When it comes to ‘rare as hen’s teeth’ classic scooters, it is not often you see two of them together, let alone both for sale. But that is the case next month, where the H&H Classic Auction at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull, West Midlands where you will find a futuristic German scooter from the 1950s alongside a 1947 Vespa with a guideline price to make your eyes water!
The Vespa 98 was the first Vespa model produced by Piaggio and is the most collectable today. It is hard to find one in the UK (they were never sold here new), let alone one for sale, so an estimate of between £60,000 and £70,000 for this late 1947 example, restored in Austria some years ago and in running condition, is likely to attract a lot of attention.
Dan Dare’s Scooter of the Future
Another rarity for sale at the auction on 15 November is this Maico Mobil MB200 scooter, produced in Germany.
This 200cc 2-stroke, 4-speed scooter was sold new in London in 1961 to a customer from Yorkshire. Offered in original condition, these scooters look like something Dan Dare would ride and are guaranteed to attract attention wherever you ride it. I know, I have one myself. A predecessor to the modern day maxi-scooters, it has underseat storage, direction indicators and a spare wheel too. Looking at the chassis number of this one I’d estimate a production year of 1956/57, so one assumes that the original buyer purchasing it so late in ’61 was either really keen to own one, or the scooter shop, Claude Rye, priced it so well to get rid of old stock that the customer couldn’t refuse a bargain!
I would speculate there are less than 10 of these scooters in the UK, with very few of those on the road. This one does apparently run, and the estimate of £12,000 to £14,000 is quite conservative in my opinion.
SX Appeal
If you want something a little more traditional, how about a Lambretta SX200 being sold by it’s owner of 55 years? With history of attending events from Brighton to the Isle of Man, still in original paint, you don’t get much more authentic than this.
If you fancy a Lambretta TV200, being sold be it’s original owner, then this one was sold original by Sid Moram Scooters of Slough to one of his employees. Estimate for this is £9,000 to £11,000.
There are Lambrettas with far more down-to-earth estimates of course, like a 1964 Li Series 3 from £3,000, a Series 1 Framebreather from £4,500 and a couple of fairly rate TV 175 Series 2 ‘ridgeback’ models (above) from £6,500.
Solid Vespas
There are also a variety of other Vespa models with lower estimates, starting from £1,500 for a mid-60s VBB.
Pictured above is a very early example of Douglas Vespa production here in England, number 798 off the production line, which was found in the kitchen of a large outhouse during restoration works to one of the properties owned by the current Marquis of Anglesey. Apparently it belonged to the late 7th Marquis, the grandfather of the vendor and the estimate is £3,000 to £4,000.
If you want something in running condition, this 125cc 1978 Primavera Et3 smallframe has an estimate from £4,500…
…and there is also this 1977 Vespa Rally 200 imported from the Netherlands with a rare engine side-panel that has no louvres. Apparently this was how they were finished for the Dutch market then. Restored some years ago by Gran Sport Scooters, it has an estimate of £6,500 to £7,500.
But if you are still hankering for an oddball and the Maico Mobil is not quite in your price range, then how about this 1971 Russian Tula Tourist 200, with a guide price from £3,500?
To find out more about these scooters and the others in the auction (including Vespa VBB, PX125, Lambretta GP200 Electronic and more), visit the H&H Auction website here.
The Classic Auction takes place at the National Motorcycle Museum, Solihull, West Midlands on 15th November 2023 from 11am, with viewing available from 14 November.
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