VVC CLOTHING - The Veteran Vespa Club

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.
WC Journal- No.31
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