Phil McCaleb Passes

[Dooglas]

Phil McCaleb (one time Genuine Scooters honcho) has passed. This was announced on Modern Vespa and by Scooter West today. Essentially the passing of an era considering his central role in making Genuine Scooters and the Genuine Buddy what they have become.

https://modernvespa.com/forum/topic172169

[sc00ter]

Ride In Peace.

To think that one person made such a huge impact in the scooter community.

[tenders]

I really enjoyed his interview on n the “Scooter Affair” podcast. Heard his parting with Genuine was acrimonious, but that is a very common outcome when private equity ownership gets involved. I don’t know that Genuine has exactly lost its way in the absence of Phil, but it definitely has lost a lot of its personality, and I’ve been perplexed by its product strategy and willingness to dilute its lineup with redundant vehicles.

I definitely miss those cool special editions, many of which were co-branding with Chicago-area businesses. Phil was a genuine 2-wheeler-dealer.

[Dooglas]

A nice tribute on 2strokebuzz.

https://2strokebuzz.com/2024/10/23/goodbye-philip