Vittorio Tessera’s Lambretta Restoration Guide
May 15, 2011 § 2 Comments
Vittorio Tessera’s book is definitely worth owning if you have a Lambretta. Note that I didn’t say classic Lambretta, because basically they are all classics. The company is long gone. Every small detail of the specs are covered in Vittorios Restoration Guide from the color down to the variations within a specific model from the first to the end of production. It’s particularly useful if you are into doing nit-picky restorations that aim to put the scooter back to the way it was when it rolled out of the factory.
The Vespa equivalent, titled Vespa Technica, is quite good but it does have some inaccuracies and the hardbound set is a tad expensive. The other difference between Vespa Technica and Vittorio’s guide is that the Vespa set lacks soul. What the does that mean? Vittorio is a collector and his affection for the Lambretta marque shows in his books. He is a Master in the truest sense and makes a living through his expertise. Here’s a link to some photos of Vittorio’s Museum near Milan, courtesy of Alan Dollar, who is an avid scooter collector. I haven’t met Alan personally but his collection was featured in Scoot! Quarterly some time ago and it’s pretty impressive.
There are a lot of others with a real passion for Lambrettas and I don’t mean to sell them short… shop owners around the world, collectors, and enthusiasts of all kinds are keeping the Lambretta alive. You have to give the shop owners a lot of credit for having the nads to be in a business that serves such a small market, for a product made by a company that closed it’s doors 30 years ago. It’s easier to make money selling coffee or fast food than scooter parts and service. I’m glad all these people chose the latter.
I am a scooter dealer in florida and i have 2 rare scooters trying to find a buyer for the real value both have 5.7k miles or less and all parts are the same from the factory no restores done at all both run perfect did do a thing to eather
1963 vespa 4 gear 125-150 with numbers on every part no matter how small the back of crank case has 47 and next to it 47 theres a split in the crank case that devids the 2 47#’s it has 3 vin#’s and a IGM or img with * between the vin#’s also it has the Vespa PX T5 Mudguard Crest – Aeroplane on front fender with the #3 on bottom when you take it off the air plane has to be put on the scooter in 63 the age of it dosent lie. The overall scooter is perfect kept indoors and i bought it from a kind in the middle of nowhere past west palm beach and it was left to him by his grandfather in his will, his grand father had collected pre 58 indians and 1880-1950 bicycles thousands of them they found the vespa under a 15 foot high pile of hey and it kick start right away and its perfect. Here the research i have done can email pics its red and white with the fighter jet 2 seats numbers printed on everything the #8 on all bolts and alot of A circled with a 2.
1963 vespa 125cc 4 gear 5700 miles very rare key #’s VNB5M engine# and VNB5T VIN# price $15,000 firm
Check this out same model i goggled most rare vespas http://www.antiquevespa.com/rarevespamodels.html
this is what im selling
last model made with old fighter jets recycled metal (slight dark gray color) by CEO enrico piaggio son and Corradino D’Ascanio his last model of piaggio vespa they built together
CEO enrico piaggio who had a airplane company (Pontedera) when the war was going on and used the old fighter plane metal to make the scooters when planes were totaled and this was the last year they were made with recycled Pontedera fighter jet metal (this is why you have fighter jet emblem on front fender and a S where the emblem is mounted with the #3 being one of the 300th to 399th scooter made by the two men) and also the airplane center stand (kick stand) I belive the scooter is the 311 model there is more numbers and codes on this scooter then anyother i have ever seen even experts are stumped (very hard to find info about this unit maybe because the military was in control of the scooters
Pic of replica fighter jet 1963 was the 1st issued ones to make sure there real front bolt has a nut attached to bottom back bolt goes into frame and brake on right side and a S ingraved were the number is special make of the VNB5T
http://www.scooter-center.com/scoweb/pages/productdetail.grid?product=288621643015552&category1=C&category2=CAT
copied from a vespa book
original wheel-mounted engine grouping. The front suspension arm, looking a bit like aircraft landing gear, made changing the wheel much easier the limited edition (only 999 produced this was the last scooter to be designed by Corradino D’Ascanio, and it is a milestone in the history of Vespa: from 1963-1964 to the present day, over 3 million have been built ) Pontedera fighter jet emblem with a # 1-9 on bottom of emblem which is on front fender each number 1-9 was the model produced , which are today highly prized by collectors
number 311 of 999 made in 1963-1964 I have had appraisers stumped and thousand of hours of research done the Dezer Collection Museum & Pavilion there are many old vespa scooters i have bought and sold but nothing with the detail of this. I bought this scooter north west of west palm beach about 40 miles away for $650 form a young man whose father made him sell it the kids grand father who was passed away left it to the kid in his will he collected bicycles from late 1800′s to 1960′s and few scooters and motorcycles they had over a 100 indians they sold. I would say the indians there are 3/4 of selling market the kids dad is a low life thats never worked in his life..
anyway back to the scooter there is engraved numbers all over the place the scooter has 5k+ miles and heres the story behind it from the info i have gathered. I am a licensed dealer and have repair license. I also have 58 LD lambretta 4.6k miles I have 3.5k offer good till 2012 i restore the bikes by only cleaning nothing over any numbers or parts all orangial made mistake on the veshttp://classicscootercollector.com/2011/05/15/vittorio-tesseras-lambretta-restoration-guide/pa with the cannon on it 2 years ago and it cost me thousands sold for 17k should of got 30k was a work of art.
the 1958 LD 150 lambretta is runing and not to many #’s on it i did sand down lightly and primed white nothing else both have titles
sunrise scooters
1923 south federal hwy fort lauderdale fl 33316
954-530-6657
We have dealers license VF1030316.1 and repair license and are insured and bonded open saturday 10am to 6pm email scotty2552007@yahoo.com Scott
Dear Sunrise,
Your estimate on the value of those bikes is absurd. The VNB is among the most common classic Vespa scooters. Although you claim yours are all original, many 60′s Vespas are inferior imports from southeast Asia. Likewise, the ’58 Lambretta LD you mentioned is also very common. Your rambling about Vespa history, airplanes, appraisers, museums, etc. is utter nonsense. Normally I would delete an obvious shill post like yours, but allowed it only to remind others who may be new to classic scooters that it’s important to be an informed buyer. And to give people who know better a good laugh.