The modern day motor-scooter originated in Italy soon after World War II, Vespa and Lambretta being the two brands that would soon dominate the world.

Popular misconception is that scooters were at their height during the infamous seaside riots between Mods & Rockers in the UK during the 60s.

However, the 1950s saw the peak sales for scooters here in Great Britain for example. And here, as in other scooter producing countries around the world (yes, there was a British scooter industry for a short while!), the Italian giants took the number one spot in both sales and arguably style too.

Although many 'real' Mods had moved on by the latter half of the 1960s, a Mod revival in the late 1970s – fuelled by the film Quadrophenia and bands such as The Jam and the modern ska sound of 2-Tone – saw Italian scooters once again associated with a youth culture. This was followed by the ‘scooter-boy’ culture of the 1980s which saw the scooters radically modified rather than accessorised.

But regardless of fashion, scooters have always formed part of everyday day life for people in many countries around the world, and thanks to ever increasing traffic congestion will continue to do so for many years to come.

At the end of the day, the scooter’s first and foremost task is of daily commuting. We just happen to think it’s the most stylish option.

(please note none of the scooters below were supplied by Action Scooters, they are just a collection of old adverts for your reference)