Tuk-tuks actually originated from Italy, completely shattering the illusion that these chaotic little three-wheelers are a strictly Southeast Asian invention.

A closer look

Tuk-tuks actually originated from Italy, completely shattering the illusion that these chaotic little three-wheelers are a strictly Southeast Asian invention. After World War Two, the Italian vehicle manufacturer Piaggio realized the country was broke and desperate for cheap, fuel-efficient transportation to rebuild their bombed-out economy. They brilliantly slapped a small cabin onto the back of their iconic Vespa scooter, creating the Ape, a glorious little utility trike that could haul goods through tiny, ancient Roman streets. When Japan started exporting similar cheap vehicles to Thailand in the nineteen-sixties, the locals fully embraced the design, eventually customizing them into the loud, colorful, neon-lit tourist traps we know today. So whenever you're clinging to the metal bars of a tuk-tuk in Bangkok, praying for your life as the driver violently weaves through gridlocked traffic, just remember you are basically riding a mutant descendant of a glamorous Italian moped