Saturday 9 March 2013

The faro basso Vespa next door


On the 4th of May 1953 the postal service officer Arne Gustafsson placed an order for a Vespa Scooter by the company AB Ingvar Bergengren, primary a Ford dealer. The price for the Vespa 125 was 2 390 Swedish kronor (approx  €280), but he added a windscreen for 85 kronor (€ 9,50) and a pillion for 29 kronor (€ 3,20).
Arne took delievery of the scooter on the 28th of May 1953. Now the price was raised to 2 568 kronor and 67 öre. Due to number plates, registration fee and tax.
Funny thing, the Vespa 125 of 1953 with the prefix VM1T was sold under the name Elit in Sweden, "Elite" of course. But not on this order and invoice, it's just called "Vespa scooter".
Well, this old paper work was for sale at an auction site here in Sweden. When I saw it I discovered that Arne Gustavsson had lived in the house next door to our! We share the fence between the gardens!
So I checked with the old lady, and she told me that it was her deceased husband's brother that bought the Vespa. She remember it vividly since she and her husband to be used to borrow it when they wooed.
When I checked the registration number I could see that her husband actually bought it from his brother, the first owner, in 1958. Didn't check that with her so I have to go back.
The last records of that Vespa that I've found is from 1968, by the fifth owner. But there were no note that it had been scrapped. It probably was.
And I have to check if the little old lady has som pictures of it!

Here is my own faro basso as it was when I bought it.

The invoice from the Ford dealer.

The order for the Vespa, colour is "standard".

2 comments:

  1. There's fiera in Rome called 'Motodays' and Vespa has showed the final version of 946! Look:

    1. http://static.blogo.it/motoblog/novita-gruppo-piaggio-2013-motodays-2013-fiera-di-roma/big_stand-piaggio-motodays-2013-01.jpg

    2. http://static.blogo.it/motoblog/novita-gruppo-piaggio-2013-motodays-2013-fiera-di-roma/big_stand-piaggio-motodays-2013-22.jpg

    3. http://static.blogo.it/motoblog/novita-gruppo-piaggio-2013-motodays-2013-fiera-di-roma/big_stand-piaggio-motodays-2013-23.jpg

    ReplyDelete