Douglas stopped producing 125cc Vespas and built instead a version of the current Piaggio 150cc model - the VBB. In an attempt to halt declining sales, various "special editions" with accessories as standard were produced. 1962 saw the Supreme in silver and the Grand Luxe in gold. 1n 1965, just before production of Vespas ended, came the Grand Tourer in metallic maroon.

The Sportique was the last model produced by Douglas. Having built (almost) exclusively 125 cc Vespas up to this point, the decision was made to build a version of the latest standard 150 cc Piaggio model - the VBB. The Sportique was sold against the background of a declining commuter market, which eventually diminished to the point where the maintenance of manufacturing facilities could not be justified.

This perhaps explains why so much marketing effort was made - the name "Sportique" being applied to make it stand out from the crowd. Previously Douglas had marked their machines simply as "Vespa 125s". Other marketing ploys were to create "special editions" which had metallic paint finishes and accessories as standard. These were partly aimed at the healthy "mod" market, which was buying up considerable numbers of the GS - a model that was, however, imported from Piaggio. The Sportique, by the way, was available in more colours than possibly any other contemporary scooter.

The Sportique initially differed only in detail from the VBB. Tyres, paint colours, silver painted wheels, badges and a dual seat made by the same German company that had supplied Messerschmitt with theirs. However, Piaggio made changes to their model that were not duplicated by Douglas, so over a period of time the specification of the two models diverged somewhat. The VBB gained GS panel trims, an SS rear light and even a square speedo. The Sportique, on the other hand, looked much the same from start to finish. The major change was a new rear pressing in 1963, which incorporated the rear numberplate holder. Early models sometimes turn up with mudguards with no indentations in them, and even with old-style black horns. However, this was probably just a case of Douglas using up items left over from 152L2 production. Minor mechanical changes included a new choke mechanism and rectifier.

The Sportique has a relatively modest power output for its capacity, but this has the consequence that the engine is almost unburstable. The manoeuvrability afforded by small eight-inch wheels, combined with exceptional reliability, made the Sportique the ideal commuter vehicle of its day in much the same way that the ET4 is today.

Colour Schemes

British Racing Green
Wessex Red (The most popular colour)
Portland White
Lavender (1961-2 only)
Alpine Blue (the only colour available during the whole production run)
Cornflower Blue
Lime Yellow
Magenta Violet (1964-5 only)
Polychromatic Silver ("Grand Lux" and "Supreme" only)
Polychromatic Bahama Gold ("Grand Lux" only)
Polychromatic maroon ("Grand Tourer" only)

Grand Lux
Spec included rear crash bars, double legshield trim and front bumper.
Supreme
Spec included chrome panels and mudguard, and chrome horn cover.
Grand Tourer
Spec included front and rear carriers, foot rests, double legshield trim and a flyscreen
Note: It is not possible to identify any of the special editions by chassis number