Looking very vintage – though it’s missing Kate Hepburn – is this 1959 Vespa 150 here on craigslist. With an asking price of $8500 and located in dry Los Gatos, California, this scooter comes with abundant documentation from new, several rare accessories, and its original black license plates. What we don’t know is whether it runs! But as we’ll see in a moment, it’s clear the seller, who bought the Vespa from the family of the original owner, knows a thing or two about vintage transportation, so it has probably had a sympathetic caretaker.
In the 1940s, Vespa was a brand name for Piaggio, a locomotive and rail car maker founded in 1884. Today, Vespa has achieved planet status in the constellation of Piaggio companies, with its own product lines alongside Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, and others. Despite the popularity of late model Vespas, the real deal has attained cult cachet among scooter collectors (and those of us who cross the lines from cars to… just about anything with a motor). Conceived in 1944, the first Vespa had a tall center section and a long-ish “nose” enclosing the front wheel. Displeased with this result, Piaggio’s engineers hired Corradino D’Ascanio, an aeronautical engineer, to try his hand at a re-design. The result was the step-through scooter we all know and love. The narrow-waisted look contributed to the new vehicle’s name – Vespa means “wasp” in Italian.
As noted, our seller has either borrowed a neighbor’s vintage driveway view or knows his way around old machinery. (Sensible old machinery, namely of the German persuasion.) In any case, the first photo gives us a glimpse of the clamshell speedometer on the headset, that great luggage rack, and the groovy plaid seat covers. Also of note is a rare fuel gauge.
Vespa made several models over the years, with identification posing a challenge for the newbie. This site is quite helpful, listing models and specifications by VIN. At least the “150” is revealing, as it approximates the displacement of its two-stroke engine; the gearshift should be a three-speed. Buying a bike just one year younger will get you a four-speed, which is quite handy over longer distances. About 5.5 hp is on tap; the factory advertised a top speed of over 50 mph, but that’s probably aspirational. Stay off the highway, though, and you’ll have a great option for around-town fair-weather motoring. Pricing seems to be all over the lot; here’s a selection. What do you think this very original scooter is worth?
As I got older, some things I would never think of doing, suddenly became attractive. I’m very happy to say, riding a Vespa isn’t one of them. Normally, I like anything on 2 wheels, provided they aren’t wheel barrow tires, but I draw’r the line at Vespas. All scooters, regardless of make, were coined “Vespas”. They may have worked in European situations, but if you grew up in the only US city that made a motorcycle, riding a Vespa could have serious consequences.TV has made these into a collectible piece conjuring up high price tags, but if you are going to ride a motorcycle, make it count, son,,remember, 2 things you should only do late at night, one is ride a scooter, and two,,,um, well, never mind.
Third thing to do late at night is haul your butt out of the sad sack town you had the misfortune to be born into.
That city was also famous for beer.
American Pickers
This is a pretty good example of an early Vespa but it is not one of the most collectable. Growing up in Miami practically everyone had a scooter. Vespa, Lambretta, and Cushman all had a huge following. All are very collectable but the asking price is too much for this one.
Guzzi, not “Guzi”
Thanks. Typo.
Can I have the 02tii or the 356 please?
And I thought my KZ250 was embarassing to ride. :)
But it is in nice condition
Well, I’d ride it around; they do what they were designed for very well.
I was thinking Audrey Hepburn, though…
Thank you Derek. It is Audrey, not Kate.
I saw that first photo and all I could see is really nice Porsche 356 and a ’72/73 BMW 2002 Tii. But that’s just me.
Does it come with the collectable Coca Cola Box?
Forget the Vespa, roll out the white Porsche!
You know what they say about scooters and fat chicks, their both a lot of fun, but you don’t want your friends to see you with them. But once you get to a certain age you don’t care what anybody thinks. And I think this is cool. If I lived in a more urban place I would have a scooter for sure, just not practical where I live. I always thought the Vespas were the best, it seems the Italians tend to overbuild things. I had a Moto-Guzzi at one time, and it was solid as a rock. It was also pretty heavy and slow but could climb ant hill at all at 55mph in fourth gear.
Fat chicks run only slightly faster than the Vespa.
They’re……………. any hill not ant hill. I need to proofread better
Happens to us all….lol
I ride a 20 year old Vespa. It’s great fun, fast enough to lead traffic, and is the most popular vehicle I’ve owned. That list includes several Ducati, a AM Vantage, MB E63, among many. Everyone likes a Vespa. Women agree.
These are very well built und absolutely bulletproof.
Had several from the fifties, sixties and seventies when I was a teenager,
they did cost nothing back then (80’s/90’s).
Me and my friends even rode them from switzerland to the russian border in finnland and back with around 50 mph.
But it’s also easy to make them pretty fast – my last one did about 90 mph (it was a GT from 62) – although I wouldn’t recommend this today.
My neighbor across the street has a new Vespa. He’s a nice guy, but he’s still a nerd. My Springer still scares him, every time I fire it up.
$8500?! How about $850? I sold motorcycles in NYC for a few months in the 60s, and lived 55 miles away in CT. Took a 200 cc. Vespa home a couple of nights. That thing would wail down the Parkway at 70. It was awesome!
cut my wrenchin teeth on one (125 as I remember, big 1 thumper?). Long story but…
amazed at the prices and followers. All the hipsters hada have one B4 covid, probably still. Know all the model numbers from back when, yrs, right prices, etc…
Coach gave me one at 13 y/o (1965) “Fix it!”. I brought home, hung from garage rafter’n poured concoction my farmer (during the Depression) father made up (ATF, MM Oil, kero, 30W, who knows what) dwn s. plug hole (piston lay flat… headed toward frnt tire’n back toward the rear in movement). “When it goes below the hole pour in more.” he said/I did. A wk or 2 later I brought it back – no more frozen piston. I hada learn more elsewhere on fiats/alfas/lancias from Goldie’s Junk yard (2 yrs later & nxt decade).
The only folks that had these by the late 80s were old men. I knew one, he rode a red one and had a 60s Volvo for bad weather days. He sold and collected old license plates and was a rather nice fella. He had about a dozen of these in various condition. When he passed his kids auctioned off everything. The Vespas were bringing 50 to 200.00 and most of his tags went for .25 a piece. As a guy that has rode motorcycles forever, I wouldn’t have rode this back then. Neat to look at but…..a no. It’s tricky enough maneuvering through idiots in today’s world on a Hyabusa. Around here scooter riders are refered to as organ donors. Timeless style just as the old Honda walk through I have but these are not road friendly items any longer but mere conversation pieces.
I love it ! BUT, I am a m/c, scooter, bike collector and favor everything. From my lowly 50 cc Hondas to the 1960 Allstate scooter in powder blue (with 400 original miles) made by the same company as this, to my Harleys, Bridgestones, NSU, to Yamaha and Kawasaki dirt bikes. EVERYthing is cool with the right attitude and appreciative desire for anything which moves from point A to B. There is a seat for every horse’s a*s and I may fit more than a few……(yes I feel the same way about old cars and boats; there just aren’t enough barns to hold them all if I guy got right down to it !) Best wishes on the sale fellow Piaggio owner~ may the guy who gets it keep it as well as you have
With 5.5 gut-wrenching horsepower, this 150 barely has enough power to mow tall grass. A Honda 50 could give it a run for its money. What this Vespa has though, that no Honda does, is a certain charm. A scooter is a scooter is a scooter, and no scooter (even the other makes at the time) was like a Vespa.