Forget Italy this stunning Vespa 90 scooter gives serious Carlow vibes!

Forget Italy this stunning Vespa 90 scooter gives serious Carlow vibes!

Adrian Townsend pictured at his Carlow town home with his vintage Vespa 90 scooter. A replica Vespa is in the background

VINTAGE cars, tractors, motor bikes and steam engines hold a fascination for some people and the proud owners of these aged vehicles take the utmost pride in maintaining and putting them on display at vintage shows and rallies.

Carlow town man Adrian Townsend has a more rare, offbeat vintage interest. Adrian’s passion is for Vespa 90 scooters.

The two-wheelers are deeply loved by the Italians, the country of their origin.

Adrian, a member of the Carlow Jaguar Scooter Club, is the proud owner of four Vespa scooters and this article focuses on one of those scooters which has an interesting history.

His Vespa 90 small-frame scooter was purchased new in 1967 by a man from Leighlinbridge, Carlow and subsequently by his brother. Sadly both men have now passed away.

Adrian Townsend’s 57-year-old Vespa 90 scooter bearing the Carlow registration from 1967
Adrian Townsend’s 57-year-old Vespa 90 scooter bearing the Carlow registration from 1967

The Vespa then went from Carlow to Naas. Adrian had spotted the Vespa at a few scooter rallies around Ireland and became very interested in the vehicle, to the point he ended up purchasing the scooter 13 years ago. The scooter needed serious engine work and wiring repairs, which a friend of Adrian’s worked on and nowadays it’s his shining red pride and joy, with the original brown log book and registered with the Carlow 1967 Carlow number plate CIC 340.

Adrian’s wife Sineád and their children Emma (23) and Katie (18) also share their dad’s love for scooters and possess a few small replica Vespas. Adrian shared his passion for the Vespas with his best friend Tony Harrison. A native of the English city of Derby, Tony moved to Carlow with his parents and sister Melanie in the early 1970s. Another sister, Jennifer, was born in Carlow.

Tony purchased his first Vespa scooter 100 in the 1980s. He married Suzanne from Carlow and the couple had two children, son Dylan and daughter Sorcha. The Harrison family moved to the midlands in 2007 but Adrian and Tony remained the best of friends. Tony and his family moved back home to Carlow in September 2021 but, sadly, Tony passed in October that year after a very short illness. He was aged 52. The death of Tony Harrison left a massive hole in the lives of the Carlow Jaguar Scooter Club. Adrian Townsend remembers Tony fondly, their friendship going back from the time he (Adrian) was 11 or 12 years of age.

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