AN ENTREPRENEUR is aiming to bring a new retro-craze to Britain - the VeloSolex, a quaint motorised cycle used by French villagers since the Second World War,

The 49cc moped, usually seen with a baguette strapped to the carrier, can be ridden by anyone older than 16, has a maximum speed of 23mph - and takes a very long time to reach even that.

But importer J. U. Petersen - "no-one can pronounce my first name" - said they have been storming into European cities after being taken up by a sophisticated young set who find them smarter than a sports car.

He said: "In Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Paris it's just as fashionable to arrive at a fashionable restaurant on a VeloSolex as in a Ferrari."

Mr Petersen, a former Danish kart champion who came to England ten years ago after selling a timber business in his native Denmark, settled here so that he could send his children to the European School at Culham.

Now he has set up Hamlet Motors at Boars Hill to import the VeloSolex. In the first month he has sold several hundred and aims to build a network of 500 dealers.

The model was developed in 1946 to put French villagers on the road cheaply after the Second World War. Since then, more than eight million have been produced. They cost £698, do 200 miles to the gallon, and insurance is £67 for two named riders.

He said: "You can park it anywhere like a bicycle, which is a big advantage in a place like Oxford. I think it will catch on here in a big way."

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