VVC CLOTHING - The Veteran Vespa Club

." 

--

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Items only available in club colour: Pale Blue -unless otherwise stated 

'0 order: All sizes (generous fit) 

': Poloshirtheavyweight__m m__£14 

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Bomber Jacket in oli~e~reen 000---000000 000000£32 

Patch WC badge (same size) available as embroidered 

on square tor round --000--£6 inc. postage 

Vinyl 10" wheel cover (Colours: black, red, white) 

withembroideredWC badge--000000--000000 £25 

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rolled into collar (dark blue) 000000 000000£ 16 

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Allitems come withclubbadge embroideredonto garment 

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Pictures of some items are available upan request Other items will be added if there is demand 

Note: For up to two items add £2 to all orders by post; for three items l3 

Any other combination please email for postal charge. Allow 2-3 weeks for delivery 

membership@veteranvespaclub.com 

Send orders and cheque to: 

WC Clothing, 28 Greenway, Letchworth Garden City, Herts SG6 JUG 

146 WC Journal - No.31 

.... 

(. 

I, 

Sat 

8.00 

IO.OOam: 

11.00am: 

1.00pm: Local ri 

4.00pm: Memorabi 

6.00pm/8.30pm: C 

8.30pm: Uve band 

Disco by Ronnie Lo 

Sunday 

8.00am: Breakfast 

11.00am: Concours judging 

1.00pm: Prize giving 

3.00pm: Rally dosed 

Derby Rugby Club Is situated just off the 

A381A52 in Derby and offers easy access 

to the MI Jets 25 & 28, and the M6 ct 15. 

A rally badge will be available 

For all enquires please ring: 

David Steele -0789

President 

Frank Brookes BEM 

1--19,Ditchling Crescent, 

Hollingbury, Brighton BN1 8GD 

. Honorary Vice-President 

Margaret Farquhar 

': 11, Battle Court, 

Kineton. Warwickshire CV35 OLX 

CLUB AND SERVICES OFFICERS 

Acting Chairman 

Roger Smith . 

20 Rookery Way, Seaford, East Sussex BN25 2TE 

chairman@veteran~espaclub.com 

(01323 491467) 

General Secretary 

Dick Smith 

gensecretary@veteranvespaclub.com 

Treasurer/Membership Secretary/Web Site 

Peter Rose 

28,Greenway, 

Letchworth, Herts SG6 3UG 

membership@veteranvespaclub.com , ~ 

"'- 

~ 

Journal Editor/P.R./Club Regalia 

Ashley Lenton 

13 The Promenade 

Peacehaven, East Sussex BN108QF 

01273 579769 

ashleylenton@aol.com 

Club Registrar 

Dave Hawkins 

9A Coronation Road, 

Cheltenham, Gloucs GD523DA 

clubregistrar@veteranvespaclub.com 

D. V.L.A. Registrar 

Bill Drake 

23 Archers Road, Eastleigh, 

Hampshire S050 9AQ 

Committee members 

Peter Harris 

28 Hope Road, Benfleet, Essex SS7 5JH 

peterh@veteranvespaclub.com 

Paul Impey 

Flat 7, Steeple Point, Castle Lane, 

Hadleigh, Essex 

pauli@vereranvespa.com 

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/' 

lrIHIJEWJElrJE~ WJE~~ & CCIL1lJJJE JJ(Q)1lJJ~&IL 

mID)TIil@ IM&IL 

It's the rally season! 

By the time you've read this Cheltenham will 

probably have been and gone and hopefully I 

will have met you there. There's still Derby 

on July 20-22, and an enormous amount of 

effort is being expended to make this event a 

success - this being the first rally we've had 

in the Midlands for some years. The late 

change in date means that I can't attend, so 

all photographs and stories will be greatly 

appreciated. 

The WC web site 

has been undergoing a much needed 

upgrade thanks to Adam Badger from 

Edinburgh. I'm not exactly sure at what stage 

it will be at when you read this, but it should 

be possible to buy club gear and join the club 

via the site. All feedback would be 

appreciated, but in any case many thanks are 

due to Adam for all the effort expended. 

The 2008 AGM 

,I 

... Will again be at Letchworth, Herts, on 

Saturday October 27. 

Margaret Gaskins 

With regret it is necessary to report that 

Website: www.veteranvespaclub.com 

Margaret, wife of Cyril Gaskins, passed away 

after a long illness on May 11. Margaret was 

an avid Vespa enthusiast, having acquired 

her first Vespa in 1959 and attending 

numerous rallies in the sixties and seventies 

with Cyril, both riding their identical pale 

blue 152L2 Vespas. In the early seventies 

Margaret was made Scooter Queen at a rally 

in Northampton. They first met 1957 when 

Cyril had a 42L2 Vespa, and they married in 

1964. Margaret leaves a daughter, Sarah, 

and a son, Neal, to whom we offer our 

sincere condolences. 

147

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 

Dear Editor 

~ I spent SaturdayApril28, late morning and early afternoon at P&RScootersColchester.Here I spied 

this rather nice Red Vespa. Unsure as to the exact model, but was told it was an original (import or 

British) Sportique era l25cc. Nicely restored. 

Later I caught up with Warren of Sudbury, the proud guardian of the wonderfully a.T.T. Purple 

Rally 200. 

The Gt. Cornard Scooter Day 

was in aid of The Bury St. 

Edmunds Hospital, Rainbow 

Childrens Ward. With a custom 

show, barbeque, bouncy castles 

and an evening do, plus free 

camping. Definitely a date to add 

to the diary, for next year. 

Among the Clubs attending, 

E.L.M.S. (East London) who 

deserve a special mention for still 

partying at lam, having started at 

lunchtime. N.E. Norfolk se, for 

leaving the keys in a Lambretta 

TV200, all night. 

SPENCER PAYNE 

~ . 

«7-, 

Dear Editor 

I don't think you would want pictures 'of,.my 

scooter. It's an old VBC that used to be tWo-tone 

blue, but was painted mat blacl~about 12 years ago 

(before it was 'trendy'). It runs'like a top as it was 

overhauled by a Japanese friend of mine who was 

over here working in a Vespa shop (thanks Aki). I 

only use it occasionally as I have 10 other bikes 

ranging from Monkey to daily hack commuter 

bikes, vintage Hondas and a Harley that goes on 

forever. Not that this list is in order of preference! 

I had some trouble with the DVLAin retaining 

the reg TTT3, and they eventually gave me a Q 

plate! I was Livid and kept hassling them. I even got 

a letter from Roy Bacon stating the possible year of 

production. At the last knockings they gave me a 'G' plate as a "shut up. At least you get free tax now, 

and we can sell your reg to an Audi TT owner" gesture. 

Anyway I have sent you one old picture as it was when I got it as a £100 no paperwork runner. 

Thanks again for a good read, 

PETER PARDOE 

(Pictures of all the Vespas mentioned in these letters are shown because they show diverse elements of 

our hobby. The red VBB 150 displays the mildestform of customising with a few extras and a non-standard 

(but age-appropriate) paint colour. The Rally, by means of contrast, represents the other extreme of selfexpression. 

The Super shows a type of Vespa in the sort of condition that you can still pick up and commute 

on reliably for a reasonably modest outlay - and get your money back if you want to sell it. Thank goodness 

nobody gets lumbered with a "Q" plate these days - Ed) 


\, 

vaguely comical air 

about the whole enter- 

prise. After all, hindsight 

recounts that it would 

require rather more than 

a handful of VL3 Vespas 

to dislodge the Viet 

Congo 


;,;,:._-......... 

') ') 

~ 

I~ 

.~ 

.~ 

'oo! 

. .., 

These T.A.P. Vespas 

turn up now and again, 

but do not command 

extravagant prices. This 

is probably because they 

are not very practical to 

ride on the road and 

their museum display 

-~ fb 

~tI~ 

.- ". 

() I") 

') ) ~ 

, 

~~" 

"'"' \ 

qr,Ai:/(Ii". '1Uf!//lfiiN 

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status is a bit compromised 

because when 

sold off as war surplus 

they rather naturally did 

not come with the 

bazookas and shells. 

Still, some enthusiasts 

have had replicas of 

_. 

I. _ 

f 

,;'r 

") 

'~f:I!"'." 

.. 

'.. 

;? 

these items fabricated, 

and the completed 

assembly is always a 

talking point anywhere 

it is shown. No serious 

Vespa collection is 

complete without one of 

these! 

165

THE AClVIA 

MILITARY 

VESPAS 

BY the end ,of; 

World War Two 

the idea of': a 

scooter being 

parachuted into 

enemy lines had 

established itself 

via the British 

Welbike and 

American 

Cushman. 

The French army's 

stock of the latter was 

becoming a bit old by 

1953, so they invited 

tenders from French 

scooter manufacturers 

for a suitable replacement. 

This time around 

the scooter was to have 

a heavy armament capability, 

and Bernadet, 

Valmobile and ACMA 

164 

(the French Ii~nsees of 

the Vespa) all'Prbduced 

prototypes. In the event 

ACMA got the cop.~ract 

largely because their 

pricej>f 140,000 francs 

massIvely under cut 

Bemadet's 250,00 frames. 

Some reports however, 

suggest Bernadet received 

a consolidation order. 

THE T.A.P. (Troupes 

Aero Portees) was 

produced in tWo almost 

identical batches in 

1956 and 1959. Some 

were finished in desert 

colours for use in 

Algeria; the military 

green ones were for 

Indo.China. The basic 

structure was derived 

from the 150cc VL3, but 

as can be seen from the 

(T.A.P.56 AND T.A.P.59) 

IN DETAIL 

photos there was mass. 

ive reinforcement to 

counter the effects of the 

parachute drop. A certain 

amount of abbreviation 

of the bodywork 

was present including 

an engine side panel 

that looks identical to 

the Pontadera produced 

model U one. 

Of course the main 

feature was the bazooka 

and six large shells. 

These items were 

dropped separately in 

containers meaning that 

scooter and armaments 

had to be married 

together by the troops 

on the ground. The 

generally quoted production 

figure is 500 

total units. 

It is difficult to get 

any firm information on 

the military effectiveness 

of these machines, 

and in truth there is a 

WC Journal- No.31 

_L.s...E_ 'W'E.s_~ C::L__ 

AFTERan absence of some four decades, the Ulster 

Vespa Club has been reborn. Originally formed in 

December 1954, the WC was the first scooter club 

in Northern Ireland and was affiliated to the Vespa 

Club of Britain as branch No.55, an affiliation that 

has also been re-established. Although it is early 

ALTHOUGH not the 

first attempt at a 

comprehensive overview 

of scooter 

marques, this is a 

reasonably capable and 

informative offering 

following, as it does, a 

fairly standard format 

of brief descriptions 

augmented by period 

adverts. The authors 

sound French and indeed, 

French scooters 

command a somewhat 

disproportionate 

amount of space 

compared to Italian and 

German ones. 

However, further in- 

Website: www.veteranvespadub.com 

vestigation reveals that 

every conceivable ex. 

cuse to mention 

"Belgium" is exploited, 

so this may be the true 

nationality of the 

authors. This view is 

reinforced by the 

constant references to 

German "Kolossal" style 

scooters such as the 

Kroboth-Lexus, the 

Maicomobil and the 

Karat as being "un. 

fortunately reminiscent 

of an armoured vehicIe". 

Doubtless a reminder 

of territorial 

disputes in the past. 

The authors are not 

days for the re-formed club, we hope, in the coming 

months and years, that we will be able to offer 

something different for our members and local 

scooterists while also retaining the essence of the 

original club of the 1950's. 

Richard Darrah (darrah@utvintemet.com) 

::- 

;;-. 

' 

especially comPle 

' ':::-;;; 1\> ~ 

mentary about [

"!t"'-'" '..~'_. " :-1U...~ 

~O'n .frbii11iisexplo{ts as recorded in the last issue, 

''PiOneer scooterist John Dixon recalls a spot of continental touring 

bn.his'Rq,d ,Model. An~ what an adventure it was! . " 

SO on 12 July I 

set off for Spain. 

Apart from Barcelona, 

I did not 

know where I 

would be going, 

but I had my visa 

for Spain and 

custom carnet 

for the Vespa. 

In those days the 

carnet was stamped at 

every frontier crossing 

to ensure that every 

vehicle entering a 

country also left it 

otherwise the AAor RAC 

would have to pay 

customs duty and then 

recover it from the 

owner. No open frontiers 

then! The insurance 

green card was 

always checked and 

sometimes the international 

driving license 

too. 

I arrived at the Bois 

de Boulognecampsitein 

150 

the middle of Paris on 

the eve of Basg.lle. Day. 

It was very di(fj'"cult to 

find a space 7 feet by 5 

to put the tent up. As it 

was, the guy rope~-h.ad 

to overlap those of the 

neiglJ'bburs. Sleep was 

diffictlt with all the 

FrogS"mating less than 3 

feet away! The speedo 

had already failed so I 

had to keep a careful 

note of where I had been 

to get my mileages right. 

I spent two nights in 

Paris doing the sights, 

climbing all the way up 

the Eiffel Tower. I fell 

off the Vespa on the wet 

slippery cobblestones, 

receiving a wet bum. 

Two days later I met a 

group of 6 Vespas from 

England at Limoges. I 

stayed with them at a 

small hotel. The girls 

refused to use the 

stinking French loos 

with a hole to aim 

through and two places 

for your feet. Instead, 

they all used the bidets 

in their rooms. They 

were heading for Barcelona 

for a European 

Vespa Rally. 

Low on reserves 

I got details from 

them and decided to try 

to join in the rally. They 

took the easy route via 

Perpignan, but I went 

over the Pyrenees. I had 

to take off the silencer to 

get enough power to get 

to the top of the hot 

dusty bleak Envalira 

pass in Andorra (totally 

unrecognisable in 

2004!). I also ran out of 

petrol, but was given 

some siphoned out of an 

English car. Several vans 

and cars were going up 

in reverse, which was a 

lower gear than first. It 

was ages before I could 

get any petrol so I had to 

coast for about 20 miles 

down the next pass. I 

had a good time at the 

rally, with a visit to 

Montserrat Monastery 

and a feast at the town 

hall. Out of 1000 Vespas 

only one from Graz in 

Austria was older than 

Daisy. 

I set off for the Riviera 

with a 1953 English 

Vespa reg like 6789H 

and we camped near the 

border with France. The 

night was so dark and 

the sky so clear that I 

have never seen so many 

stars. 

We stopped for some 

lunch near Perpignan. 

When we came out 

Daisy was lying on her 

side. As I went to pick 

her up I noticed a large 

gaping split from near 

the carburettor flap 

right round to the rear 

suspension. Further 

examination showed 

that the body was split 

on the other side and 

right across underneath 


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 

WC club badge 

-£23 

WC 2003 Rally Badge £23 

VesnaftameH~~in~ service 

Cheltenham VC 50th 

anniversary badge 

Available 

from 

Bob Box 

on 

01202 530591 

volume 11 

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FmncsjiForcbectedOll~original~fiamcpg :~. ',mhO) . . .~, ,"':It. . ~ 

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Why_.)OO~re-me)monginalfiame? 

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. F2.Ii, . . ~ 

(kkool~wcbsitcall\1\w.\~i&Pczo.CODI Index for vol Journal 2 (issues 13 - 24) available 

emaiImeOlliobn.mclaujin2@homa:all.ro.uk free from the Editor 

orringme 0001768&96116fmlije0787963492&. 

Wanted: Vespa APE, preferably complete and running but 

10%DiscooDtforcid! JDeII1bm 

any condition will do. Tel: lan Grimmett 01452-545238 

Gloucester or Dave 01242-244011 Cheltenham, 

Sevices_Fnme_OI\dfd:FmneJ~JgJUDelllt 


eI 

! 

~ 

163

crass commercial,isl11 

would come their way! 

The reputation of .the 

British policeman at this 

time was especially good 

abroad as well as at 

home - an example of 

national self perception 

for once being in synch 

with the wider world. 

162 

The obviously staged 

publicity shot makes an 

~musing contrast with 

its exact German equivalent. 

The British 

bobby is doing his best 

to assist a lady in 

distress. His German 

cousin, on the other 

hand, appears to be 

writing the hapless 

female Vespa rider a 

ticket! 

The image of the 

bowler hatted city gent 

astride a Vespa fascinated 

continental eyes 

since it was assumed 

that people wearing 

such apparel were responsible 

for the 

strength of British 

financial institutions, 

and associating them 

with a Vespa lent great 

respectability to the 

latter. The example 

shown is one of many. 

The British were still 

regarded as rather class 

conscious, and in fact 

the cartoon does show a 

tramp picking up a dog 

end in front of the 

Guardsman. 

Whilst by no means 

negative, all these 

stereotyped images give 

little acknowledgement 

to the Britain of the 

fifties having contributed 

much to the arts, 

design or even style. 

Thus they provide a 

distorted view, albeit an 

interesting one. At least 

in part this is due to 

their scooter context. By 

this time Britain's 

achievements in most 

transport fields had 

been a magnificent one 

- be it bicycles, motorcycles, 

cars, trains, 

aircraft or ships. Complacency 

was to severely 

dilute the legacy, but 

that was still mostly in 

the future. Unfortunately 

the big exception 

was scooters. British 

scooters were the worst 

- no style, no performance, 

hopeless 

design. A national 

disgrace inadequately 

exposed by a sycophantic 

press. 

Elsewhere I have 

reviewed a book that is 

quite beastly about 

British scooters. But 

sometimes you just have 

to take things on the 

chin and accept that in 

Britain being a patriot 

and a scooter enthusiast 

are somewhat mutUally 

exclusive pursuits - at 

least from the point of 

view of scooter design. 

Just how could the 

country that was responsible 

for the E type 

Jaguar and the Spitfire 

have produced the DKR 

Dove? 

Stereotypes unfair? I 

think we may have got 

off lightly! 

AL 

WC Journal - No.31 

.I 

as well. There was very 

little sheet metal 

holding the front and 

back together. 

My companion 

accompanied me to the 

next Vespa agent at Narbonne 

and he headed 

back to London. The 

Vespa agent and I 

dismantled all my 

luggage and removed 

the engine assembly and 

we wheeled the scooter 

like a barrow a few 

streets where a welder 

took 2 hours solid 

welding to join up all 

the splits. The next 

morning with new rear 

brakes I was off again. 

Wet butt 

The Riviera was 

incredibly busy and 

expensive so I continued 

on to Italy. I came a 

cropper when the Vespa 

slipped on a seam in the 

concrete road in a 

tunnel on the autostrade. 

Daisy and I 

slithered along as we 

came to a standstill from 

40 mph. I got another 

wet bum and my new 

tent, rolled up and fixed 

across the bike, had 

holes worn right 

through. The patches I 

fitted later are still 

there, though the tent 

looks very scruffy now, 

but that does not stop 

me using it even at R-R 

rallies! 

I was soon driving 

south into the sun when 

I was whistled up and 

stopped by a policeman 

for going through red 

lights. "What red light?" 

I said. The policeman 

pointed to a single light 

40 feet in the air above 

Website:www.veteranvespaclub.com 

the junction immediately 

in front of the sun. 

No wonder I did not see 

it. I was more careful 

after that to look for 

them. 

I continued south to 

Naples visiting all the 

sites in Pisa, Rome and 

Pompeii. In Rome we 

had a massive storm and 

I had to put all my pots 

and pans under the 

holes in the tent to keep 

everything dry. 

I crossed to the 

Adriatic coast and 

visited San Marino and 

Bologna. At Rovigo the 

big end packed up so I 

spent 3 nights in the 

dusty yard behind the 

Vespa agents' whilst the 

engine was overhauled. 

I had to go to Venice by 

train to collect the £25 I 

had sent to a bank there. 

The parts included the 

big end, a piston ring, 

complete clutch unit, 

main shaft bearing, 

centre shaft needle 

rollers, kick start bearing 

and ring, oil seals 

and the cross for the 

gear change, throttle 

cable. 25000 lira was 

about £13. 

Language barrier 

After about 50 miles a 

Vespa passed me with 

two fellers on it. A bit 

further on they waved 

me down outside a cafe 

and invited me for a 

drink. Piero did all the 

talking. We had to converse 

in French as he 

knew no English and I 

knew virtually no 

Italian. 

We drank wine and 

coffee for several hours. 

He invited me to stay 

with him for a few days 

because he wanted an 

English friend as he was 

going to work in 

England in a few weeks 

time. I was not keen, but 

after he mentioned his 

wife I felt less worried 

about his intentions and 

agreed. 

I followed him home, 

dropping his friend off 

on the way. It was 

midnight and he woke 

his wife to show her 

what he had brought 

home! I was filthy dirty, 

not having had a wash 

since Bologna. She went 

ape and tore him off for 

20 minutes non-stop. I 

did not think I would be 

stopping there long in 

the morning! 

In the morning 

Miranda had calmed 

151

down and I was not 

allowed to leave. For 

several days Piero 

showed me some of the 

local sights and people. 

We went around on 

the 2 Vespas. I told him 

that I had never seen any 

Vespa earlier than mine 

in: Italy, so at one Vespa 

agent I was shown one of 

the early 98cc engines, 

but even then all the 

early machines seem to 

be dead and gone. ; 

After a few days I went 

off for the day round the 

Dolomites. These are the 

most magnificent mountains 

and Daisy without 

the burden of all my 

luggage sailed up and 

down six major passes. 

The Stella and Falzarego 

being especially memorable. 

Then there was the 

sheer tranquil beauty of 

Lake Misurina. This I 

found out was Piero's 

favourite place. 

On the way home to 

Piero's I noticed a 

flashing red light come 

on a couple of seconds 

before I reached an 

ungated level crossing. 

As I reached the other 

side a train came across 

behind me. 

After that near miss I 

was more careful and 

still always look for 

trains. About 25 miles 

from Valdobbiadene I 

met Piero and Miranda 

on their Vespa who were 

out looking for me! 

Piero wrote a letter for 

me to Piaggio at Pontadera 

and I set off there 

on my way home. When 

I got there the factory 

was shut at the start of a 

2-week holiday. I 

realised that I would not 

152 

have enough cash to get 

home, so returned via 

Florence to Valdobbiadene. 

On 2 successive 

evenings photos of me 

on my Vespa, seeking 

directions from a policeman, 

appeared in the 

Florentine paper. The 

captions said something 

like "The people stop, 

smile and stare but he's 

on his holidays and 

doesn't care". 

Route 

recalculation 

I arranged for some 

more money to be sent to 

a bank in Treviso, so I 

spent another 10 days 

with Piero and Miranda. 

When I finally left I had 

planned my rOllte to take 

in as many hi~.!l.Alps as 

possible. The R~lle and 

Brenner, led to the 

magnificent Stelvio with 

its 30 odd hairpin beJ;tds 

one above the other: 

Neif the top the 

silenc~r had to come off 

again to get up the 

gradients in the rarefied 

atmosphere. Then we 

went to St Moritz via the 

Umbrail and Ofen and up 

and down the Julier. 

Most of the passes had a 

loose gravel surface, but 

the Julier had beautiful 

smooth tarmac and long 

sweeping bends. I was 

able to make the descent 

at 40 to 50 mph all the 

way, the Vespa revelling 

in such exhilaration. We 

passed some of the North 

Italian lakes before 

climbing the then highest 

pass in Europe the Col de 

l'Iseran. 

The view from over 

9000 feet was stu- 

pendous. The snowcapped 

Mont Blanc 100 

miles away was clearly 

visible above all the 

intermediate mountains. 

Next the Petit and Grand 

St Bernard passes were 

easily conquered. 

Near Chamonix I had 

to stop at the border on a 

fairly steep hill. I tried to 

hold the bike steady on 

the hand brake, but the 

suspension spring 

stretched and went 

TWANG. So I had to be 

careful to avoid potholes 

as the suspension just 

dropped away and 

thumped back. Near 

Geneva the top of the 

rear suspension shock 

absorber broke so that it 

could not function. I had 

to remove it to stop it 

getting caught. A few 

miles further the rear 

wheel finally gave up 

and collapsed as the 

wheel studs with their 

nuts popped off. I was 

able to use the spare. 

Missing 

documents 

I drove alongside the 

Swiss border for some 

miles and on one of my 

regular checks to feel if 

my documents were still 

held in place behind my 

back by elastics, there 

they were - gone. I 

stopped and started to 

retrace my route and 

quickly found some 

papers blowing across 

the road and fields. 

However, nothing 

from my main wallet 

containing passport, customs 

carnet etc were 

found. I went back 10 

miles finding nothing 

else and was wondering 

what to do. I stopped at 

one of the customs posts 

to enquire if by some 

chance anyone had 

handed the wallet in. "Is 

this it?" said the man "it 

fell off as you went by!". 

That was "a result" as 

they say now-a-days! 

Fight for survival 

I calculated that I had 

just enough money for 

petrol for the 500 miles 

to Boulogne, but that 

was all. With some small 

coins I managed to buy a 

baguette and ate this as I 

drove along non stop at 

30 mph (the suspension 

was very soft and 

dodgy), stopping only for 

petrol and toilets. It took 

24 hours - and boy was I 

tired and stiff! 

I got the ferry and 

rode through London 

and up the AS. At Kilsby 

near Rugby the rear 

wheel collapsed again. 

This time I could not fix 

it so rang the AA and 

asked them if they would 

bring me a new wheel, 

which I would pay for, 

from Rugby 5 miles 

away. 

However they would 

not do this but would 

tow me 10 miles. As a 

heavily laden Vespa with 

a collapsed wheel is 

untowable this was no 

use at all. I therefore had 

to wait 6 hours for dear 

old dad to come and get 

me yet again with the old 

Vauxhall after his shop 

was shut. The boot lid 

folded down to form a 

luggage rack clearly 

designed to fit a Vespa. 

I have never renewed 

my AA membership. 


1., 

;. 

Within post war 

mainland Europe the 

recent conflagration had 

resulted in a genuine 

desire amongst many to 

appreciate different 

cultures, and the Vespa 

Club movement was 

seen as one way of 

facilitating this. The 

multi-lingual Piaggio 

Magazine was its 

mouthpiece, 

vides most 

and 

of 

pro- 

the 

examples shown here. 

The cartoons originate 

from a 1956 edition 

and give a quick snapshot 

of what the Italians 

- and probably the rest 

of Europe - thought of 

Britain at this time. 

Stereotypes and symbols 

abound. The bowler 

hats, the English nanny, 

the double-decker bus, 

the policeman, the sensible 

clothes shop, polite 

Website: www.veteranvespaclub. 

manners, the guardsman 

and the horseman. 

These are all strong 

images, resonating 

stability and security. 

Reinforcing them is the 

"British" page of the 

1951 Piaggio calendar. 

The bus appears again 

along with Westminster 

Palace and books on 

Shakespeare, calculus 

and philosophy. All 

worthy images, but not 

a lot of fun or style - 

after all the swinging 

sixties were still some 

way in the future. But 

from the perspective of 

the Italian artists responsible 

for them, 

these worthy-but-dull 

images of Britain were 

probably meant as a 

compliment. After all, 

Italy at this time had 

plenty of style and 

passion. But also a 

chaotic political system 

with endless elections 

and the possibility of a 

communist revolution 

never too far away. 

Many Italians would 

have willingly traded in 

a bit of style for the 

stability of British 

institutions. But then the 

grass is always greener. 

According to John 

Gerber, American 

scooterists at this time 

included many who 

wanted to opt out of 

what they saw as crass 

commercialism, and 

looked towards Europe 

- Britain included - for 

an infusion of culture. At 

the same time, European 

scooterists were 

casting envious eyes 

across the Atlantic and 

hoping that a bit more

SURELY THEY DON'T MEAN US? ./ 

Scootering in Britain in the fifties as seen from abroad 

~- 

NATIONALstereotypes get a bit -OF-abad press. For sure it's wrong to pre-judge an 

individual on the basis of the perceived behaviour of his countrymen. Stereotypes 

often pass their sell-by date (do we..s1;j.l1think the French wear berets and striped 

jumpers?), and at their worst can sifuply represent an excuse by one group of 

people to mask their owWinadequacies by sneering at others. 

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But there's a rarely 

acknowledged positive 

side too. At their best 

stereotypes tell you 

what the rest of the 

world values about a 

particular culture; what 

national characteristics 

and symbols have made 

an impression on the 

wider world. It's hard 

enough for individuals 

to match self-awareness 

with the perception of 

others, let alone whole 

nations. This would be 

especially true of 

Britain, who maintained 

a degree of distance - or 

"splendid isolation" - 

from its closest neighbours 

at this time. 


I 

IHE YIIIAGE ..OlOR SCOOIERCLUB 

EXlRAYAGAlZA- COYEIIRYAPRIL1S-16 

FROM time to time we have a presence at large 

shows - a few years ago we regularly had a display 

at the Classic Car Show at Alexandra Palace. This 

year Andrew James and David Steele manned a 

stand on our behalf at the VMSC show, partly to 

publicise our Derby Rally that they are organising. 

Shown were a 90 SS and a V30, and also Andrew's 

Baldet style VSs that won a prize for "Best Classic 

Scooter". Apparently there was a very positive 

reaction from visitors, the looped DVD of old rally 

footage being especially popular. 

Some of you will recall the VSS from Brockham a 

couple of years ago, where it looked similarly 

immaculate - Andrew having just finished it. 

Shortly after the rally the paint started to react, 

meaning another bare metal respray. You have to 

be dedicated in this business! 

~~ .. .,.. 

Website: www.veteranvespaclub.com 153

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154 WC Journal- No.31 

./ 

') 

n 

THE CSEPELTUNDE 

By John Gerber 

EAST European scooters rank among the 

least-known scooters in the world. And 

even in this esoteric category, the 

Hungarian-made Csepel Tunde is certainly 

one of the most obscure. 

The Tunde was 

made in Budapest by 

the Cspel Works - a 

major Hungarian 

manufacturing concern. 

The scooter made 

its debut at the 

Budapest Industrial 

Fair in 1960. Despite a 

rather ugly, chunky 

exterior design (a 

feature common to 

most Eastern European 

scooters), the Tunde 

was a luxury scooter 

with a driveshaft and 

crown and pinion final 

drive. The engine was a 

175cc two stroke rated 

at 8.5 bhp at 5600 rpm, 

with a foot operated 

gear change. The top 

speed was listed at 56 

mph. The electrical 

system was six volt. 

Beyond this, little 

else is known about the 

scooter. Hungary was a 

small market, and most 

of the East European 

market was dominated 

by Jawa and MZ. It is 

not even clear whether 

it was just a prototype 

or a scooter that 

actually went into 

production. 

At last year's Eurovespa 

I was sitting next 

to a group of eight or 

so Hungarians, none of 

whom could speak 

English. By chance I 

had a magazine with 

the Tunde in, so to 

make connection with 

them I showed it to 

them. One of them 

responded "Hungarian 

Lambretta" and 

everyone had a big 

laugh. 

(This article originally 

appearedin the no 

46 issue of American 

Scooterist, the journal 

of the Vespa Club of 

America) 

Website: www.veteranvespaclub.com 159

EVERY DAY'S A HOLIDAY 

THIS risible 1965 film is 

a result of clueless 

middle aged producers 

attempting to "get with 

it" in the wake of A Hard 

Days Night and make a 

picture about one of 

these new fangled "beat 

combos" trying to gain a 

foothold in the emerging 

swinging sixties by 

winning a talent competition 

at a holiday 

camp. Since the main 

opposition comes from 

Freddie and the Dream' 

ers one might be 

forgiven for thinking 

that success was 

assured, but instead a 

war of nerves ensues 

act. When it emerges 

that the respective 

managers were one time 

music hall associates, a 

decision is made to 

combine the acts under 

their joint managership. 

With Richard O'Sulli- 

van on lead ~~~ils the 

expanded combo clean 

up with a sort of faux 

Manfred Mann (weak 

R&B, black roll n~ck 

swe!j.t:ers and moody 

post\1res) image. You 

might think all this 

sounds appalling. And 

you would be right. 

If a slight note of 

bitterness can be detected 

in this review it is 

with an all girl variety simply because I ex- 

. -. 

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158 

.1 

. 

I. " 

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pounded a fair amount 

of energy pedalling my 

Moulton bicycle (not old 

enough for a Vespa yet) 

all the way to Ealing 

Broadway to watch this 

rubbish. Worse still, the 

money wasted on admission 

notably depleted 

my slot car fund. 

The film has been 

fairly recently repeated 

on television, and out of 

curiosity I checked out 

viewer reviews on some 

internet film sites. To 

my dismay, the reviews 

were far from universally 

bad - many 

people thinking that this 

film represents some 

sort of trendy youth 

, , 

..;It 

( r r r 

~i 

statement for its time. I 

can only assume that 

these people weren't 

there otherwise they 

would realise that many 

of the "stars" (John 

Leyton, Mike Sarne) had 

been big in '62 but were 

very passe by 1965 - the 

year of "Satisfaction" 

and Bob Dylan. 

Still, the opening 

sequences of people's 

journeys to the holiday 

camp include quite a 

few shots of a white GS 

160 with chrome side 

panels and mudguard so 

at least all is not lost But 

pretty nearly all, 

though. 

AL 

a 

O:J 


I. 

/) 

,( 

/1 

~I 

THE picture shown 

here of an all white 

GS160 could have been 

taken yesterday but 

was in fact sent in by 

former member Colin 

Gay more than twenty 

years ago. Time 

enough, in fact, for this 

GS (reg 879 GLY) to 

have become in need of 

restoration again when 

purchased by Spencer 

Payne for 1500 quid in 

2001. 

After stripping the 

machine down completely, 

the frame and 

other bits were sent to 

Jahspeed for blasting 

and painting. It took a 

while for this work to 

be done, but a more 

serious delay occurred 

when a friend undertook 

to reassemble the 

GS. In fact it was 


September 2004 before is now out and about 

it was back on the again, helped con- 

road, and even then 

there were inevitably a 

siderably by having a 

Scooterworks non- 

few teething problems. 

These have since been 

batteryversion. 

start con- 

resolved, and 879 GLY It's nice to see Vespas 

of this age used 

regularly, and Spencer 

and fine GS160 are 

often to be seen at 

events in the 

Colchester area. 

155

Artie 

Bell 

ART lE Bell 

(1915-1972) shot 

to fame in 1948 

when he won,the 

Isle of ~an . 

Senior TT for 

Norton. 

He later lost the use 

of his left arm after 

being involved in a 

crash during the 1950 

Belgian Grand Prix at 

Spa. Duringhis time on 

the European racing 

circuit it is believed that 

he developed a respect 

for all things Italian, 

especially priding 

himself in being well 

dressed, so I suppose it 

was only natural that 

when Douglas offered 

him the Vespa 

dealership for Northern 

Ireland he jumped at 

156 

Artie Bell'sshop 

~- -- - 

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P"IE";i- .~ . .... 

.. -4-_. _ .~~ -~-pgpo ........ 

,,,., 

the opportunity. 

Whether Artie had been 

'exposed' to'th.e Vespa 

during hiS;[\cingpays 

is unknown but in 1951 

the first Vespas in 

Northern Irelant1:were 

sold from 

/. 

Mecandles,s' 

'Bell 

.. 

on 

& 

the 

W90dstock Road, 

Belfast. Within a short 

space of time the 

Woodstock Road 

Artie Bell and Eric Brockway 

branch had a staff of 

fourteen and the Vespa 

network in Northern 

Ireland had grown to 

over 20 retailers 

prompting Artie to 

open his second 

showroom near 

Belfast's City Hall, 

which was run by a 

'captain' of the Ulster 

Vespa Club, Jim 

Hadden. 

ArtieBell'sBedford Van 

Artie had with the 

U.V.C, but the van with 

the scooter attached to 

the roof can be seen at 

an U.V.C. rally in 

Bangor and he also 

sponsored the Artie Bell 

Cup at local scooter 

events for 'best dressed 

gent on a Vespa'. A 

friend of Artie's named 

Ma1colm Templeton, 

who was another wellknown 

local motor 

sport personality and a 


I Vespa dealer in Co 

Antrim, sponsored the 

il Templeton Trophy for 

, 'best lady on a Vespa'. 

Vespa sales in 

I Northern Ireland 

.1 peaked in 1959 and it is 

" reported that in June of 

that year 600 machines 

I 

, were sold throughout 

the province! Even the 

:L R.U.C. purchased ten 

irmachines between 

if} 1957 and 1959! Artie's 

Iinvolvement with 

Vespas lasted until 

II about 1962 when the 

I\)!Northern Ireland Vespa 

franchise was taken 

over by James 

McDonnell who worked 

I in Artie's stockroom 

and is still the main 

IVespa agent in 

NorthernIrelandsome 

., 45 years later. 

~.. 

I 

I 

Website:www.veteranvespaclub.com 

Incidentally, Artie's 

business partner, Rex 

McCandless, was a 

celebrated inventor and 

designed the 

'featherbed 

legel).dry 

frame' 

adopted by Norton for 

BangorRally 

RUC, Belfast1957 

their racing bikes as 

well as making 

developments in 

motorcycle suspension 

including designing the 

first telescopic forks. 

Rex also did much of 

the major development 

work on the 'Autogyro' 

the one-man helicopter 

made famous in the 

James Bond film 'You 

only live twice'. 

R. Darrah 

157

VVC CLOTHING - The Veteran Vespa Club

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