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Since 1962 Innocenti had the edge on Piaggio in the outright power stakes for the sporting scooterist with their Lambretta TV 175 series 3 which on paper outperformed the new Vespa GS 160 of the same year by half a horsepower and four kmph. Hardly a big margin in anybody's book but to the young (mod at the time) buyer who might choose a scooter just by looking at the performance figures in the brochures it could make the difference between selling scooters to power hungry youths or letting your competitors do it. By 1964 the margin was stretched even further by the introduction of the Lambretta TV/GT 200 at first only in the UK. This put the power race up to over 12 hp leaving the 8.2 hp GS 160 looking pretty weedy. Piaggio weren't quick to respond (nothing's changed there then) finally launching the Vespa 180SS in Italy in '64 but not in the UK where it was needed till May of the following year.

The 180 Super Sport was still some way behind in power stakes at 10 hp but it was still a significant advance over the 160 GS from which it was derived and it immediately became a hit with the sporting Vespa enthusiast. The engine is basically a bored out GS 160 motor retaining the piston ported barrel inlet of early Vespas and consequently in need of a traditionally high oil-fuel ratio - an ozone depleting 5%. Both the GS and SS are longstroke 60mm stroke engines which running on big downdraught Delorto SI 27/23 carbs giving quite a torquey motor. Apparently it is possible to bore out 180 SS engines to take P200 pistons but due to the 3mm longer stroke on the crank you end up with an engine of around 210cc.

Styling for the SS came from the 150 GL model of a couple of years earlier though the trapezoidal headlight is probably the only uncomfortable bit of bodywork of both machines. The SS did have the format of subsequent large framed Vespas to this day with a spare wheel under the left hand panel and a legshield toolbox. Forks wheels and brakes are borrowed from the GS and as such have the (unusual for a Vespa) equal sided split wheel rims. Forks have a combined spring/damper unit similar to that of a smallframe and abandoned on later models until reintroduced with the P-range.

The Super Sport was only available in Hawthorn White or Monza Red as standard but due to their popularity with young enthusiasts and mods a good few were customized from new and left the shops with different paint schemes or even in one instance with a converted headset sporting two trapezoidal headsets side by side.

The 180SS remained the top of the range Vespa in the UK right up to the introduction of the Rally 180 in 1970. The Rally was only slightly more powerful than the SS but it's rotary valve inlet allowed it to use a massive 60% less two-stroke oil meaning it was a considerable improvement economically. The 180SS was the last piston-ported Vespa Piaggio ever made but is none the worse for it apart from the fact that as on Lambrettas starting, economy, and performance will suffer badly once the piston and barrel become worn. When running properly though the Super Sport was the darling of the 60's Vespisti and scooter press alike; the Scooter World roadtester was obviously impressed when he wrote: "We have said nothing about hill climbing ability. This is because we could not find a hill which was steep enough to offer any real challenge. The SS180 feels as if it would climb the side of a house."

The beautifully and subtly customised SS180 used for the photos belongs to GS freak Jim McCabe of Dagenham who bought the scooter in its already two-toned paint scheme from another Vespa enthusiast. The photos don't do the condition of the bike justice apart from the engine which on the day was suffering from a niggling and untraceable carburation problem which has dogged this bike for a long time and despite dogged efforts we couldn't fully cure for more than the briefest test ride.

Acceleration I'd say was on par or maybe a bit better than a good PX150 and top speed performance is supposed to be in the early 60 mph mark which also equates with a PX150. Seating position and general ride and ergonomics will not be unfamiliar to you if you have ever ridden a Rally or 150 Super and the brakes seem no better than either of these models. The one thing I really didn't like were the original non-ball end levers; they neither felt comfortable in or out not helping a typically snatchy large frame Vespa clutch. The ball ended levers of later models are certainly an improvement. I've ridden Super Sports before and it is certainly a pleasure, the fat smooth turbine like Vespa has a solid feel both to it's construction and roadholding. Again as with most post-50's Vespas an SS can still be a practical scooter for everyday use and even rallying but sadly they now seem a rare sight at scootering events which is a shame considering they sold quite well over the five years that they were top dog and they are not reknowned to have any serious reliability problems. Maybe its just that nobody can afford the amount of oil you need to run one?

By Sticky

Published in the May 1994 issue of Scootering Magazine

Thanks to Ian Hepworth for securing me the issue after I lost mine. Cheers mate.

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