1942-1965 : Birth of a legend
Creation of a new company:
Maurice Goudard and Marcel Mennesson, both "Centraliens" (they
graduated from the State School of Engineering) are the creators of the Solex
company. This company was created around 1905 to produce first centrifugal
heaters, then carburetors.
In 1916 Marcel Mennesson applies for a patent to produce an auxiliary engine
located in the center of the rear wheel. He would have this patent on December
31, 1917. A second patent applied for on December 31, 1918 and given on May
26, 1919 is about a complete two-wheeler that includes: a single tubular frame
which links the seat to the steering column and goes through the foot rest,
and a front suspension by a pendular fork. Those patents would not be followed
by starting production.
Birth of a Myth:
Only in 1940 would Marcel Mennesson have a prototype of a 38cm-engine built.
Its characteristics are the ones of the actual Solex, including, among other
things, a transmission with a running wheel, a cylinder out of the line of
the wheel, and a gas pump that brings the gas back to the tank. By december
1940, this engine is installed on a men's bike - the "Alcyon" which
is black with a gold trim, and which wheels are 700mm. This is indeed the
first model of Velosolex.
First Solex prototype
On July 7, 1943 a new category of mopeds is made official: "The bicycles
with emergency engines equal or below 50cm." This opens the
door to mass production. The Solex
model is finished in 1942 and almost 700 of them would be first
produced and tried out by the personnel of the company in order
to ameliorate it. The definitive version would appear in the Spring
Second Solex prototype
The first Velosolex will be sold in april 1946. They are manufactured in
Courbevoie at the speed of 15 bikes a day, and are sold 13,600 Francs each.
In 1947 the first modifications are started, and the oil company British
Petroleum invents "Solexine," a pre-mixed dosage of gas and oil
that reduces the forming of residue (also called "calamine"). That
fuel is sold in Solex gas stations in 2-liter cans.
In 1948 25,000 bikes are manufactured and the price has risen up to 19,418
Francs. In 1949 36,000 are manufactured, and it was then estimated that more
than 100 Solex were sold on any working day. The price of the 1951 model reaches
At the Solex company, Gaston Chapelle is in charge of the aftersales division,
and he managed in particular to install a network of almost 250 Solex gas
stations in 1951, and 1,000 in 1962 all over France and in most of the countries
belonging to the French union.
The last bicycle with an engine:
Drawindgs of the 1952
In 1953 100,000 bikes are manufactured, and this model is the last of the
"bicycles with emergency engines." Its success is phenomenal, Solex
are sold to dealers 50 at a time and the dealers pay cash. All that was possible
because orders were placed three months in advance. Furthermore, it is now
said that at the time, bikes could be available sooner through black market.
That year, demand is so high that production is divided up among three factories.
One of the factories
In 1954, a new model is introduced. Its engine is modified. It costs 34,810
Francs and is labeled by the Solex company as "type 330." By 1954,
157,814 units will be sold, and 202,588 by the year 1955.
The 660 is introduced in October
1955 at the Paris Show: the bicycle is modified. 228,183 are sold
in 1956, 261,021 in 1957, and 274,261 in 1958.
Changes in the Engine:
In 1957 appears the 1010, which major changes are in the engine.
The 1400 appears in 1958 with wheels of 550 and thicker tires. 288,309 will
be sold for 32,800 Francs, and a one-year guarantee is offered.
In 1960 appears the 1700, which
is an answer to the competition that offered Vélovap. This
new model has an automatic compound clutch. 288,194 units will be
sold at the same price as the 1400. The same year, 5 production
factories are building Vélosolex.
The model S 2200 will come out in the summer of 1961, with some improvements
regarding its looks and the engine power. In 1961, production reaches 300,070,
and each bike is sold 348 Francs (new currency). 311,076 bikes are produced
in 1963 and 380,000 in 1964. It is estimated that in 1964, 1,500 bikes are
sold in a working day.
In order to improve productivity, the frame will be modified with a rectangular
section made of steel. The S 3300, introduced in 1964, will be equipped with
this new frame. Its price is 373 Francs.
And a special thanks to Anne-Sophie
who realy helped me translate this page (to