1935 Velocar Camionette (motorisee)
Just after World War One, Charles Mochet came up with the idea of a stable, four-wheeled bicycle in response to his wife's concern for their young son Georges tearing around on his "dangerous" two-wheeler. The idea worked very well, as the rider could push with his legs against the fixed seat back, and soon young Georges was easily beating his bicycle-mounted friends.
In 1924 Mochet then took the concept of two people riding side by side: the Velocar. One rider could relax a bit while the other carried on pedaling or, on the other hand, could jump out the passenger-only door and push on hills. A great many were sold, in particular to blind World War One veterans who could make a useful contribution to the family by pedaling while the wife steered. At that time, ordinary working people did not have powered vehicles at all, and the Velocar was a big step towards the as-yet unaffordable motor car. Several decades later, they can still be seen for rent on the beach in Marseilles.
The design of the Velocar evolved from the sharp-pointed boat-like shapes of the mid-twenties, through a flatter but still angular nose, to a nose curving in a smooth shape from front axle to cowl. Tails were teardrop-shaped, with angular boxes growing out vertically on the Camionette or Familial versions- of which this car is an example. It also sports the enclosed floor, making it a Modele Confort.
While this car started life as a pedals-only car, it has been fitted with a noisy, primitive after market motor, perhaps by VEL, a common thing to have done just before WWII.
Manufacturer: Charles Mochet, inventor/constructeur, Puteaux, Seine, France
|;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
