MP5 PAPERINO FIRST PIAGGIO

 

MP5 PAPERINO FIRST PIAGGIO 

MP5 PAPERINO

    Aftermath of the war, Enrico and Armando, Rinaldo’s children, took charge of the new industrial production. Enrico had to reopen the Pontedera big plant but needed to temporarily stop aircraft production to adapt it to new products that could meet the post-war demand. This is the reason why Enrico opted for industrial reconversion and invested in personal mobility: he was determined to start a low-price, fast-moving consumer goods production, and he did it. At Biella’s plant they created a prototype taking inspiration from parachutists motorcycles and nicknamed it “MP5 Paperino” because of its looks. Enrico was not happy with the result, so he decided to ask Corradino D’Ascanio (1891-1981), the aircraft engineer who invented the first helicopter, to review the whole project.

    Piaggio MP5 in its pronunciation means "Moto Piaggio 5" while the name Paperino is the Italian title for Donald Duck aka Donald Duck, because its shape resembles the Disney cartoon character.

    The engineer had never designed motorcycles before, he wasn’t keen on them, for sure he wasn’t keen on this one either: to him, it was uncomfortable and bulky, you had to struggle to fit wheels and you easily got your hands dirty. A good start, isn’t it? Well, it was, because his dislike of the two-wheeled vehicle was the key to its success. D’Ascanio wanted to design a means of transport that could give safety and comfort to everybody. That’s why the engineer worked with Mario D’Este, his trusted draughtsman, and on April 23, 1946, he was ready to go with the project.