Also in my garage: classic Ferraris and motorised bicycles

By Mario Laguna

| 9 Aug 2023

Classic & Sports Car – Also in my garage: classic Ferraris and motor-propelled bicycles

Could a humble VéloSoleX moped really have any appeal to the owner of a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, Dino 208, a pair of 365GT 2+2s (a black 1968 car and a yellow ’69) and a 328GTB?

Very much so for serial Maranello collector Raymond Niesen, whose passion for the asthmatic two-wheelers has led him to build the largest VéloSoleX set in the world.

“When I was a teenager, we used to spend our family summer vacations in France,” explains Raymond.

Raymond Niesen is the most prolific collector of VéloSoleXes, a type of motorised bicycle

At the time, VéloSoleXes were popular with French workers and among youngsters whose families could afford more than a bicycle.

“My 14-year-old cousins and their friends enjoyed the delights of the VéloSoleX,” says Raymond.

“These motor-propelled bicycles were a perfect demonstration of the power of freedom.

“I promised myself one as soon as I could afford it.”

Cabinets and folders store a collection of VéloSoleX-related memorabilia

One led to another, and 50 years on Raymond is the planet’s most prolific VéloSoleX collector.

“The more you discover about the origins and development of the VéloSoleX, the more you fall into a bottomless pond,” he says.

“The story has the gravitational pull of a black hole.”

Celebrities such as Robert Redford, Steve McQueen, Brigitte Bardot, Charles Aznavour and Rowan Atkinson all used VéloSoleXes, but for Raymond nothing compares with Jacques Tati riding his in the 1959 film Mon Oncle: “It’s as French as baguettes and camembert!”

Raymond with his gold-plated 60th-birthday VéloSoleX, one of two built

Raymond has amassed a collection of 300 – and still counting.

The oldest ’bike is a 1942 prototype, but, because of the war and the occupation of France, full production didn’t start until 1946.

The most ostentatious is one of the two gold-plated examples produced for the marque’s 60th anniversary – without a doubt Auric Goldfinger’s favourite.

Raymond found the perfect home for his collection when an old farm became available close to the banks of the Moselle river in Germany, in a region famous for its Roman vineyards.

Original documents, including advertising material and drawings, comprise part of the collection

Until its demise in 1988, VéloSoleX had factories in France, Spain and Italy, but they were also assembled in large numbers in Denmark, The Netherlands, the United States and Vietnam.

With a total production of seven million, it’s akin to the motorcycle equivalent of the Volkswagen Beetle.

Specimens of all types, colours and sizes, and from all countries, are displayed in this Aladdin’s cave, along with some rare limited editions including a very elegant Roland Garros, dedicated to the tennis tournament, and another built by Hispano-Suiza.

A hand-painted Peugeot van inspired a diecast miniature

But it’s not just the ’bikes themselves: an outstanding selection of VéloSoleX-related items, including literature, photographs and promotional posters, is preserved in display cases and cabinets.

There’s an exhaustive collection of books, journals and magazines, scale models and memorabilia, all preserved in a dry, stable environment.

The most precious documents came straight from the factory archives, such as the first advertising material, along with original records and drawings.

“The more you discover about the origins and development of the VéloSoleX, the more you fall into a bottomless pond”

Raymond travels the world to find these hidden treasures.

The purchase of the new-old stock from the Detroit factory was an amazing find: he hired a whole container to ship it to Europe.

Although the collection is not open to the general public, Raymond is keen to welcome clubs, students, historians and researchers by prior appointment.

Interested parties can forward their details via C&SC.

Images: Mario Laguna

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