ghazi52
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Vroom! Into the graveyard of Vespas
I was at my apartment in Clifton, waiting for a friend. He did not show up on time, so I rang him up. My friend told me that he was here but the apartmentchowkidar was not letting his Vespa enter the compound.
I went downstairs and resolved the matter. Climbing up the stairs, I asked my friend Wali where he had bought it from, and he told me that he bought it from a dealer in the Tyre Market on M.A. Jinnah Road. He said that it was Piaggio Vespa’s 1968 model, but that he intended to buy another ‘62 model Vespa.
We sat down to discuss work, but my mind was still stuck on the Vespa. Finally I cut him short and blurted out:
“I want to buy one too.”
“Great decision!” Wali said. “What’s that saying ... a four-wheeler transports the body, while a two-wheeler transports the soul.”
He went into detail, explaining how the rider of a two-wheeler is somehow more connected with his vehicle and the surroundings, which the driver of a four-wheeler could never understand.
Of course, all that philosophy went way over my head. I clarified my intentions to him:
“I want to buy it without an engine. As a showpiece, for my lounge”, I said.
There was a brief silence in the room.
“Still a great decision; but you should buy one with proper documentation and engine, you never know when you might need to sell it,” Wali said.
It was a Friday evening and we decided to embark on a Vespa hunt the day after.
On the hunt for a Vespa
We drove towards the Tyre Market and parked our car somewhere near Urdu Bazaar. Wali knew a Vespa mechanic, Shehzad, who was also the proud owner of a 1983 model Vespa. He had painted it pink and installed two speakers below the handle. The seats of his Vespa and the spare tyre cover had pink leather covers too.
Shehzad took us to the shops around, where we found various Vespas in different conditions. Wali began to inquire about a ‘62 model from the vendors. Someone from an auto-parts shop overheard our conversation and told us that he had one at his home, but could only bring it on Monday.
Shehzad shows us different Vespas near his workshop.
.
We spot a lot of people going about their business in Vespas.
A Vespa skeleton ready for refurbishment.
Shehzad poses with his pink ‘83 model Vespa.
Wali later told me that most of these Vespas were spread across different locations, waiting on consideration from vendors for refurbishment before they could be put on display for sale. We could not afford to go too far to check out just one Vespa, so Shehzad suggested that we visit the dealer with the largest collection in the area. I asked him if we could walk, but he asked us to take a ride on his Vespa.
Shehzad and Wali ignored my concern and had already settled on the Vespa. I squeezed in somehow between Wali and a spare tyre, and vrooom we went.
We rode down Burns Road. Wali spotted a few Vespa riders along the way and it made him immensely happy. At one of the signals, Wali spotted an aquarium shop and asked Shehzad to make a stop. He told me that he had bought a pet snake and needed an aquarium for it, a rather basic one without all the fancy fixtures of a fish aquarium. We inspected various aquariums but failed to reach a consensus with the shopkeeper on the price.
Resuming our journey, a few more twists and turns took us to a shop tucked between auto repair shops, off M.A. Jinnah road. Abdullah bhai, the dealer, had stuffed his shop with various Vespa models. He seemed to have just opened the shop for the day, and a helper was taking the bikes out to put them on display.
Various models of Vespas inside Abdullah's showroom.
Abdullah's showroom.
A Vespa with truck art at Abdullah's shworoo
I was at my apartment in Clifton, waiting for a friend. He did not show up on time, so I rang him up. My friend told me that he was here but the apartmentchowkidar was not letting his Vespa enter the compound.
I went downstairs and resolved the matter. Climbing up the stairs, I asked my friend Wali where he had bought it from, and he told me that he bought it from a dealer in the Tyre Market on M.A. Jinnah Road. He said that it was Piaggio Vespa’s 1968 model, but that he intended to buy another ‘62 model Vespa.
We sat down to discuss work, but my mind was still stuck on the Vespa. Finally I cut him short and blurted out:
“I want to buy one too.”
“Great decision!” Wali said. “What’s that saying ... a four-wheeler transports the body, while a two-wheeler transports the soul.”
He went into detail, explaining how the rider of a two-wheeler is somehow more connected with his vehicle and the surroundings, which the driver of a four-wheeler could never understand.
Of course, all that philosophy went way over my head. I clarified my intentions to him:
“I want to buy it without an engine. As a showpiece, for my lounge”, I said.
There was a brief silence in the room.
“Still a great decision; but you should buy one with proper documentation and engine, you never know when you might need to sell it,” Wali said.
It was a Friday evening and we decided to embark on a Vespa hunt the day after.
On the hunt for a Vespa
We drove towards the Tyre Market and parked our car somewhere near Urdu Bazaar. Wali knew a Vespa mechanic, Shehzad, who was also the proud owner of a 1983 model Vespa. He had painted it pink and installed two speakers below the handle. The seats of his Vespa and the spare tyre cover had pink leather covers too.
Shehzad took us to the shops around, where we found various Vespas in different conditions. Wali began to inquire about a ‘62 model from the vendors. Someone from an auto-parts shop overheard our conversation and told us that he had one at his home, but could only bring it on Monday.
Shehzad shows us different Vespas near his workshop.
.
We spot a lot of people going about their business in Vespas.
A Vespa skeleton ready for refurbishment.
Shehzad poses with his pink ‘83 model Vespa.
Wali later told me that most of these Vespas were spread across different locations, waiting on consideration from vendors for refurbishment before they could be put on display for sale. We could not afford to go too far to check out just one Vespa, so Shehzad suggested that we visit the dealer with the largest collection in the area. I asked him if we could walk, but he asked us to take a ride on his Vespa.
Shehzad and Wali ignored my concern and had already settled on the Vespa. I squeezed in somehow between Wali and a spare tyre, and vrooom we went.
We rode down Burns Road. Wali spotted a few Vespa riders along the way and it made him immensely happy. At one of the signals, Wali spotted an aquarium shop and asked Shehzad to make a stop. He told me that he had bought a pet snake and needed an aquarium for it, a rather basic one without all the fancy fixtures of a fish aquarium. We inspected various aquariums but failed to reach a consensus with the shopkeeper on the price.
Resuming our journey, a few more twists and turns took us to a shop tucked between auto repair shops, off M.A. Jinnah road. Abdullah bhai, the dealer, had stuffed his shop with various Vespa models. He seemed to have just opened the shop for the day, and a helper was taking the bikes out to put them on display.
Various models of Vespas inside Abdullah's showroom.
Abdullah's showroom.
