The little Senorita shines once more
Whilst the world and indeed us Scooterists have been in what seems like perpetual lockdowns, there has it seems never been a better time to isolate with the love of your life in the garage!
Here Darren McDonald describes how he did such thing with his Spanish Vespa GT160 and shares with us the results of his labour of love.
It has always been my ambition to own a GT160, then the opportunity arose late September 2020.
I noticed a scooter available on facebook marketplace so I jumped at the chance to buy it. It cost £1000 and came with a running engine but required a lot of restoration.
The scooter was originally manufactured in Spain but had been imported to England. The scooter also came with lots of original Spanish documents.
First thing to complete was to obtain an english registration plate and log book which was a new experience in itself.
Next was to start the strip down of old paint work. The scooter had many layers of paint to remove, some was still tacky around the toolbox to my surprise.
Lots of sanding and filling took place along with ordering part. Colour choice was a big factor as I wanted it to make a statement.
Eventually settled on a colour, the paint needed to be ordered as I was completing this process myself and much to my wife’s surprise at how many tins of paint were required.
My newly found friend, scooter enthusiast Terence White, helped with prep work. Without his help and support I would not have got this far.
I was undecided whether to stick with the original 2 port engine or update to more modern. Afte lots of thought and discussions with other friends I decided to go modern as this would make it easier to obtain parts.
I bought an LML125 engine from Ben Finley for the bargain price of £350. I then required an engine builder to install. Another new friend Dennis Heckles, put me in contact with scooter guru Phil Stewart who convinced me to upgrade to a 177 Pinasco kit.
With the engine installed and complete now onto finishing touches. All of which were a pain to fit!
The chrome trim proved rather difficult, especially the floor runners that needed to be drilled and hammered in to place.
Most important part to be completed were the wheels which had to be white walls. These were ordered from Cato at Northumbria Scooters and stored carefully in the living room.
It has a rattle can spray paint job done by myself, it may not be perfect and due to many, many flaws during the process, it is now complete.
The final version is how I visioned the scooter to look.
I would like to thank all my new found friends who I met through NESC site for providing advice and support.
Thank you, Terence White, Steve Cato, Phil Stewart, Ben Finley and Dennis Heckles.
I would also like to thank my wife for putting up with my tantrums, of which there were many.
I hope you all enjoy reading through my restoration experience.
If I was asked if I would do it again the answer would be yes and no.
Hope you like the outcome.