Sunday, May 24, 2009

Klaus' scooters

No sooner had I pressed publish on the post last night (in 2009) when a whole bunch of odd-scoots hit the Australian market. These are being sold by Klaus in Melbourne, who sold me the Troll and Heinkel a year ago. Once again it's time to clear out one of his sheds. There are some interesting scooters in this lot and possibly more to come. Who knows? So, if you're interested in picking up something unusual Klaus has probably got something for you.

1962 IWL Berlin

First up is this beautiful IWL Berlin. The Berlin is the princess of the IWL range and a real head turner. It's not running but would definitely be worth the effort of restoring. I would really have loved to own one of these.

1955 Adler Junior

Definitely one for the collector. The Adler Junior is a rare beast wherever you go. Apparently running but in need of a good panel beating. Of all the scooters on offer, this would definitely be the one I'd go for, but ....

1958 Vespa VNA

I must admit I'm kinda off the Vespas and Lambrettas (another story) but this is an interesting one and with five bids already in one day, that's a good sign.

Cushman Scooter

I suppose you could say Cushman scooters have a certain kind of charm, but they certainly leave a lot to be desired in looks and style. I don't know what you can really say about this little... machine. If it were a Turtleback, I'd buy it immediately. But it ain't. Can any of our American colleagues advise on this scooter?

Update - This is a Cushman Trailster built between 1960-65. The Trailster was especially built for off-road riding. All the surviving examples I've seen have been yellow (although most are in a rough condition). This is a good example of a real US bush-basher. Here's an interesting link - http://scooterplace.blogspot.com/

It's good to see a few interesting machines in the market. I look forward to seeing these auctions play out and hope that one day I hear how all these projects turned out.

These and Klaus' other auctions can be found here:
http://shop.ebay.com.au/merchant/m***oo747