Lot details Registration No: Un-Reg Frame No: 050501 cc: 125
Named for its likeness to a wasp (the two sharing a similarly curvaceous 'abdomen'), the Vespa scooter has been part of Italy's street furniture since the late 1940s. Immortalised in countless films, one American critic famously quipped that William Wyler's 1953 classic Roman Holiday "consecrated two stars - Audrey Hepburn and the Vespa" (which seems a little harsh on Gregory Peck). Enlarged from 98cc to 125cc in 1948, the Vespa's two-stroke single cylinder engine developed some 4bhp @ 4,500rpm. A singularly tolerant if vociferous unit, it was just as much a part of the scooter's character as its distinctive twist-grip gearchange and engine start lever.
Finished in pale green, this particular example has apparently been extensively restored. Thought to be to original specification throughout, it has yet to be UK registered.
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