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. Velorexwas a manufacturingcooperativeinSolnice,Czechoslovakia. Notable products included a smallthree-wheeled car, produced from the 1950s until 1971 and the Type 562sidecar. The sidecar is still manufactured in the Czech Republic by Velorexport, the successor to Velorex. Beginning in 1936, two brothers, Frantiek (1914 - 1954) and Mojmr (1924-2011) Strnsk, the owners of a bicycle repair shop in the village of ParnknearCesk 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 vehicleOskar("kra 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 150ccCZmotorcycle engines, three with sixhorsepower, 300cc PAL engines and six with 250ccJawaunits. The price was about a quarter of the cost of a typicalcar. The post-warCzechoslovakian 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 Strnsk's workshop was transferred to Velo, a small manufacturing company inHradec Krlov, later renamed to Velorex. In 1951, the machinery and six workers were moved into a new plant inSolnice. During that year, 120Oskar 54vehicles were produced; a year later, 180; and in 1954, 80 workers produced 40 vehicles per month. On January 21, 1954, Frantiek Strnsk died when a test prototype crashed. His brother, Mojmr, refused membership in theCommunist Party of Czechoslovakiaand was fired. In 1956, the vehicle's name was changed toVelorex - Oskarand then just toVelorex. In 1959, the company produced 120 vehicles per month. In 1961, part of the production moved into a new plant inRychnov and Knenou. The maximum speed of the car was 18 mph. In 1963, production of the newly designed "Model 16" started (fitted with either CZ 175 orJawa 350type 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 cheapTrabants), made the four-wheeler a commercial failure, and its production was stopped in 1973. Plans to produce a small car similar toFiat 500or arickshaw-like truckdid not materialize. Spare parts for Velorex vehicles were first produced in the Solnice plant then in Rychnov nad Knenou after 1975. In the mid-1980s,Indiatried 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 toEastern Bloccountries (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 theCzech Republic. Rallies are regularly organized inBoskovice(last in 2007) and inLipnice nad Szavou, inside theLipnice 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.