London Vespa Bar

It honestly amazes me when sometimes, social media sites are actually able to be good for things other than updating people you haven't seen since high school, having a winge and exchanging procrastination-facilitating links like that awesome new video Gran Turismo 5's creators have put together as an ode to the new Ferrari 458 Italia.... ahem. I received a note on my Twitter account a while back asking about a photo that I took of the GTS300 on it's first weekend out that was featured on the official Vespa homepages as the community section header for a couple of months. The tweet was about a Vespa themed bar being set up in London, with the interest in using my image as a feature on one of their walls. Naturally I was rapt, sold them the image and they had it printed on canvas. It looks amazing - they sent me some photos which I've included below, and I post now wearing a big proud grin.

I'm going to have to go visit in person when I finally get over to England for a trip.

Basket Case

It's moderately common to see these old-school woven picnic baskets masquerading as top boxes on the old modders, but I love that someone's gone and added a basket to a new LX. It's just gorgeous, so Roma. Made me grin.

Latte and Long Black

The annual Melbourne Italian Festival was apparently on this past weekend, however me with my usual hopeless sense of direction couldn't find it. With no internet at my current place (joys of house-sitting for a fortnight) I decided to just follow my nose and hope for the best.


I of course didn't actually find anything, except for these this pair of PX200s. They were both kept in immaculate condition, with retro whitewall tyres and looking at the side of the black PX, maybe some engine mods.

A couple of years ago when I was waitressing (working my way through Uni) the garage across the road from the cafe had the regular visitor of a black PX200 with a tan seat just like the one above - watching as that beautiful little one arrived each morning was one of the things that made me fall in love with Vespas, and finally decide to get my first one.

This little Fiat was parked on Lygon St too...

Piccinini's Nest

How cute is that little one?

This sculpture by Patricia Piccinini was shown at Fed Square about a year ago. For those not familiar with Piccinini, she's an Australian artist who experiments with themes of biotechnology, genetic engineering, and future lifeforms. She's represented Australia twice at the Venice Biennale, and operates out of a studio with several assistants with an arrangements a la some of the old Italian painters - she produces the idea, and other people's hands sculpt and create the piece. I've been a fan of her work for a long time (since we studied her work when I was at school and I first came across her).



This work is called Nest and was created in 2006. Mediums used are enamel paint on fibreglass, leather, plastic, metal, rubber, transparent synthetic polymer resin and glass. Some of the parts, like the mirrors. taillights and dash, are actual Vespa parts she's sourced.

One time I turned up at Vespa House just as she and an assistant were leaving, and Frank filled me in about a new project she was working on. She's taken inspiration from the softer curves on the old ET4 for the feminine shape of the mother, and was interested in using the shape of the GT60 for a more masculine shape (used in another project which I'm not sure came to fruition - a pair of cock-fighting males).

It's amazing the tenderness she's created between the two - such an instinctual animal bond between mother and child captured so perfectly in fibreglass and resin.

A vinyled S

This little crowd-stealer was parked in the entrance of a cafe adjacent to Telstra Dome. The photos were taken on the day of the Adobe Roadshow back in Feb.

I think they've gone a bit vinyl crazy with the Italy-coloured stripes, but for once the lines actually compliment the S' shape quite nicely. I get a kick out of seeing cafes/shops that use Vespas as drawcards. Often, you see the old classic models in the window, probably because the shop bought it cheap after someone else spent a fortune importing from Vietnam and found the brakepads were made from packed grass. The other half of the time you see the newer models, but not done tastefully - eg. they'll just be parked on the street and have a whopping great laminated printout pegged to the front. But this one's a looker. Almost makes me wonder if Vespa had donated it for the high-pedestrian football season the area will have.

I'm still waiting for the S' square headlight to grow on me.
Hasn't yet.

I want to be an air hostess

What, free travel and accommodation aren't enough? Now the airlines are offering their staff Vespas too? Some people have all the luck.

"In a first-of-its-kind pilot event, Vespa will show its scooters to 3,000-plus employees of Continental Airlines at Newark Liberty International Airport, part of an alternative personal transportation program for the airline's Liberty-based employees.

Continental Airlines is offering scooter-only parking in its employee parking lots and touting the scooters with six monthly drawings for a free Vespa LX 150 scooter and employee-only discounts for the entire range of Piaggio or Vespa scooters. --Karl Greenberg"

Article source: Vespa Gets Frequent Flyer Miles, thanks to ScooterDiva

The Vespa Experiment

I loved the idea of The Vespa Experiment the moment I read about it. Three musicians, in partnership with Vespa and Greenpeace, are touring the Califorina coastline for two weeks, going from place to place with only their Vespas, instruments and camping equipment. Oh, and a film crew that will be following and documenting their trip. Probably so they can no doubt pay back in ad value the gift of their Vespas. The idea is to promote the green factor for Vespa.

"
THE VESPA EXPERIMENT'S primary mission is to send a message to stop global warming by using the power of music. Co-founders Jason Reeves and Brendan James will be joined by their friend and ally, Amber Rubarth, on this purposeful journey. Supported by Greenpeace, the three musicians will ride Vespas up the California Coast, honoring the natural beauty of the West and performing at traditional (club) venues, as well as on mountaintops, beaches and town centers. For two weeks they will engage their fans in thought-provoking ways, through music and honest dialog, while living as simply as possible by camping along the way. In a modern twist, they will film a documentary as they travel, posting daily footage to the web so fans at home can follow along. Fans will be able to communicate with the artists in a communal dialog as they seek to change the world together. "

But what a wonderful idea - Vespa has always been revolutionary, left of centre and clever with the way they've promoted their brand, and this experiement really suits their flavour. I've linked to their MySpace page above, and here and here are a couple of articles discussing the experiment. They also have some wonderful photography in their MySpace gallery that's worth a look. For all you twitterers, they're also tweeting.