I believe I have a "trading card" on this
streamlinder scooter. If I remember right, it
was a 90 pound girl who set the world's record on
that thing. In fact, not too long ago she
appeared on some talk show on TV. I'll dig it
out tonight and try to get it on line.
--- Carl Dreher <focusrsh@arn.net> wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
>
> I just have to share this with the group. My
> wife and I just returned
> from Neiman Marcus' annual celebration where
> the flagship Dallas store
> spotlights a country. This year's theme was
> "Italian by Design".
> Absolutely fabulous, of course, including a
> 1951 Ferrari F1. Vespa was
> a co-sponsor, and they sent over their 1953 (I
> think) record-setting
> motorscooter from their museum.
>
> Incredible and beautiful. It is a tiny
> streamliner, a teardrop shaped
> bomb with a long fin-tail. Every exposed part
> has a streamlined fairing
> over it. It is open top, and the driver, who
> must have been jockey-size,
> kneeled in it. It has a 2-cyclinder opposed
> engine (no displacement was
> listed) and used Vespa-size wheels and the
> traditional scooter designer
> of the engine and rear swing-arm being a single
> piece. It set a record
> of 109MPH for the kilometer.
>
> Here the amazing part. One of the problems
> with motorcycle streamliners
> is always, "how do you start and stop without
> falling over?" The Vespa
> solution had two doors on the sides, like fins
> on a fish. They swung
> out so the driver could put his legs out to
> support the bike when
> starting and stopping. When closed, the doors
> lay flush with the body
> skin. Inside was a large spring-loaded lever
> with a pad on the end, and
> the lever was connected to each door via
> cables. The lever projected UP
> from the bottom of the driver compartment and
> pressed against the riders
> chest. When the rider got the bike moving and
> was stable, he just
> leaned forward into his racing crouch, which
> pushed down on the lever
> and closed the doors! When we has done, he sat
> upright, and doors
> opened and he put his feet out. Fastastico!
> What a treasure.
>
> I took lots of picture....
>
> - Carl Dreher
>
=====
Dick J - - ECTA #72
G/FCC - FX/GMR
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