Formed
from a spontaneous rally of riders meeting at Newlands Corner, just
outside of Guildford in Surrey, in the early summer of 1950, the LE
Velo Club has survived the changing values of more than six decades.
Now into its 7th decade, it has over 1300 members worldwide and is a
limited company committed to promoting the enjoyment, riding and
restoration of the post-war
lightweight models - the LE, Vogue, Valiant and Viceroy.
In
its early years the Club established a strong interest in
long distance touring, coupled with a close relationship with Veloce
Ltd. In
1957 its membership stood at near 800. However, its subsequent decline
mirrored
the fortunes of Veloce, such that at the time of the factory's closure
there
were fewer than 350 members. By 1973 it was apparent that few dealers
would
remain loyal to the LE. Further, it appeared that little information
and
technical expertise has survived the company's liquidation. The future
of the
Club was distinctly gloomy.
However,
a dedicated committee resolved that the Club would
lead a post-Velocette revival of interest in the marque. To this end it
established a spares scheme and a historical archive, the former being
stocked
with parts bought from dealers who were moving to other makes. By 1985,
when the
spares scheme had outgrown its storage space at the Spares Secretary's
home, the
Club bought a dilapidated building in Walsall at the West Midlands, and
spent
the next two years renovating it. Now it serves as a club house and
spares
store.
The
Club is now the pre-eminent source of LE spares. The
original stocks from dealers has been augmented by purchases from many
police
forces, who used to own fleets of these machines for local patrol work.
In
recent years a large range of newly manufactured parts have been added
to stock,
designed by the Club's highly qualified and experienced spares team.
The
archives of the Club have grown considerably, thanks to
donations of individuals, ex Velocette dealers and members of the
Goodman
family. It is now a major prime source of restoration information. The
archive
includes a great many Veloce drawings, the original factory sales
records and a
comprehensive register of surviving machines. Most of these have now
been digitized
and are in CD format.
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