Benjamin Bowden
| Benjamin George Bowden | |
|---|---|
| Born |
3 June 1906 North Kensington, England |
| Died | 6 March 1998 (aged 91) Lake Worth, Florida |
| Nationality | United States/United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Designer and engineer |
| Known for | Bicycle and automobile design |
Benjamin George Bowden (3 June 1906 – 6 March 1998) was a British industrial designer, who is known mostly for his work on automobiles and bicycles. Bowden designed the coachwork of Healey's Elliott, an influential British sports car. He was also the designer of the Spacelander, a space-age bicycle which was commercially unsuccessful when in production, but has since become a collector's item.
Bowden was born in London, England 3 June 1906. He received violin training at Guildhall, and completed a course in engineering at Regent Street Polytechnic.
In 1925 Bowden began working as an automobile designer for the Rootes Group. By the late 1930s, Bowden was chief body engineer for the Humber car factory in Coventry. During World War II, he designed an armored car which was used by Winston Churchill and George VI.
In 1945, he left the Rootes Group and formed his own design studio in Leamington Spa with partner John Allen. The studio was one of the first such design firms formed in Britain.
Bowden designed the body of Healey's Elliott, which, in 1947, was the first British car to break the 100 mph barrier. Working with Achille Sampietro who created the chassis, Bowden drew the initial design for the auto directly onto the walls of his house. Shortly before his departure to the United States Bowden penned a sketch design for a two-seater sports racing prototype, the Zethrin Rennsport, being developed by Val Zethrin. This used the same wheelbase as the short-chassis Squire Sports, and was dressed in a contemporary all-enveloping streamlined body. This design theme was carried through to his subsequent work on the early Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Thunderbird.
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