The Vespa is quite possibly the single most stylish form of two-wheeled Italian transportation in the world. You see Vespas in films such as Roman Holiday, in ads both vintage and current, and there always seems to be an air of romance around them.
This is fascinating because when the Vespa was introduced it was designed to be an easy to build, inexpensive, post-war transportation to replace a car. A luxury few could afford in a very poor reconstruction era Italy. Being an Italian design, though, it was not only simple to ride and reliable, but also very stylish. The style of the Vespa was so strong that owners, after moving up to cars, still kept their Vespas as a fun mode of leisure transportation. This was reflected in the ads of the Vespa during the 1950s and 1960s which shows the Vespa in a romantic and not at all utilitarian light.
When I was a college student back in the 1980s, I saw these old ads and completely bought into what Vespa was selling. I had a number of Vespa scooters that I used as every day transportation year round. The first of these was a 1980 P125 that I paid $300 for. I did not know it at the time but my Vespa purchase coincided perfectly with the “Mod” revival going on across the U.S with young people at the time. Scooters in the mid 1980s were seen as very cool, and they were the perfect transportation for an alternative leaning college student in the 80s. It did not hurt that all the coolest girls loved Vespas. I rode my Vespa on rallies, late night post-studying weeknight rides into the mountains of Arizona, to various music shows and even back and forth between Tucson and Phoenix more than once, usually with a girlfriend on the back.
Over the years it seemed as if people lost their love of the Vespa but recently these Italian styled mechanical marvels have seemed to catch the attention of a whole new generation.
My Pick of the Day is one of these classic and iconic vehicles, a 1961 Vespa 150 VBB located in Houston, Texas.
The seller describes this Vespa 150 as a fantastic example of a legendary cruiser that is fun to zip around on and enjoy. They add that it is equipped with a buddy seat over the carryall, it also has a spare tire.
Sadly they do not add much more detailed information beyond a long description of the history of the Vespa, which is interesting and worth a read, but does not assist with determining the condition of this particular Vespa 150.
I know quite a bit about these scooters, and after looking at the photos in the ad this example looks like a very nice restored example of a Vespa VBB 150. This particular bike still has its correct 8″ wheels. Yes 10″ wheels are a bit more stable but all VBBs came with 8″ wheels. Many convert them to the larger wheel size but this is incorrect.
The seat and buddy pillon are of the correct type with a correct reproduction seat cover.
Importantly the body looks to be in excellent condition with no dents, creases, rust, or any other issues. In addition the overall quality of the red paint on this scooter looks clean and without issues.
The speedometer has either been rebuilt or replaced with a correct style Veglia unit and looks brand new. The levers for the clutch and the brake are in excellent condition, and the grey Vespa grips are the correct style and color for a 1961 VBB. All of these details lead me to believe that this is likely a good restoration. The one important question I would ask the seller is where this Vespa was restored. If it was restored in Vietnam, run don’t walk away. I do not see any indications that it is a Vietnamese restoration though, as these are usually equipped with all kinds of optional and aftermarket accessory and trim pieces, none of which this bike has. I do love that the restorer of this bike added the correct stickers for running in the engine and for fuel type after it was painted.
Overall this looks like one I would buy, were I in the market for a Vespa again. Sure you can get a Vespa VBB in rideable condition for around $3,000-4000, but to then take that scooter and make it as nice as this one would cost much more than the $7,500 asking price of this one.
If you have always thought it would be neat to own a vintage Vespa, the VBB as a model is a great starting point and this looks to be a nice example. If you do buy this bike and it shows up without an ignition key, don’t be concerned as it is not missing, the Vespa VBB never came with an ignition key, only a kill switch to turn the engine off.
My wife would never in a million years want to ride on an old Vespa today, but those late light rides with a few friends on their Vespas might be something I need to rediscover.
Click here for this ClassicCars.com Pick of the Day.
