Velorex

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Velorex was a manufacturing cooperative in Solnice, Czechoslovakia. Notable products included a small three wheeled car first named Oskar, later Velorex (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.

History
Beginning in 1936, brothers František (1914 – 1954) and Mojmír (1924-2011) Stránský, owners of a bicycle repair shop in village Parník near Česká Třebová, started with the design of a small, cheap three-wheeled car, inspired by three-wheelers from Morgan Motor Company. In 1943, they built their first prototype using steel tubing wrapped by dural sheet metal and employing parts of bicycles (later, of motorcycles). They named the vehicle "Oskar" ("kára 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 motorcycle engines ČZ 150 cm³, three with PAL 300 cm³ (6 HP) and six with Jawa 250 cm³. The price was about 1/4 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, JAB).

In 1950, the Stránský’s workshop was transferred to Velo, a small manufacturing company in Hradec Králové, 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, eighty workers produced 40 vehicles per month. On January 21, 1954, František Stránský died when a test prototype crashed. His brother, Mojmír, 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 nad Kněžnou. The maximum speed of the car was 30 km/h.

In 1963, production of the newly-designed "Model 16" started (with motors ČZ 175 and Jawa 350 type 572); 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, and then in Rychnov nad Kněžnou after 1975. In the mid-1980’s, India tried to obtain a license to produce the three-wheelers; the deal failed because the original tooling no longer existed.

Production figures

Model Oskar 54, Velorex Oskar, Velorex 16/250    Velorex 16/175 Velorex 16/350 Velorex 435-0  four-wheeler

Total 2,500 800 12,000 1,380

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 crippled after thorough examination by an official commission. Part of the production was allocated to companies and organizations.

As of 1996, 62.5% of the three-wheelers sold in Czechoslovakia 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 Sázavou, inside the Lipnice Castle. Until 2000 only the motorcycle driving license (A) was required, afterwards the B1 license (car from age of 17).

Technical parameters
Velorex was built on a frame of welded steel tubing, with bodywork consisting of vinyl (called "Igelit") stretched over the cage and attached by turnbutton fasteners. Like most of other three-wheeler types Velorex had two wheels in the front and one wheel at the back.

Oskar 54
designed as a special car for the crippled,
two seats,
motorcycle engine Jawa 250, two-stroked, one cylinder, forced air cooling, 248.5 cm³, 9 HP with 4,250 rpm,
fuel consumption: 3.6 l/100 km,
weight: 205 kg unloaded, max 395 kg,
length 3.1 m, width 1.4 m, height 1.25 m.

Oskar 16/250
designed as a special car for the crippled,
two seats,
motorcycle engine Jawa 250, two-stroked, one cylinder, forced air cooling, 248.5 cm³, 9 HP with 4,250 rpm,
fuel consumption: 3.6 l/100 km,
weight: 205 kg unloaded, max 395 kg,
length 3.25 m, width 1.38 m, height 1.25 m.
tyres with larger dimension than Oskar 54

Velorex 16/175
designed as a special car for the crippled,
two seats,
motorcycle engine ČZ 175 – 505, two-stroked, one cylinder, forced air cooling, 171,8 cm³, 8.5 HP with 4,500 rpm,
fuel consumption: 5 l/100 km,
weight: 290 kg unloaded, max 490 kg,
length 3.1 m, width 1.4 m, height 1.24 m.

Velorex 16/350
designed as a special car for the crippled,
two seats,
motorcycle engine Jawa 350 – 572, two-stroked, two cylinders, forced air cooling, 344 cm³, 11.8 kW (16 HP) with 4750 rpm.
cruising speed 60 km/h (max 85 km/h),
weight: 310 kg unloaded, max 500 kg,
length 3.1 m, width 1.4 m, height 1.24 m.

Velorex 453-0
four wheeler
engine Jawa 350/572, forced air cooling, 17 HP with 4,750 rpm,
weight: 385 kg unloaded, max 585 kg,
fuel consumption: 6.5 l/100 km,
max speed 80 km/h,
length 2.89 m, width 1.15 m, height 1.365 m.