VVC 45_Layout 1.qxd - Veteran Vespa Club

Transcription

VVC 45:Layout 1 14/11/2010 4:11 PM Page 1
WINTER 2010/2011
No. 45
Veteran Vespa Club
(Condensed accounts for Journal publication)
Year end
Dec 08
Dec 09
£
5276
2196
847
2219
118
211
10867
£
6315
2763
888
2585
3
216
12770
Net Income (Loss)
Add balance forward
Stock and tangible assets
New balance forward
548
2587
644
827
2819
3658
287
11370
-503
7828
0
7325
573
3201
626
512
3101
2705
428
11146
1624
7325
2217
11166
Surplus represented by
Bank
Floats
Stock and tangible assets
Paid in advance
7295
30
0
7744
30
2217
1175
7325
11166
Income
Subscriptions
Regalia Sales
DVLA Registrations
Rally Income
Interest
Other Income
Expenditure
Insurance Fees
Regalia Purchase
Expenses
Publicity
Journal Expenses
Rally Expenses
Other Expenses
Total Assets
Total assets were transferred into VVC(UK)LTD w.e.f.1st January 2010
Peter Rose. Treasurer
David Marsh Independent Examiner
194
VVC Journal - No.45
went off the market in 2008, and there
were still new ones hanging around in
2009. One would like to think that the
reappearance is part of a carefully thought
through long-term management strategy,
and nothing whatever to do with the fact
that Piaggio has recently lost market share
to LML in Italy. But it’s good to have it
back, anyway.
Events 2011
We have a rally in Andover on July 15-17,
and the AGM will be at the usual venue on
Oct 29. In addition, there will be a VVC
Spring Meeting is the Broadway House
Holiday Park, Cheddar, Somerset, 5th - 8th
May 2011 www.broadwayhousepark.co.uk
New Vespa announced
. This is likely to feature numerous rideEver since the wailing and gnashing of
outs rather in the fashion of our French
teeth that accompanied the production of
trips. Speaking of which, this year’s Dieppe
the “last” PX from Pontedera in 2007, there event was a huge success and it is hoped to
have been rumours of some sort of
have something similar in the Deauville
spiritual replacement. At the recent Milan
area in September.
show the actual replacement for the 125cc
Ashley Lenton
and 150cc two stroke Vespa PX was shown.
Known as the Vespa PX, it will be available
later in 2011 with a two stroke engine of
either 125 or 150ccs. The major change is
a “new” horncasting which looks
Contact Dave Hawkins on
remarkably like the original 1977 PX item
with the addition of a pre-1968 type
DAVIDJH@PRESTBURY41.PLUS.COM
Piaggio badge. Exactly how the engine will
conform to current EU emission regs (the
alleged cause of its original demise) is a bit
of a mystery at the time of writing.
Technical help
Website
However confusing all of this is, every true
enthusiast will welcome the return of the
“proper” Vespa after a fairly short absence.
Though possibly not those who’ve been
stashing away unused examples of the
“final” PX as an investment! It officially
Website: www.veteranvespaclub.com
You can advertise your Vespa for sale
on our site, or just have it featured.
Send photo and details to:
webmanager@veteranvespaclub.com
195
MUSINGS ON A SUNNY DAY IN
BRIGHTON
Living, as I do, just a
few miles up the
coast from Brighton,
there are often ventures into Britain’s
Party Capital – now
sort of becoming
established as the
Capital
of
Mod.
More about this
later.
The August bank
holiday now sees the
Untouchables (Britain’s
196
premier Mod organisation) running events
in Brighton – a state of
affairs that has existed
since they took flight
from the IOW Rally a
few years back in order
to avoid an influx of riff
raff. As has been done
before, I ambled along
on my GS to Madeira
Drive to sample the
relaxed informal gathering that occurs inside
and outside the Vox Bar
on the Saturday and
Sunday. Actually, really
I rode flat out. But the
speed of traffic these
days means that flat out
on a GS seems like
ambling to everybody
else.
The weather was
good, the music excellent and there were
loads of people and
scooters. It wasn’t even
necessary to go to the
evening events to feel
part of it. Wandering
around with a camera
gave an opportunity to
reflect on how much has
changed over the years.
For a start it was
possible to bump into
several fellow VVC
members. This may not
sound like such a big
deal, but the first VVC
Rally was held in
Brighton in 1964 and
billed as “the face of
responsible scootering”.
The Mayor came along
and said how pleased he
was that the VVC wasn’t
like those beastly Mods,
who
went
around
breaking deckchairs in
his town. These days
half the committee of
the VVC are or were
Mods. And, for all I
know, the Mayor of
Brighton too.
Amongst those VVC
members encountered
were Andrew James and
Stuart McNeil – seen
here with the latter’s
immaculate Andre Baldet GS150. There are, of
course, plenty of other
immaculately restored
scooters around. But
surely not many are
ridden as regularly or
for such long distances
as this one. Stuart had
ridden down from
VVC Journal - No.45
Nottingham, and was
off the next day to the
Isle of Wight.
Something else that
has taken hold over the
years is the gradual rise
of the female scooterist.
Originally male Mod
style was aped, followed
by a more girlie (meaning pink) version that
you still see. But now a
further evolution has
occurred – a sort of
fashionable
textured
look. The Vespa shown
here had intricately
painted panels, mudguard and headset. All
done by the owner by
hand. There were a lot
of positive comments
about this scooter –
machines like this raise
interesting questions as
to how much Mod style
should be evolutionary
as opposed to replicating the past.
Questions of this sort
tend to confuse things –
in a place like this it’s
easy to imagine that
you’re wandering around
a sort of sixties version
of a Civil War reenactment. To clear my
mind I took a look in the
windows of several
adjoining gift shops.
Here the traditional
range of cheap tourist
toy vehicles (Morris
Minor. E type, Mini, VW
Beetle, VW Camper,
Routemaster Bus) appear to have now been
joined by the scooter
–usually with a few
extra lights and mirrors.
Yes,
things
have
changed all right.
In search of enlightenment I wandered
off the seafront to the
Brighton Museum. This
is a wondrous place
situated next to the
Pavilion, but sought
only to confuse things
further. For there is a
small (but conspicuous)
Mod display consisting
of – no surprises here –
people smashing deckchairs with a modded
up Lambretta beneath
it.
Admittedly this isn’t
the best of examples,
but it’s mere presence
here is a minor miracle
of sorts. For the mod
riots of 1964 are given
the same amount of
coverage, and – dare
one say it – celebration
as the Prince Regent
and the local football
club. From civic dis-
grace to civic pride in
one generation!
The place has become
used to the ideas of
Quadrophenia tours and
Quadrophenia conventions, but now there’s
official acknowledgement of Brighton’s
greatest moment. A
tradition has evolved in
naming individual buses
after those who have
had some connection
with Brighton in the
past. As mad as this
sounds, there is now
one bus proudly bearing
the title “The Who”. Yes,
that’s right. You produce a film about
trashing a town and it
responds by naming one
of its buses after you!
As I powered (oh all
right then, spluttered)
away along the coast on
my GS, it occurred to
me that the whole place
is slightly bonkers. A lot
of fun though.
AL
197
THE DOUGLAS
TWO-TONE GS160
– FOUND AT LAST!
The more obscure elements of
Douglas Vespa production can be a
devil to track down. The 232l2 is hard
enough, the Grand Tourer worse and
the 102L2 worse still. But hardest of
all has been the Douglas two-tone
version of the GS160.
Let’s just remind
ourselves that ever since
its introduction this
model had been the
recipient of the creative
paint alterations of any
number of dealers – not
to mention individual
owners. In fact, it is
probably true to say that
there was barely such a
thing as an all-white GS
160 on the road in
Britain when they were
new. I certainly don’t
recall seeing one at the
time.
The Douglas two-tone
version has always been
known about – indeed it
appears in magazine
adverts and price lists
from early 1965 and,
198
possibly, late 1964. But
nobody has seemed to
be certain as to what it
looked like –until now
that is. Dave Marsh has
come to the rescue with
photos of the cornfield
blue and white example
that he bought new in
early 1965.
These may just look
like
faded
period
photos, but they are a
precise historical record.
In addition to the details
that you can see, greatly
increasing the size of
the side view suggests
that there was a
diamond
pattern
around the speedo.
It’s a bit difficult to
know why Douglas
should start doing this
so late in the day (twotone versions of the
subsequent SS180 were
left strictly to the
dealers), but the scheme
chosen does seem very
similar to those already
used by some shops.
Unless,
of
course,
Douglas were already
producing them and just
not advertising the fact.
With the current
emphasis placed by
many on “originality”, it
is a bit difficult to know
what that means in the
context of a scooter like
this. Does “original”
mean ex Piaggio or ex
Douglas? The latter
were, of course, still
manufacturing
complete scooters at
this stage. But what
really matters is that,
thanks to Dave Marsh,
another little gap in our
knowledge is filled.
AL
VVC Journal - No.45
LETTERS
TO
THE
EDITOR
Dear Editor
Not only have I seen a two-tone GS160 Series
II, but owned one in Cornfield Blue in 1965
(CYP 93C). I have several pictures although as
Black and White was the standard for
photography at the time it would not prove
much.
Whilst on the subject of GS 160's, no doubt
you have read the article in Scootering which
shows a standard model with AC ignition. I
gave up using my local dealer a few years back
when he was attempting to start a Series II
without a battery and he said they did not need one. Perhaps I should now give him the benefit of
doubt as he may have been trained in South Africa!
The fascination of a hobby is there is always something to learn.
BEST WISHES
DAVID MARSH
(I convinced David that his B&W photos were worth searching out, and elsewhere you will see that they
have finally nailed the appearance of the two-tone GS160. Regarding AC ignition; one of the incidental
benefits of clearing out old dealers was that sometimes you would pick up interesting pieces of
correspondence from Douglas such as the one shown here. Although subsequent records have suggested
that there was a particular dedicated batch of 500 AC ignition GS160s with sequential numbers,
Douglas clearly didn’t think so! ED )
VESPAMORE
PHOTOGRAPHY
Arty, quality photographs
taken of your pride and
joy on 35mm film
For further details and examples,
please visit
www.vespamore-uk.blogspot.com
Alternatively, e-mail
vespamore@hotmail.co.uk
or tel: 07925 576474
to discuss your
requirements and fees
199
Another town, another café au lait
LE WEEKEND 2010
After the great success of the club’s first
continental trip last year to Cherbourg,
this year’s follow-up was eagerly awaited.
Billed as being at
Dieppe, but actually at
Veules Les Roses a few
miles along the coast,
the format was once
again a block booking of
holiday chalets being
used as a base for daily
trips along the coast.
Most people elected
to take the ferry from
Newhaven and travel to
the destination in con-
voy. For those not
familiar with this part of
France, the lack of
traffic (once outside of
Dieppe itself) was a real
revelation. Absolutely
ideal for this kind of
event for old vehicles,
and in fact a couple of
times we came across
the
Morgan
three
wheeler
club
who
seemed to be doing
The smart set got Veronica to take their luggage in the
support car, allowing them to queue up for the ferry in style
200
something rather similar. Veules Les Roses –
like all the coastal
villages and small towns
in this area – was
spotlessly clean. The
restaurants, however,
were a bit stretched to
accommodate
forty
people every night, so a
couple of times we had,
instead, a barbecue at
the site accompanied by
a quiz. The first of these
was hosted by the editor
and the second by Peter
Mickleburgh – both
following a similar
pattern. A rather poor
standard
of
quiz
answers (“Name two
Italian
makes
of
scooter” would have
been a stretch for most
people) was followed by
warfare between the
two sides. Here respectable wives and
mothers displayed their
true colours as breadroll terrorists as chaos
reigned.
Bill Gaskin’s 1956 VS2 (seen on the left) was the oldest
Vespa to make the trip
VVC Journal - No.45
Come Quiz Night, some people really got into
the swing of things
Amongst the Vespas
were three GS150s
three SS180s, four
GS160s. a Rally 200. a
GL and six P Range
models.
All performed faultlessly and there were no
breakdowns on the runs
at all. Best of all – and
defying all expectations
– the weather was
absolutely perfect for
the whole five days.
The entire time was
spent riding around
followed by eating
drinking and socialising
Another hard day’s
socialising ahead
in glorious sunshine.
Although this sounds a
bit ad hoc, in actual fact
it was all the result of
meticulously detailed
planning by Roger and
Veronica Smith and Bob
and Genevieve Box and
they all deserve our
thanks
It’s doubtful if any
other
scooter
club
organises events quite
like this – there was a
widespread hope that it
becomes a regular
annual event.
Ready for a hard(ish) day’s riding.
The VVC ready to rock
The GS160s all displayed different ideas of where to
position jag lights
All the way down to Newhaven, Peter Mesiano had this
nagging feeling that he had left something off his SS
All nice and secure
for the channel crossing
201
202
VVC Journal - No.45
SHAPELY
REAR ENDS
NOTED
There appears at the moment to be a minor trend
in using the rear halves of small frame Vespa bodies
as seats in bars etc. Several people have mentioned
this, and Bob Currie and Dave Hawkins have kindly
taken the trouble to send in a photograph of
examples seen in their travels.
One assumes that that these are actual real old
Vespas suitably truncated, which seems a bit of a
shame. Although, on the other hand, it does help to
keep the Vespa marque – and scootering in generalin the public eye.
HAVE YOUR
VESPA IN
YOUR HOUSE!
We have a number of
unfortunate members
whose wives unreasonably
fail to appreciate the
artistic value of a Vespa
parked in their living
room. However, amongst
our ranks we are lucky to
count an accomplished
artist by the name of Nick
Goodwin who can offer a
solution to this problem.
Working with traditional
oils, Nick will create a
painting of your Vespa (or
other classic vehicle) and
can be contacted on
portlandstreet@ntl.com .
A fine example of his work
is shown here.
203
TRYING TO GRAB HOLD OF STARDUST
(THE DOUGLAS-VESPA GRAND TOURER STORY)
Or should that be
“Trying to grab hold
of Scotch Mist”?
It’s not even quite
clear if this even counts
as a proper story anyway. The details of the
subject
are
vague,
there’s no real conclusion and all we really
have are fragmentary
photographs, one advert
and anecdotes of how a
Grand Tourer “got
away”.
The available facts
appear simple enough.
Towards the end of
their Vespa manufacturing period, Douglas
produced a third special
edition of their Sportique to complement the
existing Supreme and
Grand Luxe variants.
The Grand Tourer, as it
was called, had a
metallic maroon paint
finish and a selection of
accessories as standard.
204
The
only
known
advertising picture of
one, as shown here,
gives fairly clear details
but caution is needed.
Douglas tended to use
whatever accessories
were to hand, and the
grey floorboard rubbers
were a very short-lived
experiment
on
all
Sportiques. Other Grand
Tourers
may
have
varied in specification.
The trouble is that we
are somewhat short of
“other” Grand Tourers
with which to make a
comparison. There are
plenty of people around
who recall having had a
tatty
metallic
red
Sportique pass through
their hands in the
distant past, but did not
realise what it was.
There seems to be no
complete
survivor.
Please note that the
Grand Tourer should
not be confused with
the
similarly
rare
metallic purple version
of the normal Sportique.
But from time to time
Vespas appear on eBay
that appear to have
been Grand Tourers,
and here we show a
couple. The one with
blue paint and an L
Plate appears to be
nothing special, but the
paint colour where the
badge has been removed is the give away.
Another
photograph
shows the underside of
the rear part of the
frame with similar
paint.
The second picture is
of a Grand Tourer with
pretty complete paint
that was sold on eBay a
fair while ago as a “150
Super”! Nobody seems
to know what happened
to it; what a shame it
would be if the new
owner did not realise
what is was and
repainted it. Interestingly neither of these
two show signs of ever
having had a “Spor-
tique” badge (unlike the
one in the advertising
picture) fitted, and one
actually has a “Grand
Tourer “ badge that is
presumably original.
It’s important not to
get side tracked up a
blind
alley
when
researching something
this rare. A Pontederabuilt VBA in a special
colour
ordered
by
Douglas would just like
this,. with no holes in
the frame for the
Sportique badge. But
there’s no record of any
in this colour.
Fortunately
the
Grand Tourer now has a
champion in Lee Harris.
Lee has also found one
with original paint,
though currently missing many of the
accessories. But at least
he knows what he has,
so there seems to be a
reasonable chance that
we will finally get to see
a complete example of
just about the last Vespa
to be built in Britain.
AL
VVC Journal - No.45
205
THE VETERAN VESPA
CLUB ANNUAL GENERAL
MEETING 2010
Held on October 16, the
venue was once again the
Broadway Hotel at
Letchworth
The opening session
concerned issues surrounding the formation
of VVC (UK) Ltd, and
the transfer of the assets
to it from the Veteran
Vespa Club. Dick Smith
was re-elected as one of
the three directors of
VVC (UK) Ltd
The AGM proper of
the Veteran Vespa Club
was opened by the
chairman, Roger Smith,
while the General Secretary,
Dick
Smith,
described one of the
most successful years in
206
the club’s history. The
main points were as
follows:
The membership rose
from 391 last year to
402. Although only a
small increase, this is
none-the-less
once
again an all time record.
The club had had a
very active year with
two rallies and a French
trip. In addition, we had
strong presences at both
the Munich and Fatima
events.
The Treasurer, Peter
Rose, reported that our
finances remained in a
healthy state.
Chris Wainwright was
appointed Public Relations Officer. He
replaces Ashley Lenton,
who remains as Journal
Editor.
Dave
Hawkins
attempted to resign as
Technical Advice Coordinator, but was
unsuccessful
and
remains in this post.
It was confirmed that
there would be a rally at
Andover on July 15–17
next year, and also
another French event in
September – probably
just south of Le Havre. It
was hoped to run one
other rally, and also
possibly to have a
dinner to celebrate the
60th anniversary of the
Douglas Vespa
Following the AGM
there was a dinner and
a
very
successful
memorabilia
auction
followed by a film show
of this year’s events. The
2011 AGM will be at the
same location on Oct
29.
VVC Journal - No.45
VVC CLOTHING
To order: All sizes (generous fit)
Polo shirt in pale blue with embroidered VVC badge ------------------------------£10
T shirt in pale blue with embroidered VVC badge (L & XL only) ------------------£8
Fleece 380gsm in royal blue embroidered VVC badge ----------------------------£20
Wind/Waterprood lightweight jacket with hood rolled into collar in dark blue
with printed VVC logo on back --------------------------------------------------------£20
Printed t shirt in dark blue with printed VVC logo -----------------------------------£8
Hi vis with printed cog badge on back -------------------------------------------------£5
Please add £2 postage for all clothing items. See Club Shop on web site for more items.
All items may be bought and paid for on the web site including Club Gear and Cog Badges.
treasurer@veteranvespaclub.com
Send orders and cheque payable to VVC (UK) Ltd, to:
28 Greenway, Letchworth Garden City,
Herts SG6 3UG
207
THE ROAD BACK FROM NOWHERE-VILLE
Will the 92L2 have its day at last?
Pictured here are two Douglas-built 92l2
Vespas dating from around 1957–8 time.
Both of these turn up
from time to time at
VVC rallies, but at the
Wakefield, where this
photo was taken, they
could be seen side by
side representing the
extremes of alternative
ideas about presenting
old Vespas – or old
anything really. The
gold example belongs to
Andrew James and is
restored to an immaculate
standard
realising (with the aid
of
modern
paint
technology) the dreams
of many a fifties scooter
club enthusiast. Dick
Smith owns the highly
original blue one by way
of contrast. Although
the camera slightly
exaggerates the paint
condition, this is nonethe-less one scooter that
deserves as little as
possible to be done to it.
But further discussion
about the relative merits
of restoration versus
preservation is for
another day – now is
the time to consider the
slightly curious position
of the Vespa 92l2.
Actually, its not just the
92L2 but also the almost
identical preceding 42l2
and the rather similar
looking Piaggio produced 150cc models
from the same era such
as the VL1 and VL2 too.
Just what is so curious
about the position of
these perfectly reasonable scooters in the
pantheon of classic
Vespas? They don’t
really have one!
Look at it this way.
The
original
98cc
Vespas have long been
eagerly collected, and
the subsequent 125cc
“Rod”
types
have
followed suit in recent
years. Later Italian-built
125cc Vespas with a
mudguard – mounted
light (churned out of
Pontedera all the way
up to 1958) appeal to
all seduced by Roman
Holiday. Those seeking
to revive the spirit of the
serious fifties club
scooterist are catered
for by the GS150, and
this can double up as a
mod scooter too. The
latter fully encompasses
the GS160 and SS180,
while the smaller VNB,
VBA etc Vespas from
around the same time
are ripe for upgrading
with Sprint spec engines
(or even bigger) for a
classic looking scooter
that is cheap and
practical. The 90SS has
always has a cult
following, as has the
Rally, while Early P200s
and T5s have already
started the ascent.
All of which means
that the 92L2 – and its
ilk – sort of disappear
208
down a hole in the
middle. In part this is
due to the natural
tendency for interest in
any particular era to
gravitate towards the
best and highest spec
models of that time. The
subjects in question had
the misfortune to be
exactly contemporary
with the GS150 – and
from the point of view
of the enthusiast it has
always been no contest.
But ignoring the 92l2 is
surely missing a trick.
The GS150 may have
been the province of a
few (and the dream of
rather more) but the
92L2 was the reality for
the majority of Vespa
Club members. Not to
mention the Water
Board, the Police and
the RAC. It was on
scooters like these that
time and money was
spent on, trips to the
seaside ridden to on,
visits with the future
VVC Journal - No.45
wife made on. After a
day’s picnicking or
visiting a stately home
you would rely on the
92L2 to get you home
Ignoring
these
scooters is like devaluing much of the
fifties and the hopes and
dreams of our forbears.
But at last there are
rumblings of interest.
The price hike of all the
earlier models means
that at long last people
are starting to take a
look at this type of
Vespa. After all, they are
all now more than half a
century old. The 92l2,
42l2 et al have long
been bargains. But for
how much longer?
AL
209
THE DOUGLAS-VESPA 125cc ROD MODEL
1951–53 IN DETAIL
The Douglas built Vespa 125cc – subsequently always referred to
as the “Rod Model” – officially went on sale on March 15 1951.
It was built at
Douglas’ factory at
Kingswood, near Bristol, and though by no
means the first scooter
to be built or sold over
here, is none-the-less
often thought of as
representing the start of
modern scootering in
Britain.
The second type rear light.
The original one was even
smaller!
210
The basis of the Rod
Model was the 1949
Vespa 125, and this was
actually displayed by
Douglas at the 1949
Motor Cycle Show. The
fact that it took until
1951 to get it into
production at Kingswood is indicative of
the amount of effort
required by the British
firm,
which
was
actually in receivership.
As a stop-gap, a number
of the Italian 125cc
Vespas were imported
in the intervening
period. By the time the
Rod
Model
was
launched it was well
out of date in Vespa
terms. Pontedera was
already moving onto
hydraulic front shock
absorbers, a cable gear
change and smooth
body sides. It was to be
several years before
Kingswood production
caught up with Piaggio
as far as specification
goes. None-the-less, it
was a good effort by
Douglas to get anything
in production considering the difficulties
A side view of a Rod Model for comparison. Clearly seen are
the different rear light and number plate holder, the higher
front light mounting, the speedometer, the rubber stand feet
and the “fish” shaped silencer. Also note how the side panels
are angled forward compared to the Italian ones
VVC Journal - No.45
they faced. A lot of the
machinery was worn
out, the workforce had
to get used to metric
rather than imperial
measurements,
and
there were still raw
material
shortages.
And, of course, very
little money.
The Rod Model was
genuinely
largely
manufactured in Britain
as opposed to merely
being assembled here.
Pressed
Steel
in
Birmingham made the
legshields, Milverton
the seat , Lucas the
electrics and Amal the
carb. Douglas’ own
foundry cast many
items such as engine
bearers, clutch covers
and cylinder heads,
while the machine shop
turned out cylinder
barrels. crankshafts and
gear clusters amongst
other things.
There were a few
specification changes
from the Italian version.
Most obviously the
headlight position was
Most Rod Models were later
fitted with this 92L2 type
Lucas rear light, as the
originals were so small
altered, but also there
was a Smiths speedo
and a completely different rear light/number
plate arrangement.
Production was on
quite a small scale for a
while. This was a great
disappointment
to
Piaggio,
who
had
granted Douglas exclusive marketing rights
over much of the British
Commonwealth
and
were therefore expecting enormous sales!
The friction caused by
this gradually subsided
as Piaggio successfully
expanded
elsewhere
and Douglas upped
production a bit and
established a proper
dealer network. With
only an obsolete model
to sell, and hardly any
advertising budget, it’s
maybe not too surprising that Douglas
could
not
prevent
Lambretta (with up-todate
imported
machines) from gaining
a sales advantage in
Britain that they were
unable to repeat in
most other countries.
But, despite all manner
of early production
problems, ultimately
this is a story of triumph
over adversity. Douglas
kept
manufacturing
going and it’s workforce
employed
making
Vespas until the mid
sixties. Despite its
undeniable
Italian
origins, in it’s own way
the Rod Model is a very
British scooter.
The 1949 Pontedera built 125cc Vespa on which the Rod
Model was based
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
AND SPECIFICATION CHANGES
(information collected by Matthew Phillips)
1951
The original paint colour was 6000M
There was no “Vespa” scroll badge on the
legshield and the horncasting badge was made of
plastic.
The kick-start and brake pedals were both
chromed.
A few examples were fitted with a Piaggio stator
plate and handlebar switch – possibly on machines
without parking lights.
For the first six months alloy panels were fitted, to
be replaced by slightly differently shaped steel
ones. Both of these items were made in Britain,
the alloy ones being of a slightly thicker gauge than
the Italian equivalent.
The engine number was in the same place as an
Italian made Vespa of this period.
The rear light was a LucasMT211 type.
1952
The paint colour changed to 6002M
The familiar Vespa scroll badge appeared on the
legshield.
The kick-start and brake pedals were now painted
rather than chromed.
Lucas 480 rear light fitted.
The engine number was moved to a position
below the gear selector.
1953
The horncasting “badge” now became a transfer
The end caps on the runners were deleted, the
ends of the runners themselves now being
“pinched in”
211
The sorry tale of the demise of the
Hoffmann Vespa
In late 1949 the
German bicycle manufacturer Jakob Hoffmann (who also was
producing 125cc and
175cc motorcycles)
was granted the
right to manufacture
the Vespa under
licence.
But Hoffmann had
ambitious plans that
would soon lead to his
downfall. Even as he
finalized his agreement
with Piaggio he was
investing an enormous
sum on a motorcycle
known as the Gouverneur, a highly sophisticated 250 cc and 300 cc
horizontally
opposed
twin. Unfortunately the
Gouverneur had serious
quality problems and
warranty costs soon
mounted, while sales
declined.
In the scooter market,
Hoffmann faced formidable competition from
the more luxurious
German scooters. Hoffmann
responded
–
without
Piaggio’s
authorisation
–
by
developing a luxury
Vespa model known as
the Konigin (Queen).
212
The Konigin featured
gold paintwork, headlights on both the mudguard and handlebars,
extensive chrome work,
and a souped-up engine.
The engine parts were
made by ILO, the
proprietary
engine
maker, and were not
interchangeable
with
Piaggio made Vespas.
The development costs
of the Konigin – a half
million marks – also
added considerably to
Hoffmann’s mounting
financial troubles. But
more important, Piaggio
had always sought to
standardize its products.
A heated conflict soon
developed
between
Hoffmann and Enrico
Piaggio. Reliability problems with the Konigin
also heightened Piaggio’s
concerns.
Matters were further
complicated by Hoffmann’s ill-fated attempt
to produce a bubble car.
While vacationing in
Italy, Hoffmann had
seen the Iso Isetta and
decided to copy it. But
unbeknown to him,
BMW had been granted
German manufacturing
rights to the Isetta. Just
as Hoffmann was ready
to go into production
with a bubble car known
as the Hoffmann Kabine
BMW filed suit.
By now, the handwriting was on the wall.
Piaggio,
sensing
a
looming disaster, seized
on a clause in the
contract requiring Hoffmann to produce only
standard Vespas, and
cancelled his franchise in
September, 1954. Two
months later, Hoffmann
filed for bankruptcy.
Only 12 Kabines had
been produced and
orders for 800 had to be
cancelled At an emotional press conference,
he blamed Piaggio for
his troubles.
In the meantime,
Piaggio – building on a
decades long relationship in the aircraft
industry – signed up the
German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt
to manufacture Vespas.
This time Piaggio made
sure to own 50 % of the
joint venture. In the
spring of 1955 the new
firm of Vespa Messerschmitt GmbH began
to produce Vespas at a
new factory in Augsburg.
Hoffmann, however, was
not yet ready to call it
quits. He still had a huge
stock of scooters, a large
inventory of parts, parts
sources, and his own
dealer network. His
Vespas were also substantially cheaper than
Messerschmitt Vespas.
He also had control of –
at least for the moment –
the Vespa Club von
Deutschland
(VCVD)
and refused to turn over
membership lists and
finances to Messerschmitt. As a consequence, Messerschmitt
was forced to rebuild
both the dealer network
and the club. After the
initial show of bravado,
Hoffmann soon disappeared from the scene
completely.
John Gerber
(The precise details of the
break-up between Hoffmann and Piaggio have
always been a little uncertain, but before his
untimely death John
Gerber had taken the
trouble to research the
matter properly as can be
seen here. Regrettably his
study of all Hoffman
Vespas will never be
completed, but hopefully
it should be possible to
run a feature on the
earlier models in due
course. Ed)
VVC Journal - No.45
CLUB GEAR
All of the following items are available from the Editor. Please note that prices are exclusive of p&p
Journal binder. Takes 12
issues plus index – £4.50
VVC club badge
– £23
2010 Dieppe badge
– £26
PARTS FOR SALE
NEW SIEM light / dip
switch new for GS150 or
160, £60. Scootopia remade
80mph speedo for GS/SS,
mint, £50. NOS brake pedal
rubber GS 150 white/grey
colour £10. Tel. 01664
812191. Leics.
WANTED
2010 Tring rally badge,
£26
SMALL FRAME engine
50,90,100 or 125 must be
running. 07905 652017.
WEBSITE
ALTERATIONS
If you change your personal
details, don't forget you need
to change your Profile on the
VVC website. This includes if
you change your email address,
or else you will not be able to
access the web site or receive
any email circulars from VVC.
Peter Rose
FOR SALE
PK 50cc for sale £400. Selling as none runner scooter.
Sparks, but carb is lose on manifold. I need the space.
Phone 07867 910782. Dundee.
VESPA PX 125. 1989 (G reg). Runs but doesn’t start,
good condition. £750 ovno. Text for more info. Ring
07513 856535. Grimsby.
MK1 T5. K reg,, about 9 months test left. In black.
Standard engine, but has a Simonini exhaust on. Has had
a weld on the floor (but not a bad job, I think). Other than
that, it’s a solid frame. Paintwork not mint, but pretty
good. Everything works as it should. Pics available via
email. £1200 ono. Phone 07941 514122. Hertford.
GS 160 for restoring, or in parts. 1962 Mk1. V5 in my
name. New floor fitted. New chrome panels and headset.
Complete chrome front end. Ulma horn cover, new
chrome. Also lots or rare GS parts. Having a clear out.
Telephone 07867 910782. Scotland.
213
CLUB AND SERVICES OFFICERS
President: Frank Brookes BEM
19, Ditchling Crescent,
Hollingbury, Brighton BN1 8GD
Honorary Vice-President:
Margaret Farquhar
11, Battle Court,Kineton. Warwickshire CV35 0LX
Chairman/Membership Secretary:
Roger Smith
20 Rookery Way, Seaford, East Sussex BN25 2TE
chairman@veteranvespaclub.com
membership@veteranvespaclub.com
(01323 491417)
General Secretary: Dick Smith
gensecretary@veteranvespaclub.com
Treasurer/Club Shop/Website Manager:
Peter Rose
28,Greenway, Letchworth, Herts SG6 3UG
treasurer@veteranvespaclub.com
Journal Editor/P.R./Club Regalia:
Ashley Lenton
13 The Promenade, Peacehaven,
East Sussex BN108QF
01273 579769
editor@veteranvespaclub.com
214
Club Registrar: Bob Box
clubregistrar@veteranvespaclub.com
Technical Advice Co-ordinator: Dave
Hawkins
9A Coronation Road, Cheltenham, Gloucs GD523DA
technical@veteranvespaclub.com
Registration Certificate Registrar: Bill Drake
23 Archers Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO50 9AQ
vesparegistration@veteranvespaclub.com
Committee members:
Paul Hart
paulh@veteranvespaclub.com
Paul Carr
paulc@veteranvespaclub.com
VETERAN VESPA CLUB
HALL OF FAME
1: Frank Brookes
2007
2: Margaret Farquhar
2007
3: Brian Freehold
2007
4. Brian Edwards
2008
5. Vi Edwards
2008
6: Bill Drake
2009
VVC Journal - No.45
More Wakefield Images
from Aubrey Hill
215

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