Volvo Venus Bilo Concept 1933

Volvo’s first concept car – Venus Bilo – was unveiled in 1933, when the company was a mere six years old. Venus Bilo was a highly streamlined model. Its enclosed bodywork announced a radical styling change from the wings, running boards and bolt-upright grille that visually defined the era of the early 1930s. Volvo used Venus Bilo to test the public's reaction toward streamlining prior to the introduction of the PV36 'Carioca' in 1935. The Carioca was not a sales success, perhaps indicating that the Venus Bilo concept had not been evaluated sufficiently by Volvo. The lesson once learned by Volvo would never be forgotten.

Possibly before its time, the interesting feature of the Venus Bilo is the similarity of its styling to that of one of Volvo’s later concept cars, the Versatility Concept Car, in 2003. Separated by 70 years, the two concepts share a few contemporary features such as rear-hinged rear doors; rear wheels perched as rearward as possible to improve interior space; and the identifiably sloped rear end.

The fate of the car itself is unknown. After World War II it was sold to a person in Denmark. In the mid 1950s it was owned by a Danish scrapyard owner who rebuilt it into a pickup truck. It was used as late as 1956, but then it vanished.