By Gabrielle Bailey
Like the vast majority of auctioneers Bonhams charge a Buyer's Premium on the Hammer Price of each Lot purchased and this is subject to VAT. Some lots may also be subject to VAT on the Hammer Price and these lots will be clearly marked with a symbol (†, Ω, *) printed beside the lot number. For Automobilia the Buyer's Premium is 28% on the first £40,000 of the hammer price; 27% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of £40,001 up to and including £800,000; 21% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of £800,001 up to and including £4,500,000 and 14.5% of the hammer price of any amounts in excess of £4,500,001. For Motor Cars and Vehicle Registration Numbers the Buyer's Premium will be 15% on the first £500,000 of the hammer price of each Lot, and 12% on the balance thereafter. VAT at the standard rate is payable on the Buyers Premium by all Buyers, unless otherwise stated.
An extremely rare Douglas Vespa including rear rack and fly-screen. This scooter was originally grey with red side panels and although most of this paint has now gone, the original dealer sticker from Hallets of Canterbury can still be seen. Packed full of original features such as the Lucas English made taillight, which is correct for the model to the very rare leg-shield trim, this scooter is a time capsule of scootering history. Within the battery compartment that still contains the Lucas battery, newspapers clippings from 1962 were used to stop the battery rattling. Although in poor condition the scooter has a host of usable and very rare parts.
Like the vast majority of auctioneers Bonhams charge a Buyer's Premium on the Hammer Price of each Lot purchased and this is subject to VAT. Some lots may also be subject to VAT on the Hammer Price and these lots will be clearly marked with a symbol (†, Ω, *) printed beside the lot number. For Automobilia the Buyer's Premium is 28% on the first £40,000 of the hammer price; 27% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of £40,001 up to and including £800,000; 21% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of £800,001 up to and including £4,500,000 and 14.5% of the hammer price of any amounts in excess of £4,500,001. For Motor Cars and Vehicle Registration Numbers the Buyer's Premium will be 15% on the first £500,000 of the hammer price of each Lot, and 12% on the balance thereafter. VAT at the standard rate is payable on the Buyers Premium by all Buyers, unless otherwise stated.
The introduction of the Vespa to the UK has been subject to a fair amount of sanitisation. The reality was that, despite their fairly impressive factory and history, Douglas were completely broke. The Italians gave Douglas not only the UK market but also large areas of the globe covered by Commonwealth countries e.g. Clearly Piaggio were expecting big-scale production from Douglas. At the end of the day you can’t blame Douglas for using every trick to keep their factories busy.
Liputan6, Jakarta - Vespa, menjadi skuter legendaris yang hingga saat ini masih diburu penggemarnya dari berbagai kalangan. Sebab, sebuah Vespa paling tertua sedang dijual melalui rumah lelang Catawiki dengan prediksi harga hingga US$ 324 ribu atau setara Rp 4,3 miliar. Sedangkan untuk Vespa dengan sasis 1001-1002 tidak diketahui riwayatnya. Menurut juru bicara rumah lelang Catawiki, Vespa # 1003 hingga saat ini masih bekerja dengan baik. Skuter tertua ini tercatat dalam daftar registrasi di Italia.
The demand for the scooters was so strong that licensing agreements were signed with various companies around the world, with the Douglas motorcycle company becoming the UK partner. An Italian-built machine was displayed on the Douglas stand at the 1949 Earls Court bike show but it was April 1951 before production in Bristol began starting a sometimes turbulent relationship that ran until the early 80s. This 'Rod Type' 125 was registered on the 9th of May 1951 so must have been a very early one off the Bristol production line being supplied by Colmore Depot in Manchester. Bought by the vendor in March 1955 it was used on a tour of Scandanavia that summer. Stored for a number of years it will need a complete restoration but the bodywork is quite solid and original, including the early aluminium front mudguard and side panels.
