March 25, 2002

Considered another Moline magnate, John Deere’s youngest grandson echoed his grandfather’s commitment to quality by building not just any automobile…but a car that appealed to the fastidious buyer — as well as the one who wanted to drive it fast.

İThis pair of Velie cars was set to race at Indianapolis in 1911. Number 41 finished the race in 17th place; Number 40 qualified but did not run at all that day.

Back in 1908, Willard Velie started building cars in Moline and made an impressive 20-year run in the fast-paced industry of automobile manufacturing.

During the first few years of production, many stock Velie cars rolled off the assembly line…and across the finish line with impressive wins in races all across the country.

While its top speed of 65 mph would put it in last place when competing against today’s 200-mph race cars, the Velie H1 Racytype Roadster was "designed for speed" said the description in the 1911 Velie Motor Cars literature.

According to that same brochure, the company bragged that no Velie car had ever been defeated by another $2,000 stock car in National Hill Climbing Contests. It also won 95 percent of the Reliability Runs, earning it the title of "Champion $2,000 Stock Car of America."

The H1 Racytype Roadster sold for just $2,000 but was compared to cars that cost $5,000 due to the Velie’s impressive features and quality. One 1911 ad slogan said it was "the raciest, snappiest, get there runabout on the road."

With its 40-hp, 4-cylinder engine, the Velie Racytype Roadster gained fame nationwide, taking home trophies for hill climb contests, road endurance events and races on dirt oval tracks as early as 1909. Even the stock Velie 30 and 40 touring cars pulled off several victories from coast to coast.

Overall, Velie cars earned rave reviews from owners who put the car through its paces across rural roads with rocks and ruts, through hub-deep mud and gumbo, up steep hill grades and over mountain passes.

The durability and dependability of the automobile amazed its owners as the car could overcome seemingly impossible challenges looking no worse for the wear. Owners also touted the economical efficiency of the Velie, stating minimal repair or maintenance expenses after many miles of service.

Built from 1911-1913, the Velie H1 Racytype Roadster sold for $2,000 as shown here with its $25 optional "blood orange" body color. Capable of 65 mph from its 40-hp engine, "this car appeals to the taste most exacting" admits 1911 literature.

Even before the race ran for 500 miles or the track was laid in its famous brick surface, a Velie car raced at the brand-new Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana.

On the first day of festivities held to inaugurate the racetrack on August 19, 1909, the 30-hp stock Velie car was one of five cars to run in the very first event. John Henry Stickney, a factory race team employee, drove the Velie in the five-mile, two-lap race with a less-than-impressive fourth-place finish. And the Velie #49 didn’t finish a 50-mile race the very next day either.

While nothing disastrous happened to the Velie race team (other than poor finishes), several tragic accidents occurred over the three-day grand opening event.

As a result of these fatalities, the track was rebuilt and resurfaced. Just two years later, a Velie again ran at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, now nicknamed the "Brickyard" for its new brick surface on the 2.5-mile oval. And for the first time ever, the race would be 500 miles long. It was billed as "the largest automobile speed event ever run on a specially constructed course" with the largest entry list for a U.S. race and "the largest prize ever offered for a contest of its kind."

According to a story in The Horseless Age on April 26, 1911, two Velie cars were entered in the "five-century" race. The Velie Motor Car Company of Chicago sponsored both four-cylinder, 30-horsepower cars for the first Indy 500 with the $750 per car entry fee.

The article notes, "The Velie Company is not a veteran at racing. Recently one of its cars participated in the 24-hour race at Playa del Rey and its performance led the makers to believe that the car can make a showing in the big event."

The speedy driver duo of Howard Hall and Arthur Gibbons helped Velie race cars finish first in numerous events. Hall had "general charge" of the mechanical and driving supervision of the Velie racing team, assisted by Gibbons and a pair of mechanics.

On May 31, 1911, the #41 Velie started in 36^th position and finished 17^th out of forty cars. Driver Howard Hall averaged 65.4 mph for the entire 500 miles and even reached 90 mph at times! But the race was called after 7 hours 23 minutes, leaving the Velie and 17 other cars still on the track. Only the first ten received a share of the $25,000 prize money.

However, Hall did manage to beat famous driver "Wild Bob" Burman. Before joining the Velie Racing Team, Hall had been a mechanic for Burman, who had recently been crowned "Speed King" after breaking the speed record at Daytona Beach with 141.73 mph.

Hall had "general charge" of mechanical and driving supervision, and was assisted by Arthur Gibbons and two mechanics. According to race records, another Velie car registered for the Indy 500 but the Velie #40 to be driven by Gibbons never ran for reasons unknown at this time.

That first year, the first-place finish took 6 hours 41 minutes to win the prize of about $10,000… compared to today’s approximate take of $1.5 million for winning the 200-lap race in about 3 hours. That’s more than 100 times the take for less than half the time!

Despite the fact that Velie made cars for two decades (1908-1928), no other Velie ran in the Indy 500 again. When asked about racing in the 1912 Indy 500, Velie sales manager George H. Lloyd answered in the April 28, 1912 issue of the Chicago Record-Herald:

"We have definitely decided not to enter Velie cars in any of the national race meets. We do not pretend to build racing cars, 90 per cent of our product being placed in the hands of the individual who does his own driving, and we have never yet had a complaint that our cars are not fast enough. We believe the public in general understands that no stock cars are entered in the big races, consequently the publicity advantages to be gained are reduced to a minimum."

Despite those discouraging words from the company, several Velie cars raced individually all across the country after that date — from hill climbs and dirt oval tracks to endurance road races from coast to coast.

This blurry image of Velie race car Number 41 shows how fast the car cruised (81 mph) in qualifying for the first ever Indy race in 1911.

This trio of Velie racing winners was featured in 1911 literature that boasted the car won 95 percent of the Reliability Runs it entered, earning it the title of "Champion $2,000 Stock Car of America."