Whilst perusing some of the older VVC Journals I came across this interesting article from Spring 2000, Journal No 2:
It was back in 1986 that the club received an offer it couldn’t refuse. A collection of eight GS150s as a free gift to be disposed of as we felt fit. The condition was described as being “as found circa 1970” and it was known that they had been standing in the open ever since.
The journey was awful – in the days before the M25 was complete we had to drive straight through the City. A couple of hours later we arrived at our destination – a meticulously maintained semi in a quiet residential area. One feature, however, set it apart from its neighbours. Sinister concrete blocks impeded our progress up the drive that ran alongside the house. We were greeted by our elderly host who confirmed that these were indeed tank traps designed to deter invaders/burglars. Keeping a wary eye out for land mines, we came across the rusting hulk of a thirties Renault. Had a V2 scored a direct hit? Apparently not. The owner had commenced restoration a decade before by stripping all the paint off. He had then ceased work, leaving the bare metal exposed to the elements.
Dotted around the garden were strange shapes shrouded in layers of plastic that turned out to be the Vespas –all VS5 models. After spending the best part of an hour retrieving them all, Monty and I stood back and took stock. While they may have looked like a heap of junk to most people, I recognised them as a unique snapshot of a moment in time. What we had was a complete cross-section of mod scooter styles on machines that had not been touched since such things had originally fallen out of favour at the end of the sixties. Two had red two tones over the original silver, while a third was decked out in “street racer” style with parallel black stripes over the orange paint. One machine was finished in black with chrome mudguard and side panels – the latter having a red stripe on them. Another was in dark maroon, and there was a gold-painted example too. The last complete machine (the eighth was just a rusted out frame) had been left in the original silver.
I couldn’t help wondering what treasures were inside the house itself, but we never found out. The rooms were staked to the ceiling with bundles of old newspapers, with just enough room for a person to squeeze between them. The owner wasn’t letting anyone inside. We couldn’t fit all the scooters in the van, so Monty and I had to repeat the exercise the following day. We unloaded them all at a friend’s lock up which is where all the pictures were taken. They were all pretty rough, but most weren’t rotten in the frame. I arranged to sell them onto club members.
So what happened to them? Some definitely got a new lease of life. The silver one, 599 RVX, was speedily restored by Brian Baldwin in silver and dark metallic blue. Brian no longer has it, so I wonder where it is now? One of the red and silver ones, 879 AUL, went to Stuart Brooks and disappeared from sight for more than a decade. Eighteen months ago it unexpectedly reappeared on the front of “Scootering” restored in silver with chrome panels and lots of accessories.
The black and chrome one, 3499 MM, was retained by the VVC. The body was restored, but the machine was never assembled. Arrangements are in hand for its’ disposal to a club member.
Others have had a less certain fate. The orange one (YLX 376 –and the one I would have chosen to restore) also went to Stuart Brooks and has yet to reappear. The gold example (200 MY) went through the hands of both Brian Baldwin and Les Smith. Did it ever get restored? The maroon one was recognised by John Eliston as having once been owned by himself and having a bent frame! He bought it back to break for spares. The other red and silver one has disappeared without trace.
An unexpected twist to the tale was that our benefactor apparently had a couple more VS5s hidden away at the back of his garage which he later gave to local scooterists. Still, you can’t really complain about being given “only” eight GSs instead of ten! I recall the whole weekend as having a slightly dream-like quality about it, and am glad that Monty remembered to take some photos.
