AS A CHILD, HE DISCOVERED A VESPA IN HIS GRANDFATHER’S GARAGE: IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. FOR TWENTY YEARS HE HAS BEEN WORKING EXCLUSIVELY ON VINTAGE MODELS IN THE DUTCH TOWN OF RIJEN
When Peter Maas (“Maske” to his friends) was six, he took the key to his grandfather’s garage without telling anyone. Once inside the garage, he was fascinated by the shelves packed with carburettors and sparkplugs, by the old photos of his grandfather racing on the Assen track and, above all, by the Vespa scooter. That was the start of Peter’s obsession with old objects, especially old motorised two-wheelers. When he was 16, he bought a Vespa PK 50. This was followed by another Vespa, and another, and since 2006, the Italian two-wheeler has become his life and the core of his work: Peter buys, sells and restores Vespa scooters in his garage-shop-showroom “Maskes – Vespa Klassiekers” in Rijen in the Netherlands. He is particularly proud of his original GS 160, one of the most attractive models in the Vespa range from the 1960s, Maas’ favourite Vespa period.
In other words, that childhood prank, spurred by the typical curiosity of children, has led Maas to build a business he loves and to share his passion for vintage Vespas with hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts around the world. He is inviting them all to the first “Maskes Vespa Rally 2015”, to be held on 19 September, dedicated to Vespa scooters built before 1980. The event confirms his love, or, better, his obsession, for the fascinating vintage models.
In this popular video entitled “One Vespa leads to another”, Peter tells his story. The video was produced by the “Petrolicious” media channel, which specialises in vintage vehicles, and is available on YouTube.
ONE VESPA LEADS TO ANOTHER
