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 #

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”.

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 430-1966

Velorex 430-1966

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.

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.

VeloSoleX 45-1951

VeloSoleX 45-1951

In 1940, Marcel Mennesson had a prototype built for a bicycle equipped with a motor on the front wheel. The 38cc engine was outfitted with a roller transmission, carburetor and tank, and mounted on the front 700-millimetre wheel.

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 Grande Super Deluxe- 1978

Vespa Grande Super Deluxe- 1978

Sorry, no description available at this time.

Vespa P200E- 1979

Vespa P200E- 1979

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- 2002

Volkswagen Beetle- 2002

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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