True Classics: ACMA Troupes Aeról Portées

ACMA French TAP the Troupes Aeról Portées Mle 56 (Aerial Troop Carrier model of 1956). Military collectors have dubbed it by its better known name as the "Bazooka Vespa". In France the Vespa model 150 was assembled by ACMA and sold commercially. They offered the simple and economical machine to the French Army for testing in hope of a contract. The offer was accepted and nearly 2000 of the Vespa scooters were accepted from 1956-59 in three different models. One was a basic scooter to be used for general purposes, one was to carry a 81mm mortar and its rounds, and the third carried a six-foot-long US made M-20 75mm recoilless rifle. Each of the models used the VNB frame, 11hp air-cooled 250cc two-stroke gas/oil mix engine, three-speed transmission, 8-inch wheels, and could travel at speeds up to 60mph (100kph) for 200 kilometers before having to refuel...