My First LIVE Auction For a Vespa

1958 Vespa GS150 VS4 with Meyers Aircraft Sidecar

So the scooter community is not that big. I first heard there would be a 1958 Vespa GS VS4 with Meyer sidecar up for auction in Phoenix about a week before the auction on craigslist. I followed the link and I knew immediately when I saw this red GS that it was not the first time I had seen this scooter. First off red is not the original color as all GS150 should be metallic grey. Second this one has an original rare Meyers Aircraft sidecar. Third it was a VS4 and you just don't see these in North America everyday let alone in Phoenix. This was a very rare scooter. It was a beauty and the best part was you had to be in person to bid. Could I actually win this?

I had first seen this scooter on scoot.net in the most horrible solorized image effect for sale. The owner wanted a rare SS90 or trade worth $10,000 to $15,000 range. How could anyone think this terrible photo effect could ever enhance this scooter is beyond me.

The details of the auction were that it was going to be filmed for a new TLC reality show on auctions and the only way to bid was to be in person. This wasn’t like other famous Arizona auctions like Barrett Jackson or Russo and Steele. This was your everyday cheap junk auction that sold furniture, old cars, cell phone lots, and other junk. It was more like a thrift store. How could such a rare scooter end up here and could I actually get this for cheap?

The first sidecar or Vespa I ever drove belong to my brother’s girlfriend's dad. It was 70's Rally sidecar and it was sweet. The rush of wind, the smell of two stroke, and the buzz of Italian perfection. I was in heaven. But in reality the sucker was a pain to start, as you had to arrange your foot in a position to give it a good kick-start without jamming your shin into the sidecar crossbar. Once you were rolling it really was strongly pulling to one side and it took my entire strength to keep it straight. Not the smoothest ride.

Papa Dad and His P200E Sidecar with Grandkids and Dog

My second sidecar experience was my Dad had a P200e with a sidecar to drive the grandkids and his dog around the neighborhood and it was a huge hit. The grandkids loved to take a ride with Papa Dad around the neighborhood. In reality it too was beast to handle. It only seemed to get smoother the faster you went but speeds under 30mph where brutal and required strength to battle the wobbles. I was convinced that a sidecar is the worst accessory for a scooter.

So when I heard there was this 1958 GS150 with sidecar for Auction why on earth would I care? Besides I already own a 1961 Vespa GS150 that I am restoring and I need all the funds I could get to keep that going. For one week it was just eating me up thinking some local was going to the auction that day to buy used junky cell phones by the bulk and ended up with some Italian scooter that he didn't know was a manual shifting and he got it for $500. The problem is the scooter community is not that big and with a few posts on Scooterbbs and the Internet it was no longer a secret. Everyone knew about this scooter for auction but the only advantage I had was it was live in person auction only and it was in Arizona not California.

I loaded my 2 oldest kids and we went to the auction to save the GS. It became my duty. Besides my kids would love to ride this thing in the neighborhood and in a few months I could flip it and use the money for my other GS project and possibly fund an addition project down the road.

I have never really been to a live auction on my own and ebay doesn't count. I guess when I was a kid I had gone to live auctions with my dad but he was a city guy with some property and he would buy cows, sheep, chickens, lambs, pigs, and any animal for his farm hobby. This was a new experience for me.

I registered to bid with $100 cash fully refundable deposit. I asked the cashier if I was going to understand what was being said. Those farm auctioneers always spoke so fast as I never understood what they were saying.

As I looked around the scooter for my first time to ever see a VS4 in person I was impressed with the quality and the condition of the scooter. It was so similar to my VS5 that I kept reminding myself to not get carried away. I really didn't NEED this scooter but I really WANTED it.

The crowd was thin and I was hopeful at best to walk away with this beauty for cheap. The auction started at 9am and could go as late as 3pm. I really was here for one purpose only and any thing else was a waste of time. The first auction was some cheesy VW dune buggy. I took the kids to the roach coach and got them some cheese crisps, Orange Fanta, and Sprite from real glass bottles, Mexico style. I knew I was in for a treat when I practically had to speak Spanish to order.

I was very attentive to my competition. I would ease drop to hear their comments. I overheard two old guys ask one another is this automatic? The other guy replied, "I think so, you just twist the throttle and go". One guy asked me what I thought it was worth. I played dumb and just said, "lets wait and see". TLC was filming a guy and overhead him ask the potbelly old dude if he was a rocker or a mod? The man looked perplexed and said he liked hot rods. If only I was asked that I would of done my best Beatles impression and replied that I was a "mocker".

The auction for the Vespa finally began. I saw the video producer yelling at his crew and the auction group where to stand and what to do. He was so LA. I do video production for a living and more then ever was I happy to not be working for this guy. The louder and more pushy he got the more he seemed to be in control and in his element but he was just chaos. Once I saw him push the auctioneer to get him where he wanted him to be. It not that uncommon to miss something and re-shoot it to get a 2nd take but the way he asks to get that is just rude. So the Vespa is pushed out from the warehouse to the spot they want to do it. I read from another person at the auction that they could not get it started so they just pushed it. The auction started and the group seemed to swell. This is my moment. The auctioneer started at $20,000. "Oh great, this is never going to happen,” I thought to myself. He then went to $15,000. No takers. He finally got realistic and started at $1000. Perfect I thought this is what I want to pay. But in a manner of a few seconds it jumped to $6000. I was out. It then went back and forth to the two realistic contenders.

One looked like an older version of Screech from "Saved By The Bell" and the other was the poker dealer from the Indian Casino that no one goes to. Screech was quick to always jump $100 more than poker dealer dude. Poker dealer dude would play hard thinking about it. A move he learned well from the casinos and fancy gambling movies. He would go closer looking at the scooter. The auction advisors were pressuring him with one on each ear. Then he slightly would nod. Everyone would go nuts and Screech would raise his hand like a good schoolboy faster than an "A" student on the front row. His eagerness finally paid off and he won the auction for $10,600.

THE POKER DUDE & SCREECH

I overhead the two bidders talk about scooters they owned so maybe they were collectors or enthusiasts but they didn't look the part. I don't mean to judge a book by its cover but they didn't look like anyone I ever met at a rally or a person I bought a scooter from.

Later I saw Screech trying to start his new scooter. He kept kicking it and kicking it over and nothing. He had the look on his face that said "I just spent $10,000 for this?” I should of offered $5000 to take it off his hands but decided to help him out. I found the battery was disconnected and the fuel tap was in the closed position. He owns other vintage scooters? Even if he owned a lawnmower the principals are the same for any engine, fuel, air, and spark. Once I connected the battery and turned the fuel on it started right up.

I wasn't totally sad and I had mentally prepared myself realistically to expect that this would happen. I have this love/hate relationship with the internet but without it I would of likely never heard about this auction and some used cell phone dealer would be putting gas into the Vespa with out oil and blazing down the road because it was an automatic.

One great thing was the time I got to spend with my kids. Maybe someday the kids will remember the times I would take them to auctions to buy old Italian scooters. We celebrated our misadventure with chocolate shakes at In-N-Out burgers. Many of my auction adventures with my Dad also ended with ice cream. Not bad for a Saturday morning.