Modern Vespa

Are you saying that Piaggio never made a 10" largeframe handlebar bike with a PX floormat?

$8,800!!!!!!

https://www.hemmings.com/auction/1966-vespa-other-877282?utm_medium=email&utm_source=auctions_newsletter

🤩

So if bodges are going for $8800.... what are the REAL ones worth? Prices are going plaid now folks, hold on to your hats!

I met the owner of this bike at the Alameda Italian show. He was absolutly certain he had one of the earliest vespas in the US. I tried to explain what he had but he was not having it.

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/mcy/d/lakeport-1952-vespa-scooter/7430343160.html

BX cable for the controls? Nice.

It's another one of those sweet, sweet 10" largeframe handlebar bikes with a PX floormat.

At least this one has a nice paint job.

These things are such a trip.

They do all sorts of modifications, welding in seat posts and cable channels. That fan shroud is very clever.

But then choose this random green instead of the original color, convert it to 10 inch when the original wheels were the same as the Faro Basso, have that weird PX kickstart.

Polish a turd, it's still a turd…

How about a headlight that only lights up the road for maybe 10' ahead ?

Polish a turd, get poo on your polisher

Ideal for when you're pushing it!

So how hard (expensive) would it be to build a passable faro basso? Think non-numbers matching tribute that from 2 meters could pass as original. The muscle car world does it all the time.

What do you mean ? kmf just posted a picture of one.

You would need to start with a widebody frame.

You can probably find repro parts for most of the unique styling.

I guess you could find like an old allstate, they pop up occasionally.

But any bike that age is worth keeping original.

It's really funny that something so obviously different, like the VBB one here, is easy to pass off on an unsuspecting buyer, so I guess you don't need to try that hard?

quite difficult.

without getting into granular details, there is specific components that only look like "that" and nothing else so if they don't it'll stand out like a lump on a sore dick. add to that sourcing all the finicky bits like controls and switches and what not, then making them fit whatever hodge podge of nonsense parts. then there's the body work.

you could start with a very early Allstate and get most of the way there.

but to use your muscle car analogy this would be like trying to make a 77 Camaro look like a 67 Camaro. with a metric ass ton of work you could pull off something that may look somewhat in the ballpark at first blush but any closer look would would immediately tell you otherwise.

Not like a Cutlass and 442?

no. not at all.

Sometimes it's tricky when trying to work out how to break the news to someone..

Congratulate him on his new scooters.

I did, kinda... he is ready to sell

Is it or isn't it?

These classic car auction/sales sites are full of these things.

This one wants $15k "original color scheme." "It is the responsibility of the buyer to make a thorough inspection to determine the suitability of the vehicle prior to purchase."

It's so hard to tell with these types of restorations.

I'm going to guess yess.

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/vespa/150/2536037.html

if this isn't a bodge (unlikely) then it's a very shitty restoration.

why is the front tire that close to the back of the fender?

for that kind of coin, I'd expect the center stand or body not to be bent and the damn thing to not look like a dog raising a leg to have a wee on the hydrant.

Where the hell has the fuel lever gone??

15k and speedo is already rusty…

That center stand. Ever seen one that looks like that?

3000% bodge. k

These sites, and these type of 'restorations'; are being sold by owners that have no real knowledge or comprehension of what they are selling. To no fault of their own in many cases... These ad descriptions are just repeating what the owners were told when they purchased it. After doing zero research, and spending way too much to have that oh so rare, 'one of the oldest vespas in the usa'. Status thing all the way. Its a shame because I bet most of these buyers would much rather have spent real money on a real scooter.

it's a play on a really early wideframe center stand. they were quite a bit thinner and had stabilizing struts.

there are P center stands that they market as "reinforced" that have similar struts, only they're a little more low key in design.

Maybe it's a restoration of a bodge.

B O d G e

I would call it simple and plain fraud, deception of the highest order and when the thing breaks in two and kills somebody, manslaughter. The people selling these things, i can describe them with one word with five letters, the first begins in C and ends with S and it isnt clams.

that's very well possible. there's some paint scheme choices I've not seen before, or more to say, are not the norm. add that with some of the goofy bits and this kinda skews in that direction.

then again, it could just be a sloppy ass resto with nice paint and some very poor choices aesthetically.

but my money is on SEA origins.

The center stand is worn out from too many years of use. That looks like the same LML coil that was frame-mounted on a Stella.

The fact that it's still on 8"'s is the most interesting thing about it to me.

Except maybe that rear brake cable. Is that precious, or what?

" The center stand is worn out from too many years of use."
Yeah, but the speedo shows only 16 kilometers... Maybe they cut down a 10" stand too short.

" Except maybe that rear brake cable. Is that precious, or what? "
Good eye.

Also, there's no seam on the tail.

*Still laughing*

If I had that kind of loose change in my back pocket, I would go to Bar Italia for something real. Meanwhile, despite the fact that there are people out there with too much money (and no sense), I think two things stand out: 1) anyone who buys this without doing any sort of research deserves everything they get - a fraudulent POS and an empty handshake from the criminal selling it. 2) That the fact that this can be spotted as a bodge so easily, even from the likes of me, can only make me conclude that Hemmings does not know or care and can only hurt their reputation.

I talked to Kristian at Bar Italia last week. He said he has a two year backlog on restorations.

His work is about as perfect as it gets, though.

There are a few shops in Italy that do ones that look nice in photos.

This one was also on Hemmings, for less money (still a lot). But much rarer model.

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/vespa/vbb/2544544.html

Not a bodge, but interesting to see US market bikes getting shipped back to Europe.

This pretty average p200 with 22,000 miles for sale in England for $6,000.

Or you can have them restore it for like $12.

https://www.retrospectivescooters.com/bikes-for-sale/vespa-p200e-1980

What they ask is not indicative of typical values in the UK. Expect to pay 2 to 3k pounds for a p2. P2s aren't that easy to come by over here in good shape. P125s a plenty are going up in price. They certainly aren't going down in value. Its a bit like ebay, if you stick something on at three times its typical cost others join in too thinking this is what its worth thereby setting an inflated trend. Retrospective restored prices, well id have a guess with all the parts and hours of labour and to turn a profit after tax and wages etc its probably right. The London Chelsea folk with more money than sense wouldn't bat an eyelis spending 8k sterling