 pound-feet
of torque. Now, that doesn't
sound like much, but you feel
every one of those little Italian
ponies when they jump off the
line from a standing start or
when you roll on the throttle to
pass a lorry out in the Italian
countryside. The new GTS
engine really packs a punch.
Case in point, it seems that ev-
erybody in Rome has a scooter
and most of them were out
blasting through the city at the
same time we were, which gave
us ample opportunity to test
the GTS 300's power against
the masses of locals at every
stop light—and I can tell you, we
never lost. The GTS gets all its
QUICKSPIN I Vespa GTS 300
P76
(Above) You have four Vespa GTX
300 trims to choose from, including
the SuperSport (right) and the
SuperTech (left). Not shown are the
Super and Classic. (Below) There is
ample storage under the seat.
