Vespa's brand has always been associated with sleek and small, much like Mini and Volkswagen. But since departing from the ET2 and ET4 of the mid 2000s, Vespa's credo has been swinging toward, bigger, faster and stronger.

The latest: The veryveryhot Vespa GTS 300.

Oh my my.

While details are sketchy on when this baby will appear stateside, the 300cc engine promises to be the fastest Vespa in the brand's nearly 60-year history.

The cool thing about Vespa as a brand is that they have a great sense of that history, and use the decades as a tool in even their newest innovations. Those louvers on the side cowl? Pure 70s style Largeframe. The whitewall tires? Totally vintage. The sweet, sloped tailight? Sorta PX.

While I will probably never be able to justify spending nearly $7300 on a scooter, I have to applaud Vespa for this one. It hits all the high notes- sexy, fast and retro without being tacky. Buon lavoro, Piaggio.