Vehicle Description
1969 Velorex 16/350 Three-wheeler� One of 12,000 motorized
three-wheelers made in the former Czechoslovokia Black and tan
canvas/metal exterior with matching interior Two-seater Jawa
two-stroke, two-cylinder, 350cc engine with forced air cooling
Four-speed sequential manual transmission Cruising speed: 37 mph
(maximum 53 mph) Weight: 683 pounds unloaded, maximum 1102 pounds
Length: 10.1 feet, width: 4.6 feet and height: four feet � Inside,
the matching black and tan bench seat provides a cozy place to sit
with your favorite co-pilot as you navigate side streets and back
roads together. The Velorex's light weight, small size and open-air
feel combine to make it a very fun vehicle in which to tool around.
�Velorex�was a
manufacturing�cooperative�in�Solnice,�Czechoslovakia. Notable
products included a small�three-wheeled car, produced from the
1950s until 1971 and the Type 562�sidecar. The sidecar is still
manufactured in the Czech Republic by Velorexport, the successor to
Velorex. Beginning in 1936, two brothers, Franti�ek (1914 - 1954)
and Mojm�r (1924-2011) Str�nsk�, the owners of a bicycle repair
shop in the village of Parn�k�near�Cesk� Trebov�, began the design
of a small, cheap three-wheeled car, inspired by the Morgan Motor
Company's three-wheelers. In 1943, they built their first prototype
using steel tubing wrapped by dural sheet metal and some bicycle
parts (later these would be replaced by parts from motorcycles).
They named the vehicle�Oskar�("k�ra na ose," or "car on axle"). In
1945, the brothers built their first batch of cars, using leather
cloth instead of sheet metal as the bodywork. Three vehicles were
powered by 150cc�CZ�motorcycle engines, three with six�horsepower,
300cc PAL engines and six with 250cc�Jawa�units. The price was
about a quarter of the cost of a typical�car. The
post-war�Czechoslovakian auto industry was unable to meet popular
demand for vehicles, resulting in long waiting periods and quotas.
Several models of small cars had been built either by amateurs or
in small runs (e.g., Kreibich, TRIGA Tripolino and JAB). In 1950,
the Str�nsk�'s workshop was transferred to Velo, a small
manufacturing company in�Hradec Kr�lov�, later renamed to Velorex.
In 1951, the machinery and six workers were moved into a new plant
in�Solnice. During that year, 120�Oskar 54�vehicles were produced;
a year later, 180; and in 1954, 80 workers produced 40 vehicles per
month. On January 21, 1954, Franti�ek Str�nsk� died when a test
prototype crashed. His brother, Mojm�r, refused membership in
the�Communist Party of Czechoslovakia�and was fired. In 1956, the
vehicle's name was changed to�Velorex - Oskar�and then just
to�Velorex. In 1959, the company produced 120 vehicles per month.
In 1961, part of the production moved into a new plant in�Rychnov
and Kne�nou. The maximum speed of the car was 18 mph. In 1963,
production of the newly designed "Model 16" started (fitted with
either CZ 175 or�Jawa 350�type 572 engines); and the model was
modernized again in 1968. In 1971, production of three-wheeled cars
stopped and the company switched to production of a four-wheeler,
the "Model 435-0", which featured the Jawa 350 type 572 - 04
engine. Problems in design and manufacturing, as well as the
inability to compete with higher-category cars (including the
cheap�Trabants), made the four-wheeler a commercial failure, and
its production was stopped in 1973. Plans to produce a small car
similar to�Fiat 500�or a�rickshaw-like truck�did not materialize.
Spare parts for Velorex vehicles were first produced in the Solnice
plant then in Rychnov nad Kne�nou after 1975. In the
mid-1980s,�India�tried to obtain a license to produce the
three-wheelers; the deal failed because the original tooling no
longer existed. About half of the production was exported
to�Eastern Bloc�countries (Hungary,�Poland,�Bulgaria,�East Germany)
- 7,540 vehicles in total. In Czechoslovakia, the demand exceeded
the supply and the new cars were sold only to the disabled after
thorough examination by an official commission. Part of the
production was allocated to companies and organizations. As of
1996, 62.5 percent of the three-wheelers sold in the Czech Republic
and Slovokia were still registered.�As of 2006, the vehicle can be
still seen occasionally and it has obtained cult-like status among
its owners. Several Velorex clubs exist in the�Czech Republic.
Rallies are regularly organized in�Boskovice�(last in 2007) and
in�Lipnice nad S�zavou, inside the�Lipnice Castle. Until 2000, only
the motorcycle driving license (A) was required, afterwards the B1
license (car from age of 17). This car is currently located at our
facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer
shows 56,455 kilometers, which equals 35,090 miles. It is sold as
is, where is, on a clean and clear, mileage exempt title. VIN:
572002946 Note: Please see full terms and conditions listed below
that pertain to the purchase of any said vehicle, thank you.
