Velie Owners Group

Velie was a brass era American automobile brand produced by the Velie Motors Corporation in Moline, Illinois from 1908 to 1929. The company was founded by and named for Willard Velie, a maternal grandson of John Deere.

Velie ads bragged they "produce every important part"[1] and are not simply assemblers, a lesson Ford had taught.

The 1911 Velie 40 had a 334 in3 (5473 cc) (4½×5¼-inch, 114×133 mm) four-cylinder L-head four-cycle gasoline engine, fired by Splitdorf magneto, producing 40 hp (30 kW), mated to a Brown-Lipe sliding-gear transmission with three forward and one reverse speed).[2]

It was a four-seater with a 115 in (2921 mm) wheelbase and 34×4-inch (86×10-cm) hickory artillery wheels, shod in the customer's choice of Hartford or Firestone tires.[2] It was priced at US$1800,[2] which compared against US$1500[3] for the Colt Runabout and US$1600 for the Oakland 40,[4] but well below even American's lowest-price model, at US$4250 (its highest was US$5250).[5]

Velie produced 9,000 vehicles in 1920. During the 1920s, Velie's were powered by a 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. In addition, they provided engines for Luscombe aircraft, including the Monocoupe 90.

Willard Velie died in 1928, and his family discontinued the Velie automobile in January 1929.

According to the Velie Register, 229 Velies are known to exist as of 2008.