Owners of cars produced by a once-popular UK car company have celebrated the brand’s 75th anniversary with a get-together at the biggest classic motoring event in the country.
The Bond Owners Club attended the NEC Classic Motor Show with a stand full of three-wheelers built by the company that were a common sight on UK roads from 1949 to the 1970s.
Bob Buckby, member of the Bond Owners Club, highlighted that few brands made such a wide variety of vehicles, with many of their three-wheelers seen as a practical choice for coal miners.
He explained: “Bonds are very unusual. From the first car they made in 1949 to the last one, the engines grew 16 times in size. That first one has only 122cc, so barely the size of a small motorbike.
“That said, these were beloved by coal miners. They’re air-cooled so they could easily start during the winter and first thing in the morning. And if it was snowing, because there’s no differential, they just kept spinning, and spinning, and spinning until it reached tarmac. And if it ever got stuck, they’re so light that you and your mates could lift it back onto the road!”
Designed by Lawrence Bond, an engineer from Preston who also helped to design aircraft during World War Two, and manufactured by Sharp’s Commercials Ltd, the first Bond model was the tiny Minicar three-wheeler, introduced in austere post-war years.
Using a 122cc motorcycle engine and a three-speed gearbox, the Minicar was not a fast vehicle, reaching a top speed of 43mph.
However, with a list price of £262 including taxes and the ability to average 72mpg, the three-wheeler was a particularly accessible way to experience the advantages of a car.
Throughout the 1950s and early 60s, the Bond Minicar saw a number of improvements, including a more spacious interior, full-size doors, and a larger engine to achieve speeds of up to 60mph.
Nevertheless, Bond Cars would go on to produce a string of more powerful vehicles, including the iconic Bond Bug of the early 1970s.
Made from 1970 to 1974, the Bug combined the basis of the practical Reliant three-wheeler with an eye-catching orange fibreglass body, featuring a wedge shape and swing-opening roof.
The company also produced the four-wheeled Bond Equipe – a Triumph Herald-based four-seater sportscar with particularly sleek styling and a very respectable top speed of up to 100mph.
Bob highlighted that, whilst the three-wheelers were basic economy cars, sporty models like the Equipe gained a lot of attention from celebrities of the era.
He added: “Last year we had some Bond Equipes at the show and we had the musicians Dame Cleo Laine and John Dankworth, and they were massive fans of Bonds. John had just got a cheque for his album Modesty Blaise that was burning a hole in his pocket, drove past a Triumph dealership that had a beautiful yellow Bond Equipe in there, and he bought it.
“It got dilapidated over the years, and I helped him restore it back to life for his 75th birthday, but he told me buying it then was a mistake. He said the company went bust a week after he bought it and two weeks later they were selling them for half price.”
