Louwman Museum unveils spectacular 1921 Leyat Helica

The Louwman Museum welcomes one of the most unusual vehicles in automotive history: the 1921 Leyat Helica 2H Conduite Interieure. This propeller car, designed by French aircraft manufacturer Marcel Leyat, shows how advanced mobility already was more than a century ago.

An airplane without wings, that was the nickname of the automobile at the time of its introduction in 1913. A pet name given to the car christened Helica because of its large propeller at the front. The propeller, connected to an air cooled two cylinder engine, provided the propulsion for the four wheeled car. As a result, gearbox and clutch are unnecessary. Reversing is only possible with a push, which is no problem thanks to the low weight of 250 kilos. Steering is done with the rear axle and the front axle has drum brakes with double pedals. After years of development work, the first production model of the Helica appeared in 1921. Although around 600 interested visitors came forward at the Paris Motor Show, Leyat built only 30 examples. Reportedly, three examples still exist, of which the Helica in the Louwman Museum is the only one with a closed body, a Conduite Interieure.
Story full of adventure
The Leyat Helica in the Louwman Museum is chassis 004 and was built and used by Marcel Leyat as a development vehicle, but Leyat soon sold the car to the Peugeot family for private use. Only in 2025 did the family of the French car maker part with the car. The grandson of the first owner felt it was time to share this unique car with the public. For the Louwman Museum, the addition of the extremely rare Helica makes a dream come true, because this is a unique piece of automotive history.