From Ventura Boulevard to St. Augustine: Couple has piece of Tom Petty history in their garage

Diane and Gerard Smith have had a piece of rock ‘n’ roll history collecting dust in their garage for nearly two decades.

The couple recently shared that they, in fact, have in their possession the 1992 Honda Elite scooter once owned by American musical icon Tom Petty, who died in 2017.

Registration records show the cherry-red moped the Smiths bought off a couple of college students in 2002 was originally purchased by Petty and his former wife, Jane, with the title filed to Petty’s management office on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, California, dated October 1992.

“It just literally felt into our laps,” Diane Smith recounted in a recent interview with The Record.

Smith said she and her husband were approached in 2002 by their neighbors, two exchange students attending Flagler College. The students said they wanted “fast cash” and were looking to unload the scooter for a good price.

Though the couple were not motorbike enthusiasts, they agreed to help the students out and bought the scooter for $150.

Little did the young men from Denmark know they were turning over a relic of rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia for such a nominal fee, something the Smiths realized once they inspected the paperwork attached to the bike.

According to Smith, the moped is appraised at somewhere between $12,000 to $15,000 or higher. Aside from the occasional ride, the scooter just takes up space in their garage, so the Smiths would consider selling it to the right buyer, potentially a collector or museum. 

From 2019: Tom Petty’s ex-wife buys rockstar’s childhood home

From 2018: The city where Tom Petty’s dreams began

Tom Petty’s St. Augustine roots

Petty was born and raised in Gainesville and formed the band Mudcrutch early in his musical career. He later performed with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and in the  supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, playing alongside Bob Dylan, Beatles guitarist George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison.

But it was St. Augustine — in particular, Crescent Beach, an hour and a half east of Gainesville — where Petty’s formative years were spent and where he returned years later as a peaceful retreat from his high-profile California lifestyle. 

Petty met his previous wife Jane shortly after he graduated high school; they lived a few blocks from each other as kids. They married in 1974 and divorced in 1996. The couple had two children together. 

They bought a home on the Intracoastal Waterway in Crescent Beach in the 1990s. Records show the structure has since been sold and razed. 

But a former bandmate, drummer Stan Lynch, is reported to still live in St. Augustine and make occasional appearances at musical events, such as a Cheap Trick concert at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre in 2019. 

The Record’s attempts to reach Lynch were unsuccessful.

Cruising Crescent Beach

According to many reports, zipping around on scooters were part of Petty’s life here at the beach.

Though it shows its wear and tear in some ripped sections of the seat and rusted parts of its underbelly, the scooter is in good working order, according to Smith.

“It’s definitely operational; it starts up and runs well,” said Smith.

A peace sign sticker Petty attached to the left back of the scooter is still intact, as well. 

Joey Torregrosa, who owned a Honda dealership on State Road 16 for more than 20 years, sold several vehicles to Petty in the 1990s.

“He was just like a regular guy off the street, a nice guy, very humble,” said Torregrosa. “He always had that long hair.”

Petty used to bring him T-shirts and cassettes of recent albums he’d recorded when he would visit. 

Smith has done some research into Petty and his time in Crescent Beach, and is still looking to find photos of Petty that might show him on the same Honda scooter the couple owns in order to further legitimize its authenticity for potential auction or sale.

If readers have photos or tidbits they’d like to share, please email Record reporter Colleen Jones at cjones@staugustine.com.