About Velie
The Velie was an automobile brand produced by the Velie Motors Corporation of Moline, Illinois (United States) from 1908 to 1929. The company was founded by and named for Willard Velie, a maternal grandson of John Deere.
Velie produced 9,000 vehicles in 1920. During the 1920s, Velie's were powered by an L-head six cylinder Continental engine; in 1926 a straight eight Lycoming engine was also offered. In 1924, Velie began installing Westinghouse electric ignitions in their cars. Velie's Royal Sedan body was one of the first cars designed with a raked "A" pillar, which gave its windshield a significant angle from the top to the base.
The company also produced aircraft for several years. The Velie Monocoupe was one of the first planes built for private pilots. Manufactured from 1927-1929 by W.L. Velie the single-wing Monocoupes were built with a frame of wood and shell covered with canvas. The Monocoupe could seat two people within an enclosed cabin. In all there were 350 Velie Monocoupes produced. Upon W. L. Velie's death, his son had planned to continue making planes but he died within months of his father. There is a Velie Monocoupe on display at the California Science Center that is on loan from the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Stats for the Velie Monocoupe Model 70 - Wingspan: 9.1 meters (30 feet) Height: 1.9 meters (6 feet, 3 inches) Length: 6 meters (19 feet, 9 inches) Max speed: 160 km/h (100 mph)
