Price promise
Hi Stan,
In your editorial you ask about the latest developments in specialist scooter auctions. Folk remain in total and utter disbelief when I tell them a Vespa 98 can sell for between €60.000 and €80.000 and that’s if you can find one for sale anywhere in the world.
I’ve featured several auctions on my Instagram page and although that’s purely a hobby and passion, I do track down scooters for discerning clients, two of these are currently waiting patiently for 98s. In my opinion one of the most interesting scooters to buy recently was the ‘Morecambe and Wise’ Douglas Rod model, a great Vespa with fantastic history and that sold for around £8k.
In the same auction were two V98 engine covers, both with estimates of £50! I bid on both, but they sold for £1500 each, and rightly so. I’ve seen V98 engine covers for sale for £5k in the past. I can see why a great number of scooterists are
in disbelief at some of the current values but of course scooters were always affordable transport. Hopefully the everyday enthusiast will never be priced out of the market but special models will go to the well-heeled or serious collectors and investors, just like everything else these days.
Here in Spain the prices remain sensible for any Lambretta, Vespa 150 (common) T5s and Primaveras (€3k tops) but Vespa low lights are climbing fast (€5k to €12k) depending on age or specification. Weirdly any Vespa with a sidecar seems to fetch over €10k.
The UK seems to generally favour Lambrettas; while the rest of Europe prefers the Vespa I can see more Lambrettas heading your way in the future. The 98s and early low lights are just going to steadily rise in value. If they’re unrestored but generally good, you can pretty much name your price.
All the best
Paul (Instagram @vespa_gentleman) Spain.
Thanks for getting in touch Paul, I think one of the most interesting parts of these auctions will be achieving a baseline value for the rare models. It’s certainly a development I’ll be watching with interest. Stan