The world has changed dramatically over the last century, and when it comes to women’s rights, they are treated much more equally than in the past. In the 1950s and 60s, during the scooter boom, it was a tough place to be for the fairer sex, so the idea of a woman running a scooter shop seemed almost unthinkable. Elizabeth Smolen thought otherwise, not only having her own Vespa dealership but also racing them to great success. However, it wasn’t as straightforward as that, as she had to overcome persecution and danger just to get there.
Escaping from the enemy
Born and bred in Poland to Jewish parents, Elizabeth Smalinski (Smolen) and her family tried to escape the Nazis in 1938. Her father, a member of the Polish Air Force, managed to evade capture, but Elizabeth and her mother were caught and sent back to their homeland, where they remained even though the country was now under Nazi control. Somehow, they survived the war, but she still remained separated from her father, trapped behind the Iron Curtain. He had
