The final ten
Ten motorcycles, assembled from the parts the Van Veen factory left behind.
- Assembled from original Van Veen factory stock
- Original moulds and drawings, digitised
- New frames to original specification by Nico Bakker
Art in motion
The final ten Van Veen OCR 1000s
Built in Wommels from the original factory stock, to the drawings and moulds Van Veen left behind.
- Engine
- Comotor rotary
- Final series
- Ten motorcycles
- Total ever built
- Fifty
Original factory parts · Frames by Nico Bakker · Two years guarantee
What we build
Service and spares
Servicing and parts, for the new motorcycles and for the ones already out there.
- Servicing after delivery
- Spares from the original factory stock
- Newly developed seals against oil leaks
- built before the factory closed
- 38
- built before the factory closed
- in this final series
- 10
- in this final series
- that will ever exist
- 50
- that will ever exist
The story
Fifty motorcycles, and then it stops
The Van Veen OCR 1000 was meant to be the most exceptional motorcycle in the world, and it became that by accident. The rotary engine came from Comotor, a joint venture of Citroën and NSU. When both parents dropped the Wankel project after the 1973 oil crisis, the factory in Duderstadt had only just opened its doors. It closed again before it had properly begun. Thirty-eight motorcycles had been built.
The remaining parts, the moulds and the drawings survived. They are in Wommels now, on shelves, in plastic containers, down to the letters that spell Van Veen on the tank. Twelve Comotor engines are left. Ten of them will become complete motorcycles, which brings the total ever built to fifty. The first of the new series is officially number 41.
Everything here is finite. When the last engine is in a frame, that is the end of it, and the only work left is keeping the fifty running.
Inside the workshop
Photographs from the build. Every part on these shelves came out of the Van Veen factory stock.
Frequently asked questions
How many are still available?
Ten motorcycles were planned from the remaining factory stock, and no more than ten, because only twelve Comotor engines were left and a reserve of spares is kept back. For the number still unsold, please ask.
What engine is in it?
A Comotor rotary engine, originally developed for cars by the Citroën and NSU joint venture, and adapted for motorcycle use both technically and visually. The cover on the right-hand side is one piece with the gearbox, developed by Porsche.
Is it a new motorcycle or a restoration?
Neither exactly. The parts are original Van Veen factory stock, unused. The frames are newly made to the original specification by Nico Bakker, most parts are recoated and cleaned, and the paintwork is done again. The result is a motorcycle that was never built in the seventies but was always meant to be.
Can it actually be ridden?
Yes, and that is the point of building them. The engines are assembled and taken apart again until they run dry, new seals were developed against oil leaks, and the tyres are modern ones in the original sizes.
What happens if something breaks?
Every new motorcycle comes with two years of guarantee, and servicing continues after that. The spares reserve from the factory stock exists for exactly this reason.
I already own an OCR 1000. Can you help?
Yes. The spares and the knowledge here apply to the earlier motorcycles as much as to the new ones. Get in touch and describe what you need.
Interested in one of the ten?
Write or call. You will speak to the people who build the motorcycle.
Contact
The workshop is in Wommels, in the north of the Netherlands. Visits by appointment.
- 0515 332876 Visits: By appointment
- De Lange Baan 2, 8731 DZ Wommels Directions on Google Maps