German-born Gustav Heine came to California with his family in 1873. He worked for a piano manufacturer in San Francisco but was always fascinated by engineering, and he built his first three cars, all 50 to 60-hp runabouts, in 1906. After the San Francisco earthquake, he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and in 1921 he bought the Economy Steel Manufacturing Company and began building the Heine-Volx - a handmade luxury car on a huge low frame with a 148-inch wheelbase. It had hydraulic brakes on all wheels, a cold-weather starting system, and pivoting windows. Its massive frame was powered by a Weidely V12 engine built in Indianapolis. The most expensive car in America in its day, the Heine-Velox Sporting Victoria cost $25,000 in 1921 when other luxury cars, including Rolls-Royce, were selling for under $10,000. Very few Heine-Velox cars were built and only two are known to survive.

By 1923, the Heine-Volex company was dissolved after the Economy Steel Manufacturing Company closed. Gustav moved to southern California, falling back on his passion for pianos.