American Pickers is one of those shows that’s seemingly been on the air forever. Well, forever in TV terms, anyway. This very popular reality TV show on the History Channel premiered in 2010 and has been going strong ever since. The latest season introduced us to a character that’s been burning up the Pickers’ bandwidth: Victor Vespa. So who is he?
As his name hints, Victor Vespa is someone who collects, you guessed it, Vespa scooters. These iconic and easily recognizable luxury scooters are legendary and produced in Italy. The name Vespa means “wasp” in Italian.
Who is Victor Vespa?
Victor’s real name is Victor Voris. He’s been collecting and selling Vespas for more than three decades all throughout California. Voris reveals that his scooter love came from his dad in his episodes.
Host Mike Wolfe actually knew Voris even before the show – that’s how famous he is. Wolfe even calls him the “Godfather of Vespa.” He even had a shop in Seattle called “Big People Scooters,” although it unfortunately closed down.
Even though the shop closed down in 2017, Voris’ love of Vespa scooters only intensified. In the episode, Wolfe first eyes a vintage Pepsi clock for $900.
In the episode, Voris said, “I love that clock. I love neon clocks. They’re kind of a rare thing to find. That one just had a really great color.”
Wolfe then finds gold: a “Rod Model” 1948 Vespa. The price? A whopping $18,000. Not a bad payday for the Godfather.