58 bhp, 221.0 cu. in. OHV inline six-cylinder engine, three-speed manual transmission, solid front axle and live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 118"

- Offered from the Nethercutt Collection

- An uncommon survivor with four-wheel hydraulic brakes

- Ex-Harrah Collection

In 1902, as the Velie Carriage Company was being organized, many other carriage builders had already switched to making automobiles. Willard Velie didn’t want for money, as his grandfather was John Deere, whose Deere & Company was flush with cash from selling plows to Midwestern farmers. By 1908, Velie had formed the Velie Motor Vehicle Company and ventured into automobiles. The firm sold 1,000 Velie 30s in the first year. The first Velies had used Lycoming engines, but Will Velie preferred to manufacture in-house when he could, so by 1911 chief engineer C.B. Rose had designed a new four-cylinder powerplant with roller tappets. The resulting car was, according to Velie ads, “The Climax in Auto Value.” A six introduced in 1915 was powered by Continental, then a new Model 34 after the war used an overhead-valve Falls engine. By 1922, the company had again taken engines in-house, with a Velie-designed OHV six of 198.7 cubic inches. For 1923 it was given full-pressure lubrication.

Fresh styling heralded the Velie Model 60 for 1925. Among its features were balloon tires and Lockheed hydraulic brakes on all four wheels. The engine was refined for 1926, by engineer Herbert Snow. Displacement was upped to 221 cid, brake horsepower to 58. For 1928, Velie ventured further upwards, with an eight-cylinder engine from Lycoming. Business was good. But that October, Willard Velie died suddenly. His son, Willard Jr., announced a month later that motor car production would be suspended in order to concentrate on aviation projects. Five months later, Willard Jr., too, was dead, of heart disease. With no Velies to carry on the business or the name, the remnants of the company were sold. The factory reverted to Deere & Company.

The Nethercutt Trust purchased this Velie Model 60 from the esteemed William Harrah Collection in 1985. Tasteful in orange over black, with a black convertible top, it is an older restoration and has been well preserved. It has varnished wood artillery wheels, and the sturdy Velie overhead-valve six-cylinder engine. It presents well and is one of a tiny handful of late Velies to survive.