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| Accession # | 2001.36 |
|---|---|
| Designer | Benjamin G. Bowden |
| Manufacturer | Bombard Industries |
| Title | Spacelander Bicycle |
| Date | 1960 |
| Medium | Fiberglass, metal, glass, and rubber |
| Dimensions | 44 x 77 x 32 in. (111.8 x 195.6 x 81.3 cm) |
| Marks | On shaped metal tag on frame beneath handlebars: "BOW / DEN". On metal tag behind seat: "BOMARD INDUSTRIES, INC. / KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI / U.S.PAT.NO. 2,537,325 / Canadian Pat. No. 1951 / SERIAL NO. [engraved] B009905" |
| Credit Line | Marie Bernice Bitzer Fund |
| Location | Visible Storage: Case 13 |
| Description | Two wheeled, single-speed "Spacelander" bicycle; streamlined reddish-pink molded monocoque fiberglass frame. Fiberglass constructed in multiple piece. Irregular, organic-shaped openings expose front and rear wheels and area beneath the seat. Trimmed with stainless steel over the top exterior surface mating seams. White plastic handle grips, black and white seat and whitewall tires. (Seat and pedals probably not original.) |
Curatorial Remarks: About this Brooklyn Icon
The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.
Conceived by industrial designer Benjamin Bowden, the Spacelander Bicycle exemplifies the fun-loving streamlining that epitomized post–World War II recreational design. The bicycle is based on a 1948 English aluminum prototype that was handmade by the MG Auto Company and prohibitively expensive to produce. In addition to its futuristic look, the design’s key feature was a dynamo that stored the vehicle’s downhill energy and released it on uphill climbs.
When initial runs proved commercially unsuccessful, plans to mass-produce the bicycle were abandoned in 1949. In 1960, however, Bowden contracted with Bomard Industries in Michigan to make this more mechanically conventional, one-speed version in fiberglass, a new manufacturing material. Ultimately the endeavor was way too costly for Bomard Industries as well, and the firm went out of business after making only 522 examples. The Spacelander Bicycle became popular in the 1960s among collectors, beloved as a retro design that celebrated joy and faith in new technology at a time when space exploration and computing software were just emerging.
