Every year, Indonesians from teens and granddads, to mechanics and students, gather in eastern Java to celebrate their love of the iconic Italian Vespa scooter.
For some, it’s an “extreme” kind of love, where the vehicles are customized to resemble metallic monster bikes straight out of a Hollywood dystopia.
Hundreds of enthusiasts travel to the festival in Kediri to show off their creations – ranging from restored vintage Vespas to Mad Max - style tanks fitted with fake machine guns, a dozen extra tyres, or eerie stuffed toys as hood ornaments.
To enter into competitions at the festival, every customized vehicle must have a Vespa engine and most contestants try to retain the brand’s iconic fairing – the curved front of the scooter.
But other embellishments are up to the owners and their budgets. While many can only afford scrap metal or reused material found at a junkyard, some others splash out.
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