![Classic Ferraris aren’t Raymond Niesen’s only passion Classic & Sports Car – Also in my garage: classic Ferraris and motor-propelled bicycles](/sites/default/files/styles/article/public/2023-07/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20Also%20in%20my%20garage%20%E2%80%93%20classic%20Ferraris%20and%20motor-propelled%20bicycles%20%E2%80%93%2004.png?itok=HRJvoE5q)
Could a humble VéloSoleX moped really have any appeal to the owner of a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, Dino 208, a pair of 365GT 2+2s (a black 1968 car and a yellow ’69) and a 328GTB?
Very much so for serial Maranello collector Raymond Niesen, whose passion for the asthmatic two-wheelers has led him to build the largest VéloSoleX set in the world.
“When I was a teenager, we used to spend our family summer vacations in France,” explains Raymond.
![This line of VéloSoleXes is a small part of a 300-strong collection Classic & Sports Car – Also in my garage: classic Ferraris and motor-propelled bicycles](/sites/default/files/2023-07/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20Also%20in%20my%20garage%20%E2%80%93%20classic%20Ferraris%20and%20motor-propelled%20bicycles%20%E2%80%93%2003.png)
Raymond Niesen is the most prolific collector of VéloSoleXes, a type of motorised bicycle
At the time, VéloSoleXes were popular with French workers and among youngsters whose families could afford more than a bicycle.
“My 14-year-old cousins and their friends enjoyed the delights of the VéloSoleX,” says Raymond.
“These motor-propelled bicycles were a perfect demonstration of the power of freedom.
“I promised myself one as soon as I could afford it.”
![Folders of VéloSoleX-related documents Classic & Sports Car – Also in my garage: classic Ferraris and motor-propelled bicycles](/sites/default/files/2023-07/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20Also%20in%20my%20garage%20%E2%80%93%20classic%20Ferraris%20and%20motor-propelled%20bicycles%20%E2%80%93%2002.png)
Cabinets and folders store a collection of VéloSoleX-related memorabilia