Daily demonstrations at 11AM, FREE with admission!

Please note that the cars or exhibit items shown in this database are part of our collection but may not be on display when you visit.

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z #

Collection items starting with V

Valmobile Fold Away Scooter- 1950

Valmobile Fold Away Scooter- 1950

While not a household name, Victor Bouffort (1912-1995) was a prolific French inventor of the mid-20th century. Inspired by the collapsible Welbike motorcycle used by British paratroops during the war, Bouffort developed a prototype for a folding, stow-away scooter in the early 1950s.

Valmobile Fold Away Scooter-1961

Valmobile Fold Away Scooter-1961

Production of the Valmobile “suitcase scooter” by the Hirano Motorcycle Company of Japan began in 1956, after the previous manufacturer Martin-Moulet struggled to find success for the Valmobile in its native France.

VAZ Oka-1991

VAZ Oka-1991

VAZ is a Russian auto maker that began producing cars, in collaboration with Fiat, in the late 1960s. The Model 1111, commonly branded for export as a Lada Oka, was developed out of a need to replace the simple and cheap ZAZ Zaporozhets, the Russian “People’s Car”. It was to be the car that “every factory worker can afford”.

Vectrix Electric Scooter- 2007

Vectrix Electric Scooter- 2007

Sorry, no description available at this time.

Velo Manufrance Ladies’ Retro-Direct ‘Hirondelle Luxe’- 1920

Velo Manufrance Ladies’ Retro-Direct ‘Hirondelle Luxe’- 1920

The ladies’ Hirondelle model features slightly more modern features than its predecessor such as both front and rear brakes. It also offers a “basket weave” protection to keep ladies’ garments away from the rear spokes.

Velo Manufrance Rétro-Directe “Hirondelle Luxe” Modele 11-1907

Velo Manufrance Rétro-Directe “Hirondelle Luxe” Modele 11-1907

Although Barberon & Meunier first patented the retro-direct system in 1869, the gear system was further developed and refined by other companies, including Manufacture at the turn of the century.

Velorex 16/350-1966

Velorex 16/350-1966

Originally designed as invalid cars by Czech brothers František and Mojmír Stránský in 1942, the first “Oskars” (“car on axle”) were simple tube-framed cyclecars with a seat next to an engine, inspired by the British Morgans. Around 10 were built. With refinements, and adopting motorcycle sidecar construction techniques, the brothers Stránský covered their new designs in a leather-like vinyl, Igelit, to save both weight and raw materials costs.

Velorex 435-1972

Velorex 435-1972

The Velorex was developed in Czechoslovakia in 1936 by two brothers who ran a bicycle shop. After WWII, automobiles were very scarce and expensive, and the brothers realized the Velorex would be a cheap, affordable car for the masses. They used a Jawa motorcycle engine, wheels, and brakes.

Vespa 400- 1958

Vespa 400- 1958

Vespa is known around the world for its scooters, but few people may know it produced one economy car.

Country of Origin: France
Ateliers de Construction des Motocycles et Automobiles

Vespa P200E- 1979

Vespa P200E- 1979

There are certain scenes that spring to mind when thinking of Italy. The Colosseum in Rome, the gondolas on the canals of Venice, and narrow roads filled with Vespa scooters.

Vespa Piaggio Grande Super Deluxe- 1978

Vespa Piaggio Grande Super Deluxe- 1978

Sorry, no description available at this time.

Vespa PX150 Scooter- 2005

Vespa PX150 Scooter- 2005

Piaggio was founded in Italy in 1884 as a business that made luxury ship fittings.

Vitrex ADDAX-1978

Vitrex ADDAX-1978

French industrial planner Jacques Riboud, of Vitrex Industrie, promoted and designed microcars as a solution to increased urbanization in 1970’s Paris. He believed full-size cars to be too big and too expensive for the old city’s infrastructure.

Voisin C28- 1936

Voisin C28- 1936

Gabriel Voisin was a major manufacturer of airplanes during World War I. The end of the war saw him with a large fortune and an equally large factory, but a very small market for airplanes. In 1919, he decided to become a car manufacturer and acquired a ready-made engine design–a 3969cc sleeve-valve four which had been considered and turned down by Citroën as unsuitable for mass production. Voisin remained faithful to the sleeve-valve principle for the rest of his career as a car maker. Voisin built lightweight cars using techniques learned in his years as an aircraft designer. The type C28 “ambassade” body design was inspired by the art-deco period and was the last model Voisin was personally responsible for.

Country of Origin: France
SA des Aeroplanes G. Voisin

Volkswagen Beetle- 1956

Volkswagen Beetle- 1956

The Volkswagen Beetle is a car we are all familiar with. More than 20 million were sold. While the name “Porsche” is associated with expensive cars, Ferdinand Porsche had a life-long interest in a small car that an average working person could afford.

Country of Origin: Germany
Volkswagenwerk GmbH

Volkswagen Beetle- 2003

Volkswagen Beetle- 2003

The Volkswagen Beetle is a car we are all familiar with. More than 20 million were sold. While the name “Porsche” is associated with expensive cars, Ferdinand Porsche had a life-long interest in a small car that an average working person could afford.

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