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Rare antique motorbikes of Ha Thanh players
Despite being “older” for more than 60 years, the 1959 Mobylette AV88 is still being sold for $ 10,000 because the car is still in its original condition, with new paint, and no components have been replaced.
The owner of Mobylette AV88 is Mr. Trinh Ngoc Duc, residing in Hanoi. Sharing with Tien Phong, Mr. Duc said: “I had the opportunity to own the car through a famous collector for nearly 200 million VND. Since buying Mobylette AV88, I have always kept and cherished it as the previous owner wanted.
The AV88 owned by Mr. Ngoc Duc is being kept in Hanoi.
The antique Mobylette is also known by its shorter name, the Moby. This is a product of Motobecane from France in the second half of the 20th century. These products were launched in 1949 and it lasted on the market for nearly 50 years when production was discontinued in 1997. Around the same time, “Mobylette” became a general term in French to refer to a motorcycle with a small capacity gasoline engine. This can be recognized as a great success of the manufacturer Motobecane.
In 1978, a Canadian named Walter Muma used a product from the Mobylette line to travel 11,500 miles (about 18,500 km) from Toronto, Canada to Alaska, USA and back to Toronto. His trip took place within 3 months. This story proves the durability of the Motobecane brand.
Mobylette was introduced to Vietnam from 1960-1970, used mostly in the South and scattered in the North. With high convenience and easy control, this model was associated with the well-off urban life at that time.
Mobylette cars in Vietnam are offered in two colors yellow and blue paint. Both use 49.99cc engines to be classified as non-licensed vehicles. However, the yellow Mobylette version is smaller, with only front shock absorbers, while the green Mobylette is larger and heavier with springs on both front and rear wheels, so it rides smoother and costs more.
Mobylette is associated with the life of urban people around the second half of the 20th century.
Mobylette cars are said to have remained unchanged in design over the years. Versions produced in the 50s of the last century had bodywork derived from welded tubes. Through the 1960s, this part was made of pressed corrugated iron. In addition to yellow and blue, there are a number of gray Mobylette versions that have appeared in Vietnam.
The car is made to be easy to use, no need to shift gears, but just turn the throttle to control the strength and weakness of the engine. When you want to start, users just need to use strong pedals on the pedals. In some cases where the pedal does not work, cannot start the engine, we can push a pin on the disc brake with a belt attached to the engine to separate the engine and the rear wheel, then it can cycle like a traditional bicycle.
The pedal is the starting part of the products of the Mobylette series.
Returning to Trinh Ngoc Duc’s 1959 Mobylette AV88, the owner said that what makes the car so valuable is that the paint is still very new (a factor that few old cars have). Along with that, the car carries Vietnamese cultural and historical values associated with the 60s of the last century, making many historians and collectors always seek and seek.
Details such as clocks, speedometer wires still operate stably, have not been cracked. Some parts made from rubber are also still new, not “aging” much. In particular, the vehicle’s shock absorber can function on par with modern motorcycle models, providing smooth rides.
The AV88 is still very new even in small details.
Because from the time of buying the car to the present time, the owner rarely uses AV88. He always has the sense to preserve the car carefully to keep its historical value intact.
Duc said: “In Vietnam, models like Mobylette AV88 are inherently rare, and original products like my car are even rarer. I am confident that this is a car in top original condition in Vietnam.”
Powering the AV88 is a 2-stroke, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine with a cylinder capacity of 50 cc with a maximum speed of 45 km/h.
Answering Tien Phong about the memory attached to the Mobylette AV88, the owner said: “When buying the car from the old owner, because this person loved and cherished it too much, he left the car right next to the bed upstairs. So, I had to manually bring the car down to bring it home. Having said that, this process is both tiring and anxiety-provoking for fear that the car may crash when moving. However, due to having a passion for classic cars, at that time, I was surrounded by a feeling of excitement when I was about to own this AV88, so I did it very meticulously and successfully.”
AV88 is kept by the previous owner right next to the bed.
So far, Mr. Duc has always loved AV88, but the owner said that he might cede the car to someone else if people really want it and make sure to take good care of it. He valued the car at 10,000 USD, which proves that Trinh Ngoc Duc is ready in case the car buyer is a foreign guest.
Mr. Duc’s 1959 Mobylette AV88 is priced at 10,000 USD.
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Rare antique motorbikes of Ha Thanh players
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