This was a very special project for me!

When I lived in San Francisco, I used to cruise around the city with a less advanced version of this one. It was magical!
I was not particularly looking at buying one but when I randomly saw this one on craigslist, I had to have it…

I purchased it in an OK condition but decided to rebuild it and give her back the beauty and snap of her youth.

The list goes on but aside from a full bodywork from bare metal, I have replaced a few things: New cylinder, crankshaft, bearings, cylinder head, exhaust, clutch shoes, petcock, front and rear brakes, battery, stand, etc…

I am so happy about how this project turned out! Not only have I learned a lot but it was a project a bit outside of my comfort zone and I got stuck a few times.

Denise (I named her after the character in Hot Rod) is a restored 1978 Vespa Piaggio Ciao Deluxe
As you can see in the pictures I finished it right in the middle of winter (which was a challenge for the paint job). I can’t wait for warmer days to come so I can drive it around a bit more.