I probably would have taken a toss if not for the fact that I had my bum firmly fixed in a chair when I read this story. Businessstandard.com recently carried an article regarding a scooter featuring a price tag of about INR 9.0 lakhs – that’s 900,000 of RBI’s best. The machine in question is the Vespa 946; and no, the girls displayed above the scooter aren’t in the deal either. A collector’s item; Vespa claims, hence the exclusive pricing.
Vespa 946 – 2013 Collection: Ricordo Italiano was showcased at the Vespa stand at the Expo 2014. And you got to give it that the machine is a veritable seductress. It is handmade; from design to metalwork to the final polish; all done by hand; and with care too. Vespa would like you to believe it is an artwork and really one can’t really contest that point; the 946 is. But really, Rs 900,000…
What you get inside the painstakingly done up Virgilian exterior is a 4-stroke 125 cc single cylinder engine with electronic injection, three-valve distribution, and with reduced friction and improved fluid dynamics all helping to minimize consumption as well as emissions well beyond what’s stipulated at the current time. So, the nau-lakha (Hindi for something worth 9 lakh Rupees) 946 will still be roadworthy when your granddaughter takes it out for a spin sometime in the year 2040s. The 946 also boasts of modern technologies like ABS braking, ASR traction control, and fully-digital instrumentation – a heady new wine in an enticing old bottle. But really, Rs.900,000…
The 946 comes with quality accessories as well, and so you can have the genuine leather saddle in the color of your choice, matching helmet bag and aluminum handlebar grips. You can order the custom-made, fly-screen (recommended) and chrome rear carrier pack. In a way, you can go online and configure your 946 the way you want it.
Style, individuality, quality craftsmanship, low consumption, reduced emissions…well…it’s strictly for connoisseur…younger connoisseur…very very rich younger connoisseur who wouldn’t mind an occasional fly in his mouth whenever he is obliging with a guffaw a stale anecdote from the duchess riding pillion.
Will you, under sane mind, ever consider buying the Vespa 946 for this sum of money…ever?
