Solitary Velocity - Ambition has always been the quiet engine behind the world’s most intriguing machines. Long before digital design tools and crowdfunding platforms made experimentation easier, there were individuals who simply decided to build something extraordinary with their own hands. One such story unfolds in
the Dutch city of Leeuwarden, where a young and determined
Martin van der Velde set out in the mid-1960s to create what he believed could become the lowest sports car on earth. The result of that bold vision was
the remarkable 1967 Van der Velde Special.
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| The 1967 Van der Velde Special. (Picture from: RareCarsOnly) |
Van der Velde was not backed by a factory, investors, or even a small team of mechanics. He worked entirely alone, sketching his ideas by hand and turning them into reality piece by piece. As a foundation, he selected the chassis of the iconic Volkswagen Beetle, a logical yet clever choice known for its reliability and adaptable platform. From there, everything became deeply personal. There was no catalog ordering of performance parts or outsourcing of bodywork. Each bracket, mount, control, and interior detail was individually fabricated in his own workspace, reflecting a level of dedication rarely seen even in that experimental era of automotive history.
Visually,
the Van der Velde Special stood apart from mainstream sports cars of the 1960s.
Its body was shaped into a strikingly low coupe silhouette,
emphasizing aerodynamics long before wind tunnels became standard for independent builders. Most of the steel panels were hand-formed, carefully hammered and refined to achieve smooth, flowing lines that gave the car a sense of motion even when stationary. Beneath the sculpted exterior sat
a tuned Volkswagen 1500 engine,
delivering power through a lightweight structure that balanced agility and mechanical simplicity. Inside,
the cabin followed the same philosophy as the exterior—minimalist, functional, and purpose-built—where every component existed because
Van der Velde had personally designed and installed it.
Despite reaching the stage of a fully running prototype, the car never entered production and was never publicly showcased. Like many privately built creations of its time, it quietly retreated into obscurity.
Stored in a garage on Engelsestraat in Leeuwarden,
the Van der Velde Special remained hidden for nearly four decades. In 2007,
Van der Velde briefly awakened his creation,
starting the engine after years of silence and confirming that the mechanics still held together.
The car was then parked once more,
only to resurface later through an online advertisement that caught the attention of Volkswagen specialists Femme de Vries and Sander Marinus.
Recognizing its historical and cultural importance,
they acquired the car in 2025 and began the careful process of returning it to proper running condition while preserving its originality.
Today,
the 1967 Van der Velde Special resonates far beyond its modest origins. In an age dominated by mass production and digital replication, this hand-built coupe stands as a reminder of what individual creativity can achieve. Its flat-four engine runs again, not as a relic, but as a living expression of a young builder’s daring vision from the 1960s. More than just a rare prototype, it represents a moment when passion outweighed practicality and when one person’s determination was enough to shape steel, challenge conventions, and leave behind a machine that still sparks curiosity decades later.
*** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | RARE CARS ONLY | EN.AMKLASSIEK.NL | RARE CARS ONLY IN FACEBOOK ]Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.
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