Itera - plastic bicycle

1981-1985

This innovative plastic bicycle developed by a group of Volvo engineers was expected to revolutionize the Swedish bicycle industry. The bike was launched with the slogan, “The eternal machine - made of the same material as spaceships.”

However, the plastic construction was not sturdy enough, causing the bike to wobble. One journalist described the bike as “it looks like a crocodile but moves like an anaconda.” Manufacturing costs turned out to be double than expected. The Itera goes down in history as one of Sweden’s largest flops.

Additional info: (sorry only in Swedish, Google Translate might help)

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Unboxing video with horrible soundtrack: