[A Record on film of Vespa Club Activities]

Year Published: 1957

Description: This amateur-made film "A Record on film of Vespa Club Activities" dates to the late 1950s and features (among other things) the Vespa Scooter Rally at Woburn Abbey (probably 1957). It shows part of the era after WWII when Vespa scooters came into their own. Piaggio introduced the lightweight motorscooter in 1946, and Europe, devastated by WWII, and hungry for affordable, efficient transportation, was never the same. The Vespa was also tremendous fun to ride, and Vespa clubs with male and female members formed almost immediately. Audrey Hepburn sent sales of the Vespa on fire in 1952 with her haphazard jaunt through the streets of rome in the classic film 'Roman Holiday'; by 1952, Vespa club membership reached 50,000 worldwide, and things were just getting started. British Vespa club members from Birmingham, South Devon and Holbe Park can be seen having their innocent fun in this montage of early club events: scooter gymkhanas, scooter jousting, scooter acrobatics to name a few, not to mention tons of regalia . Various early Vespa models can be seen here, including Douglas Vespas (built under license in Britain), Vespa model G, Vespa model GL2, Vespa model L242, and of course the famous flagship Italian-made Vespa GS 'Gran Sport'. 00:00 Title cards. :32, title card proclaims "Out Bill Meets the Duke of Bedford, and Watches Marvellous Riding By Thames Valley at Woburn Abbey". (Woburn Abbey in the east of the village of Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the family seat of the Duke of Bedford.) At :50, a shot of the Thames Valley Vespa Club members. At :58, stunting with Vespas, including one person doing a handstand on the back of the scooter at 1:34, followed by 4 people at 1:53 and 8 at 2:06. At 2:16, Vespas perform in synchronized balletic maneuvers. At 2:25, Vespa Club of Oxford participants are shown. At 3:22, Vespa Club of Bromley and 3:30 Vespa Club of Medway. At 3:56 a Vespa with sidecar from the Club of Northampton. At 4:26, South Denton, followed by Sabrina and Wolverhampton. At 4:59, a Lambretta is shown. At 5:02, a West Midox member is shown wearing a one-piece coverall. At 5:53, trophies are handed out for the show. At 6:09, the Isle of Man Scooter Races and also the TT races are shown. At 6:52, scooter gymkhanas are shown, and at least one participant ends up on the ground at 9:12. The film ends with a shot of the 1957 pennant for the South Devon Vespa Club.

Online Copy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5juE1fZu0Kc

Metadata Source:YouTube