'Busa that thang like the SMART. Where's your imagination guys....?

I was thinking Hyabusa motor as well!!

Like minds today- that was my first thought, "that thing needs a 'busa". And some stealth black paint.

At least there's already a hole in the roof to accommodate my fez.

x4

Let me be the fourth to say that all it needs is a 'BUSA to be fantastic!

Yup, go-kart frame, busa everything else. Flat black paint with flame. Call it Fireball, or Sting, (Vespa means wasp in Italian).

Oh God... how glad my fiance must be that I don't have room for a new project. LOL

@Number_Six: D'OH.. a Fez is critical.. good call.

If that paint isn't hiding nasty body work, it actually looks pretty nice! Oh wait, I just noticed he says "...requires serious rust repair." Looking at the pics again, it would be a ton of work.

I'll go against the grain here and say instead of a 'busa motor, use something like a GS500e motor. Super cheap, 50hp, air cooled so it would sound right and you don't need to add a radiator or a ton of plumbing.

Or, if you wanted deadly performance, a Yamaha R1 motor would be a lot cheaper than a 'busa.

At 17 hp, maybe I could just rebody my John Deere lawn tractor on the cheap.

"Makes Everything Feel Italian."

Actually, no, it feels like I'm sitting on a tire.

Forget the bike engines, this thing is small enough to be propelled by a sterling engine.

if junkman doesn't already have one of these he should.

I know a few vintage Vespa (scooter) enthusiasts who would kill for this.

Screw it. None of this motorcycle nonsense. Find a VR6. I'd say "Lower it", but the VR6 (and you) should take care of that. 17" wheels. (I'd go with 21s, but they won't fit... because they're bigger than the car.)

Oh and a crash helmet. You'll need it.

You would be creating a 1/2 scale replica of the GTI W12.

So tempting.

This needs to stay Italian. I'd say it needs to be Guzzi'd.

@Bret: Or maybe a Ducati engine?

Keep it in the family. How about a 500 cc single with 40+ hp? [www.piaggiousa.com]

Nah. Gotta be a two-stroke. I'm thinking TZ750 power.

Or V-Max-4.
Polaris triple.

Whatever. You get the idea.

I'd go for a used R1 engine as well. Sequential gearboxes are nifty.

@TheTooth: That suddenly got me excited about that project. Hmm.

*starts counting coins in piggy-bank*

@Pope Dearthair the Awesometh: Muah ha ha ha... my work here is done.

I started thinking about some ungodly combination of a Vespa body and a Legends Car chassis. To the point of looking up the dimensions of the two. Turns out the Vespa is smaller than a Legends car.
Vespa: 66.75" wheelbase, 112" long x 43" wide
Legends car: 73" wheelbase, 126" long x 60" wide.

@TheTooth: i'm with you. you can pick up a 900SS motor for peanuts. 85 horsepower, great torque, air cooled...

Top Ten Reasons Why I Can't Buy This:

10) I'm on the wrong coast

9) My $2300 has to go for kitchen upgrades

8) My driveway is too steep at the top and it would scrape or get hung up

7) I thought these were clown cars

6) I have to buy the super deluxe complete Sears toolkit first

5) The only Vespa I know about has 2 wheels

4) Seriously, isn't this what clowns pile out of at the circus?

3) I don't know how it works

2) Some assembly required

And the Number One Reason is:
1) My ass is too fat.

Actually, this is a pretty good project for the price. Sure, it's a lot of work, but these are beautiful cars. Put that transmission back together right and you've got one of the smoothest shifting gearboxes I've ever driven. Seriously.

Just drop the entire butt-end of a Smart in and call it a day. All the mechanicals are back there so it wouldn't be too much work and in a few years Smart bits will be common on the American market anyway.

@kleinlowe: Ya, I mean, you already took the Smart's motor out when you GSXR'd it, so there ya go.