Did you know, the Piaggio Apecar, or the tuktuk as we know it in Kenya, is actually from ITALY! The Ape is the other great idea of the same designer of the iconic Italian Vespa scooter – Corradino D’Ascanio!This Ape was first built in 1948 as a cheaper alternative to cars in a country which was still recouping from the destruction and loss of the Second World War. People needed something to move materials around, offer mobile services from shops to libraries, from dentist to ambulance, and to plainly drive around…and the Ape served the purpose perfectly. The Ape series is among the most successful vehicles ever! Its production never ended, and it was even franchised to India. This is where the tuktuk (motorized rickshaws) so common in South East Asia and East Africa come from!