Sergio's 1958 VNA
Sergio, a proud PX200 owner, always wanted a vintage Vespa so he decided to
buy an "rebuilt" one from Bali. Unfortunately it turned out to be another
Asian import lemon and, after my advice, he decided to get rid of it before
spending too much to make it safe to ride. A 1958 VNA come up for sale and
he decided to go for a full restoration that ultimately, although more
expensive than the Bali alternative, was going to give him a beautiful
authentic Italian vehicle. The rear of the
frame was in pretty good condition but the front, especially around the horn
area, was damaged and out of shape. The edge of the leg shield was cracked
in several places and the floor was also in need of a lot of Tender Loving
Care. The engine was
dismantled and in several boxes but most parts were in very good condition.
The original Italian front fork was brand new and it wasn't too difficult to
source some missing parts both in Italy and from GPS Imports in Melbourne.
Andrew, the panel beater at Bike Craft in Moorabbin, did the difficult job
of reshaping the old body to its former beauty and the following pictures
show the progress of his work.
And finally...here she
is, slowly coming back to life
As the work on the body
was progressing, the engine aluminium components were Hydroblasted and the
whole unit was rebuilt from scratch.
There are no words to
describe the emotions that Sergio experienced when he drove this beauty for
the first time, shortly after these last pictures were taken
