This little fellow is what's known as a Piaggio Ape. It's a three-wheeled miniature Italian cargo vehicle based off the popular Vespa scooter, which the Piaggio manufacturer also happens to produce.

It's hardly any surprise that D'Ascanio's design has lasted so long as he was also the designer who brought the Vespa to life—essentially the Ape's sibling minus a wheel—and built upon the ...