Post-Listing Update: This Valmobile did not meet reserve with bidding up to $2,225.
Weighing just 75 pounds, the Valmobile was marketed as a ‘foldaway motor scooter and golf car.’ The front assembly folds into the the body, and a pull handle allows you to drag the box by hand as it rolls on the rear wheel!
The 49cc two-stroke engine produces 2.8 horsepower and yielded 165 miles per gallon. It could apparently hit 35 miles per hour and it was available in Red/Orange, Cream/Beige, and the Blue/Green you see in front of you. Marketing materials suggested you could fold it up or unfold in 30 seconds. According to a period brochure, the list price was $215 (plus a $10 fee if you were west of the Mississippi River). For an extra $79.95, you could also buy a Val-Cart, which was a mini sidecar of sorts that would allow you to lug along some extra cargo…like a bag of golf clubs. For more information, check out Old Bike/Buy Vintage UK, which has a great set of photos showing how it all folds up, as well as some old ads like this one:
photo from https://buyvintage1.wordpress.com/
This example was apparently originally purchased a US businessman who frequently traveled to the Bahamas as a runabout once he landed. The suspension bands are new and the seat is a repro (original is included but has a two inch tear). Impressively, this bike has the original MSO and other paperwork like the service manual, early registrations, and more. The seller says he/she has the incredibly rare factory option of saddlebags, which are made out of some sort of canvas. Find this Valmobile for sale in Longwood, Florida with bidding up to $2,000 and the reserve not yet met
This bike-uriousity brought to you by Rob B and Jim R!