Scootavia: luxurious and innovative scooters from André Morin

Scootavia was a brand of luxurious and innovative scooters produced between 1949 and 1954. The brand was founded by André Morin, an aeronautical engineer who was inspired by the aerodynamics and engineering of the aviation industry. Scootavia scooters (scoot + avia) were exceptionally advanced for their time, with engines such as the AMC 175cc four-stroke and equipment that was often compared to luxury cars.

Scootavia scooters were designed with an emphasis on luxury and performance, using innovative materials such as magnesium and Alpax, materials often used in aviation. The first models, equipped with 125cc Ydral engines, were presented in 1949. They were crafted scooters, each with a unique look. Customers were also given the option to purchase the scooter in a crate for self-assembly, similar to a Ikea scooter.

Technically, however, the scooters had shortcomings: the exhaust ran through the Alpax chassis with no sound damping, and the fan had no air conduction, leading to overheating of the engine. Short turns were problematic because the front wheel rubbed against the front mudguard, and the rear wheel had no suspension. An improvement followed in 1952 with the new ventilated AMC 175cc engine and rear wheel suspension. The stern became more streamlined, but a drawback of this series 2 was the hard-to-handle foot shifting of the gears.

In late 1953, the series 3 introduced, which had a more dynamic appearance and a modified front mudguard to make shorter corners easier to take. In collaboration with M. Petigat production continued until 1954, with an estimated 140 examples produced. Today, fewer than 20 examples are still known to exist, making the Scootavia an iconic and extremely rare collector's item.