Lot 102: 1964 Vespa GL150

It is a little known fact that an aeronautical engineer named Corradino D'Ascanio, responsible for the design and construction of the first modern helicopter, was given the job of designing the first scooter for Enrico Piaggio, the son of Piaggio motorcycle's founder Rinaldo Piaggio. Enrico, who also originally worked in the aeronautical field had a vision, the vehicle had to be easy to drive for both men and women, be able to carry a passenger, and not get its driver's clothes dirty. D'Ascanio could not stand motorbikes, however he dreamed up a revolutionary vehicle, built on a frame with a handlebar gear, with the engine mounted on the rear wheel and with the front fork like an aircraft's landing gear allowing for easy wheel changing. From Piaggio's and D'Ascanio design came the first Vespa in the spring of 1946. The Vespa scooter has left its mark on an entire era, it is synonymous with youth culture spanning 30 years, and early models such as this GL50 recently imported from Norway are very collectable. Supplied with a current MoT, a dating certificate and some original documents it is believed to have covered just 21,000 kms