Garage find !!

Monday 2nd July, a guy who I play at my squash club called me about an old vespa he'd seen. He works as a recovery driver, collecting broken down cars/motorbikes & delivering them to garages for repairs. Anyway he'd gone to Dunstable in Bedfordshire (approx 55km north of London) to collect a Fiat Panda from an 85 year old lady who could no longer drive it as she has arthritis & is very immobile. When he was in her garage he spotted a vespa side panel underneath loads of blankets & garage junk. He had a quick look & saw it was a 1964 150cc vespa. He called me knowing I'd be interested; so I called the lady arranging to see her on Tuesday morning. It turns out the vespa (a 1964 Douglas Sportique Grand Luxe) was last taxed in 1969 & had sat still in her garage since then!! The lady bought it from a dealer in Luton in approx 1965/66 & used it as transport, even carrying around her young daughters on the back. They got a car a few years later & the vespa sat idle from '69. Her late husband in the last few years had taken out the engine & taken it apart; he couldn't get it back together again & was now in various boxes alongside the vespa. Anyway I asked how much she wanted & she said "whatever it's worth to you dear"...! We agreed a price & I'm now looking at getting her back on the road as she is, in original condition.

I will update blog with progress on the Sportique; full set of pics taken so far can be seen here