1960 Bowden Spacelander

Benjamin Bowden, an Englishman, first designed the Classic, later called the Spacelander, in 1946. It would be 1960, and in the United States, before Mr. Bowden would find the financial backing to produce the Spacelander. Unfortunately it wasn’t a commercial success and the bikes were only produced for about a year. Several sources say that 522 bikes were produced but Ben Bowden himself said he wasn’t sure exactly how many were made. The body of the bike is fiberglass and they are prone to breaking. The Bowdens were reproduced in the 1980s and today these reproductions command decent money. The stunning, restored bike shown here in “Cliffs of Dover White” is owned by Mark Gordon.

1959 Schwinn Corvette

In 1955 Schwinn introduced the middleweight Corvette and it spelled the beginning of the end for balloon tire models. While the five speeds are probably the most desirable Corvettes the one year only (1959) white Corvettes are probably the rarest of the line. For 1959 Schwinn offered the Corvette in radiant red, green, blue, black, and white. There are currently less than 20 known white bikes and are all 26″ models.

The Corvette was offered with single speed and two speed coaster brake as well as a three speed Schwinn Approved Sturmey Archer with rim brakes. This bike is a three speed but has the wrong seat and headlight. The bike was also offered in 24″ size but, to date, no 24″ models have surfaced. The Corvette model ended in 1964.