Classic Vespa finds its way back to its long-time Hawke's Bay owner Kim Wright, three years after it was stolen

When Kim Wright's classic Vespa vanished at the hands of a Hastings thief three years ago, she never stopped looking, hoping it would return.

Astonishingly, it's actually happened.

Wright, 52, the owner/operator of Global Autoworks in Hastings, had just fully repainted and restored her Vespa 90 1966 and parked it on display in the front of the store when it was stolen in July 2018.

"The shop was broken into, the window smashed, and the Vespa was stolen," Wright said.

"I was gutted, I felt violated. I cried when I lost the Vespa."

The Vespa will be restored so Kim Wright can take it for a ride again. Photo / Warren Buckland

The theft of the 90cc, two-stroke Vespa was reported to police, put on social media, and Wright even made an old-fashioned wanted poster to pin and stick around the area.

Wright said the Vespa was part of her identity, and became her foot in the door at a classic bike club in her 20s.

Her fondest memories of it revolve around doing skids in her brother's driveway more than 30 years ago.

"I came back from overseas in 1988, and bought it for $300 the same year from Hastings," she said.

"I bought it when I was 18 - spent my first two weeks' pay to get it.

The old-fashioned poster Kim Wright handmade to alert people about the theft of her treasured Vespa. Photo / Warren Buckland

"I rode a bicycle at Rupert Ryans, in the freezing cold to get it. I used to ride it all the time, I used to do skids in my brother's driveway, which used to annoy him cause he had to clean up after."

As she grew older it was dismantled to restore, and had been in a box for 15 years before she decided to take the plunge and do it.

Then the theft. For three years the search proved fruitless, until last week.

"I used to drive around, looking for it.

"One of our customers, 90-year-old Leighton Clark, used to drive around looking for it. He had a picture of it stuck to the visor of his car and every time he'd forget what it looked like, he would flip open the visor to see it," and jog his memory.

While Wright and a hoard of others kept a lookout for her treasured Vespa, she bought a replacement Vespa, but "it just wasn't the same".

"Jungle drums", was how she finally heard about her Vespa.

"The scooter world is really tight. We got a phone call last Monday from a bike shop in Auckland," Wright said.

"The person gave us contact details for a guy who bought it, in parts, from Trade Me. It was a legitimate purchase.

"The guy who bought it was the only one to bid on it.

"He had to climb over a fence, to this property in Galatea [a settlement in the Whakatāne District], for a box of scooter parts.

"When he put it back together and went to register it, it pinged as stolen.

"Wednesday, last week, we got it back. It was picked up from Tirau."

Kim Wright is overjoyed at getting her Vespa back. Photo / Warren Buckland

Wright regrets not spotting it on Trade Me first, but is just glad to have it back.

"I have been trawling Trade Me for the last three years and never picked it up," she said.

"I am so so happy to have it back."

It was not returned in mint condition and needs restoration, but it's back and that is good enough for now, she said.

"I intend to ride it in the distinguished gentleman's club ride next year, disguised as a man of course."