1969 Vespa (Douglas) SS90 Super Sprint For Sale by Auction

National Motorcycle Museum | Solihull, West Midlands
26th March, 2025 - 9:00

1969 Vespa (Douglas) SS90 Super Sprint
Barn find after 40 years

Estimate
£8, 000 - £9, 000

Registration No: MGR 24G
Frame No: V9SS1T1714
MOT: Exempt

Known history from new.
Sold new by Angelos Scooter station of Newcastle upon Tyne on 30th May 1969.
Fully running on original engine.
Copy of old blue V5 and current V5C present.
The Vespa SS90 made between 1965 and 1971 is much sought after by collectors due to its extreme rarity and only just over 5000 were produced. Most of these have been lost to the ravages of time and overly ambitious riders. The SS90 was developed as a sporting variant of the small frame Vespas. With a dummy fuel tank, a centrally located spare wheel, narrower more aerodynamic fairing and a pad on top of the dummy tank riders could crouch low behind the headlight to reduce drag at higher speeds. The two-stroke 88. 5 cc engine used in the Super Sprint is a single-cylinder, air-cooled unit with a bore/ stroke of 47/ 51 mm and an 8. 7:1 compression ratio. It’s paired with a 4-speed gearbox, the dry weight is 77 kilograms, and the top speed is 93 km/ h (58 MPH).

This SS90 has an exceptional and detailed traceable history kindly supplied to us by the vendor. This particular scooter was a gift to the vendor from his grandfather Angelo Strocco in 1981. Angelo was an Italian national and the owner of the renowned Angelos Scooter Station in Newcastle Upon Tyne which was established in the early 1960’s. Angelo had legendary status as a scooter expert and sold the business to MoTech when he retired, at the age of 70, in 1984. Motech continues to trade from the same location in Newcastle upon Tyne. This 90SS scooter was supplied by Angelos Scooter station on 30 May 1969 to a customer that had purchased every Vespa model from Angelos Scooter Station through the 1960’s and early 1970’s. Angelo purchased the scooter back from that customer in August 1981 as a gift for our vendor, who was 11 years old at the time, so the scooter remained registered to Angelos Scooter Station. The scooter has remained in the same family ever since. (We show a picture taken outside of Angelos Scooter Station shortly after it was purchased back in 1981). When Angelos Scooter Station was sold to MoTech in 1984, the scooter was registered in the name of Angelo Strocco at his home address in Blaydon on Tyne. When Angelo sadly died in 2008 at the age of 94, the scooter was re-registered in the name of our vendor. Scanned copies of several MOT certificates, all of which were issued by Angelos Scooter Station and signed by the vendors grandfather, are attached. A photograph of a series of tax discs is also attached. All of the original tax discs shown in the photograph are located in the tax disc holder which is mounted to the scooter.

When the scooter was purchased in 1981, it had done 898 miles. The current speedometer reading is 1481 miles with those 583 miles taking place between 1981 and 1986 when the seller and his grandfather had many outings together, some of which involved the seller, who was a child at the time, driving the scooter around a large grass field! Since the mid 1980’s, the scooter has been stored in a dry cellar under the house hence the dust and cobwebs on it which the seller has been instructed not to remove! Despite standing for around 40 years, the scooter is running and the engine sounds superb (see video attached). A local scooter enthusiast who recently helped the vendor to get it running again was surprised at the quality of the chassis and engine.

Detailed observations of the scooter supplied to us by the vendor included:

Engine number: V9SS1M1813.
Quality control label (white sticker inside chassis beside carburettor, see photograph).
Additional stamping adjacent to tool box under seat: 01397.
Engine is running beautifully and still on 6V points (see attached video clip).
Clutch is free despite standing for years and the drive power is most definitely still there!
All lights, horn and engine cut-out work.
Mileage currently 1481 miles which all evidence points to as being original.
The attached 1981 photograph of Angelo on the scooter shows the original colour. The scooter was resprayed metallic blue in the early 1980’s. The spare wheel covers were sprayed silver in 1981.
All of the bodywork is in excellent condition with no rust or other corrosion anywhere.
As with all Vespa scooters supplied by Angelos Scooter Station, the footboard under chassis and mudguard were coated with underseal prior to supply.
There is the classic gold “Supplied By Angelos Scooter Station” sticker inside the dummy tank toolbox
The seat is original and in excellent condition with the renowned 90SS “A Rejna Milano” badge at the back.
The petrol fuel tank under the seat was replaced in 1981 hence the grey primer colour.
The Vespa badge on the dummy tank was taken from a very old Vespa key ring.
All 3 tyres on the scooter are the original Pirelli Motor Scooter supplied tyres.
The back light back assembly was changed in 1981 with a chrome equivalent from another old Vespa as the original was cracked. The red lens is the original lens.
The chrome exhaust is that originally supplied with the scooter and is in excellent condition.
The front and central spare tyre wheel rims were replaced with Vespa chrome wheel rims in 1981 as the original front and spare wheel rims were in very poor condition. However the rear wheel rim is original.
The fly-screen was originally supplied with the scooter in a matching colour. Angelo had to make a screen as this was not present when the scooter was purchased in 1981.
We added the chrome headlight trim in 1981 which the seller believes was from a 125 Primavera.
The original “Neimann” key for the steering lock and central dummy tank are available. The second key was cut from the original in 1981 as a back-up spare. Both keys operate the steering lock and central dummy tank lock. Photograph attached showing the steering lock in the locked position.
The plastic cylinder head cover had to be replaced in 1983 as the original melted (due to the presence of grass underneath it, probably from riding in the field!). This is why it shows the modern Piaggio badge shape with 100 alongside it as the only plastic cylinder head covers available at the time were for the Vespa 100 (albeit identical).
The cable clips required for the original cylinder head cover are no longer needed as the current cover has cable slots but the clips are available in the dummy tank.
The backrest was fitted as a safety feature in 1981 for when the seller rode pillion with his grandfather, especially given the very short seat!
There is an important badge on the back of the backrest, that of the Spotlight Rally in 1979 organised by the Northumbria Scooter Club. This was the second of two Spotlight Rallies organised by the Northumbria Scooter Club and the badge attached is the commemorative badge from the 1979 event. Angelo judged several of the competitions at these events with the young seller at the time as his assistant. The seller can supply a copy of the brochure associated with one of these events if of interest.
The Spring Trip to Italy sticker of 1979, also included on the backrest, is also important. This was to commemorate the invitation of all Vespa dealers globally for an all-expenses paid trip to tour of the Piaggio Vespa factory in Italy. Angelo would not close the scooter shop to attend, which is typical of his character and strong work ethic, so a representative from the Northumbria Scooter Club attended in his absence.
The originally supplied plug key and oil measuring jug are included in the under seat tool box.
Prior to his death in 2008, Angelo repeatedly asked our vendor to do something with the scooter rather than leaving it standing in the cellar but our seller could not bring himself to sell it at the time. Despite there still being a very strong sentimental and emotional attachment to this scooter because of its long family history, the seller has decided it needs a more worthy and appropriate home so he has recently made the difficult decision to sell it.