Bud Tierney Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 Going thru some old specs to update my Cont'l-makes list and noticed Velie used just "Velie" up to 1914...1915-17 it apparently used name Velie-Biltwell, reverting to "Velie" in 1918... Standard Cat/Mroz/Wiki etc (on cursory Googling) don't mention. Anyone have a Velie history that mentions this temporary change??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 5 minutes ago, Bud Tierney said: .... update my Cont'l-makes list... Bud, I'm not sure I understand your abbreviations and shorthand. Are you asking about cars on the European continent? Could it be that Velie-Biltwell was a foreign alliance with the American automaker Velie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 I think he means a list of cars that used Continental brand engines. Velie was an American car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 Several Velie's that I worked on did have 6 Cylinder Continental Engines. Dandy Dave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Tierney Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 Many thxx for interest, and my apologies for being obscure... I've been making up, just for fun, a list of the US car/truck makes using the US Continental Motor Mfg Co, Muskegan etc engines as listed in my old parts catalogs and as listed in some of the old auto periodicals that published specs for a certain years vehicles... Going thru a Dec 1916 Automobile Journal (Googlebooks) I noticed Velie for 1917 was listed as Velie-Biltwell Checking classiscardatabase I saw they listed just the 1915-17 Velie models as Velie-Biltwell, before and after that just Velie... Standard Catalog US Cars 1805-1942 (Std Cat) under Velie doesn't mention Biltwell, nor does Mroz's Ency US Trucks(Mroz---Velie built trucks for awhile) and a Wikipedia Velie entry (very brief) doesn't either... I hoped someone might have a book including a Velie history that might mention Biltwell, which sounds like a marketing slogan tried out and dropped... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 (edited) Do you know John Nikodym of Nebraska? He has some Velie cars, and I believe maintains a Velie registry. I could give you his telephone number if you send me a Private Message. Edited March 21, 2017 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 (edited) Here is an ad dated 1917, found via an internet search. Notice that at the top of the page, "Biltwel" is in small text inserted next to the name "Velie." However, within the text of the description, the car is referred to as the Velie Biltwel. (The second name is "-wel" and not "-well.") So, is "Biltwel" just a descriptive term, or a Velie car model? To me, it sounds more like a slogan, suggesting "built well." It doesn't sound like it is a part of the marque's name. Another clue for your search, Bud: I notice that the ad refers to their 6-cylinder Continental motor. Edited March 23, 2017 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 (edited) I happened upon the "Velie Register" maintained by John Nikodym. It lists his contact information, too: http://p10.hostingprod.com/@veliepartsboard.com/veliereg/velieregister.html Edited March 23, 2017 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Saxton Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Could there have been any corporate connection with Leach or Leach-Biltwell, an expensive car, initially attractive to movie industry luminaries. Harry Miller designed a big six cylinder engine as one of the the options for this. Unfortunately there was a terminal shortcoming in these, and there were likely replacements of these by the alternative, which was something like a Continental model 9N. A lot of detail on these cars is in Mark Dees' most excellent and comprehensive book , "The Miller Dynasty". I apologise that I have only read this once, and that was some years ago; and the details are not strongly imprinted in my memory. Indication is that none of the Miller engines survived. Anyway, the question is whether Velie and Leach used the hyphen-Biltwell name for reason or coincidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Tierney Posted March 23, 2017 Author Share Posted March 23, 2017 As very kindly suggested above, this AM emailed John the Velie Guru; will post any reply (unless my email arrives at a bad time, and out of exasperation he shoots back "Get A Life!!)... Again, many thxx for all replies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Tierney Posted March 24, 2017 Author Share Posted March 24, 2017 John N of the Velie Register very graciously replied to my admittedly inconsequential inquiry, but, alas! had no additional information to offer re' Velie's motivation. It would appear, though, that there was no obscure Mr Biltwel/Biltwell , So many questions...so little time... Again, many thanks to all for comments and sympathy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 Just for the Record, One of the Velie's I did some work on years ago was bought by a decedent of the Deere family. I believe it was a 1922 and do remember it had a Depo Hack style body. Dandy Dave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 The Other was a 1917 touring car with a really wild pinkish/salmon color and black fenders. I believe it is now in California as I saw it on the internet a few years ago and contacted the owner to tell him what I remembered about it. Dandy Dave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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