British company, Watsonian have developed a kit for their popular Manx sidecar chassis especially for the Vespa GTS/GTV.
The Cotswold based company already build one sidecar to fit the popular Vespa but have just introduced the retro styled Manx to complement the lines of the Vespa shape. The Manx design dates back to the 1960s but the distinctive octagonal nose was inspired by a 1930s Watsonian Sports sidecar.
Attaching a sidecar to the GTS frame isn\’t quite as straightforward as it could be so Watsonian developed a special chassis and sub frame to attach it to the pressed-steel Vespa chassis. The sidecar comes complete with hydraulic suspension and is also fitted with a matching 12\” GTS wheel.
Features
The fibreglass body allows 53-inches/1346mm of legroom and the cockpit is 18-inches wide. The seat tilts forward to gain access to the boot and the sidecar also comes with a matching tonneau cover.
Prices start at around £4500 including factory fitting, we assume matching paintwork is extra.
What a lovely little outfit. And what a lot of fun you could have with it once you’d mastered the art of combination handling…
This is our sidecar outfit. We went over to Watsonian Squire to have a look and a ride in the side cars…..they were very helpful..I chose this side car for its size and look. Though it matched out Vespa very well.. They have done a great job! My husband has now mastered handling and it’s great fun!
Sue Morgan
Lovely but for 10 thousand British Pounds for the combo, I will pass thanks. Too steep by far. Buy one second hand in a couple of years when the mid life crisis types have bored of their expensive Italiano-British boutique chic toy and have moved on to the next thing. Bah.