Iconic Italian Two Wheeler: 1957 Vendo Vespa
Some finds here at Barn Finds are bigger than others, and this small but fun Vespa is unrestored, and fairly solid. Classic two wheel finds of all sizes and shape have become popular, and classic Vespas are definitely cool. Having spent 40 years parked this iconic scooter still has some life left in it. With less than 24 hours until the auctions end, there have been 29 bids that have brought the price to $2,510. Check it out here on ebay out of Rancho Cucamonga, California.
Although generously covered in surface rust this scooter is in very solid condition considering its age. The California sun claimed the seat upholstery as well as the tires and paint. Classic Italian steel is just like any old metal famous for rust, but this scooter is very solid with no signs of rot.
There is no word as to the condition of the 125cc air cooled engine, but it may be safe to assume that it has seen better days after long term storage. Part of me feels this Vespa has a neat appearance that could be polished to likely reveal more paint than its current condition, making for a neat patina’d scooter. Although a scooter is easier to work on than a car, and takes up a great deal less space so a restoration is feasible for those who want to take that avenue as well. What would you do with this classic Vespa? Maintain its looks with a mechanical restoration, or perform a full on restoration?
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Comments
The far one appers to be a Lambreta
Bravo! It’s a Lambretta LI first serie.
My dad had one just like this when I was a kid. In fact, I learned to ride it in preparation for a motorcycle and it was a pretty fun little ride. But with that said, I don’t understand how this thing has already bid up to $2,510 with almost 4 days left. I guess maybe I’m missing something here, but I fail to see that much value in something that has such obvious issues and will still take a pile of money to bring back to life, never to be worth the sizable investment. But as my dear departed mom used to say, “To each his own, said the woman as she kissed the cow”. Or as we here on Barn Finds so often say, “There’s a butt for every seat!” (Well, with the possible exception of that white 37 Ford/Vega/Grand Prix/Grand Am/etc…. from yesterday)
That’s all the money for this, but it probably still pencils out alright if you can do it mostly yourself.
You don’t find these every day; I hope it gets the restoration it needs.
Take a trip to Vietnam, Laos where you can find theses..
Here in Italy we call them FrankenVespas, because usually the frames are welded together to form pieces of art…..well, I don’t wanna talk about the engines….
Vespa fans are very loyal and much like the Cushman they seem to me to be way over priced. For $500 I’d buy it, get it running and leave the bodywork alone.
Vespa values are rising; check the price for a restored struzzo here in Italy (the one sold looks like a Vespa VL called “struzzo”, but I’m not sure at 100%)
http://www.autobelle.it/annunci/vendo_vespa_mod_struzzo_anno_1956_latina_234342.php
Does American Pickers know about these? ;)
Used to have 2 1960 Lambretta 150cc L1 Made them into one good one that I rode in high school. Great scooter!
Check the Vespa frame for rust at the bottom of the stering column just behind the front wheel, if it is not a lot can be done with it