It had been gathering dust in his garage for many years so he asked his daughter if he could donate the Vespa to Rotary Nowra as a fundraiser for the Club.

She agreed and Richard entrusted the restoration to fellow Rotarian Mark Wilson.

Mark did some research to identify the manufacturer and again some idea of current market price.

He found the price ranged from $900 to $3000 for standard model examples, depending on condition.

The model Richard had purchased is the top of the range and Mark has not been able to find a deluxe model for sale. Richard's Vesper is in wonderful condition for its age and it was decided to keep it as original as possible when restoring it.

To date Mark has made minor repairs including a new baseboard and padding for the seat, removed any dents and buffed the paint work and the chrome.

The whole scooter was then polished. The Vespa is in its final stages of restoration and will soon be advertised for sale.

Readers wanting more details can contact Mark Wilson on Mob 0403 811 421.