Another Italian Superstar

My father passed away not too long ago and as our family was looking though some old photographs, I saw a few from "the early days" of my folks on my Dad's old Vespa scooter. I started thinking about how cool those images were and that it would be nice to have a scooter just like the one he had. I posted an old photo online and found out what model it was and started my search. In the end, a local Vespa club member found one for me -- a 1959 Vespa 150 VBA.



It was imported from Italy probably 10 years ago and has been in storage ever since. Surprisingly, it runs (although not well) and I've ridden it around the block a few times. Even though it's only 150cc with a three-speed manual transmission and in need of restoration, it's a blast to ride. The body is pretty straight and the only major bodywork is the floor needs to be replaced. At some point I'll strip it down and have someone do the body and paintwork while I redo the engine. It'll be nice to work on a vehicle where the engine and transmission together only weigh about 80 pounds.