Stolen Vespa Scooter Recovered 41 Years Later

The Pisa Carabinieri (Italian police) recovered a stolen Vespa 41 years after it was reported stolen. The “vintage” Vespa 50 Special was discovered when a pensioner in the Italian province of Arezzo reported a tractor’s theft.

When police located the stolen tractor in a barn, they accidentally came across a small white-frame Vespa. Following up on the scooter’s vehicle identification number, investigators discovered the bike had been reported stolen in 1980 by Gino Graziani, who passed in 1992, 140 km from the barn in the Italian town of Pisa. 

In a somewhat fairy-tale ending, the Carabinieri returned the Vespa to the original owner’s son, Paolo Graziani. Paolo told reporters, “At first I thought it was a joke, then after talking to the Carabinieri, I realized that it was all true…  For my family, it has a great emotional value… I will take a picture and place it on my father’s grave, next to his medal of military valor.” 

The scooter thief, known to local authorities, was found guilty of tractor theft and concealment of the Vespa, though he was most likely not the one who stole the scooter at the time.

The small-frame Vespa 50 Special was built between 1969 and 1983, producing a total of 659,966 units.