THANKS ! Had a '48/'49 Bond MiniCar ! I found it buried to the bottom of its only(left) door . The steering wheel was being used to secure a guard dog's chain ! The original owner had used it to drive to high school . The car sported the Villiers single with both the manual pull start AND a bosch starter motor ingeniously fitted with a belt drive pully affixed to the bendix drive ... it would pull the V belt to the flywheel and then return it to a like sized "freewheel",marvelous. THIS car was LEFT HAND drive and had a spare tyre mounted outside the rearmost panel .. all of the tyres were Michelin with red rubber tubes . The front seat was reduced to the wooden frame base and remnants of coil springs , the convertible top frame was complete....there was a rose bush growing from the detritus in the center of the body tub ! The color was a distressed blue and thought it may be Lead based paint...shined real well with kerosene ! The hood mounted the grill and closed all the way to the integral bumper. The hood had two 1/4 turn latches with covered holes that accepted a "key" , a T handle with a long tapered square shank . The motor needed crank seals and little more to run , even the clutch was fine . One wheel was rusted through from sitting in the damp soil and the spare wheel utilized . I could not seem to find headlamp bulbs and ended up using Honda Dream bulbs . The elastomeric rear suspension held up well despite the unceremonious storage . I last delivered it to a fellow in San Diego county California in ~1988 . Thanks for the memories....
Wow that is some record of its history. I do hope it is still surviving! I had fun with mine and remember it with affection even though it was basic and very crude compared to the sort of cars we drive and take for granted today!
Such an improvement over two wheels! It didn't have a heater however! I can recall some cold journeys in wintertime when ice formed on the inside of the windscreen!.
I had a Bond three wheeler in the 60s, it was great. It had the Villiers 197cc two stroke engine, you started it with a lever in the car, which you pulled. Mine was a soft top and as it had no heater was rather cold. I also had a couple of Isetta bubble cars and several Reliant three wheeler's. I loved three wheeler's they were great fun.
A friend at school had two of these. From memory, the first was a death trap due to the cable braking. I recall it had a single cylinder Villiers engine. I think he had to get a dodgy MoT by post from a garage that specialised in issuing them for vehicles they'd not actually seen (this would have been around 1971-2. The past is a foreign county; they tested cars differently then). The second was slightly less lethal, as it had hydraulic brakes and was similar to the one in the video. It had a twin-cylinder engine and was fitted with an electric starter which, in theory, allowed for a type of reverse by starting the engine backwards with a second set of contact breakers. It never started the engine either way round, so it was the normal bonnet up and kick starting. I also recall that it didn't go to well with me and three members of a rugby team on board. You could get seasick, as the front of the vehicle rose and fell on what I think was a trailing link suspension system as it "accelerated" down the road. I recall helping to repaint that car. I've no idea what happened to it, but I hope it's still out there somewhere. (I had another friend with an Issetta bubble car and another with a Reliant three wheeler. I guess the attraction was that these were all driveable on a motorcycle licence. They were also available very cheaply in the early 1970s, insurance was cheap and regulations were rather more lax. It's inconceivable that sixteen year olds would be allowed on the roads in this sort of thing these days).
They were known for their ability to do that! There was another less known microcar that could also do that, but conventional cars could never perform in that way!
Thanks for this. I had one too, back in the 70s. It was absolutely terrifying and I eventually abandoned it on the A4 in Wiltshire. Yes, going up hills was difficult (gravity-fed fuel) but coming down them was much worse (hopeless brakes). Thank God they don't make 'em like this any more!
The twin engined Bond Minicar makes a lively burbling popping sound, one that cannot be ignored . Its fun to spin it around instead of reversing sometimes. I had one of these Mark G Twin Minicars I used to drive to school in 1971/2 when the other kids had bikes! This one I bought from Mike and enjoyed for a couple of years. "Arvy" towed a folding "Nutshell" caravan to Morecambe in Lancashire for one of the annual Bond Owners Club Rallies. Al
Another classic video of a classic car Mike, It brought back two memories, that trip from Cardiff to London pre M$ in my cousin's Bond back in 1965 and Mike morris a familiar face on TV many years ago was it Pebble Mill at one he was on?...Excellent work...Bob
I have been asked about the familiar face of the third member in the group at 2.42. That is Mike Morris who was a TV presenter who interviewed we two microcar drivers on a motoring program about popular transport in the 1960s..
@@ADMIRALSCORNER Interesting, perhaps other people put too much oil in to be on the safe side ! Knowing me i probably would too; tbh I'm not keen on 2 stroke engines in general although they of course have advantages over the 4 stroke engine, in particular power to weight ratio so good for 3 wheel cars with their weight limit to keep to.
Poor old Reliant gets a lot of adverse publicity regarding its stability! I cant believe its as bad as some comedians make out. Model names can get somewhat confusing as some models of Rialtos were also named as Robins which look quite different!
I had a Bond Mini in1962, it had a pull start in the cab, on a wire, unfortunately the wire snapped and I had to try and start with a kick start, this car ran away from me and crashed into a solid wall and I was left with half a car. so sad, I loved it.
+davidplatt1000 It is amazing how motoring has progressed! The Bond was really primitive yet I found it really enjoyable! I used mine as a main car during one winter and without a heater, ice used to form on the inside of the windscreen!
@robmasterman Is 'nt video great? it allows you to slip back in time to re enjoy things that happened in the past We take travel by road as automatcally powerful, smooth,comfortable, safe and quiet today whereas not all that long ago we were motoring in much less comfort and accepted it as normal! I dont know what happened to Mike Morris who certainly was popular on TV on many channels back then. I wonder if anyone else knows?
@ADMIRALSCORNER Bob Masterman has very kindly done some research on Mike Morris and it appears he is still active behind the scenes with a film Company. He, in the past, worked with several different breakfast TV programs and was a newsreader on Yorkshire TV.
@howarth004 I never got to try it there! There was long steep hill coming back from the Stanton Drew Classic Rally that we often attended. It was OK going down but I had to do a 3 mile detour to avoid it coming back!
@WoelkerVideo Hi Gunter. I am sure Mr Bean could have lots of fun with a Bond! but he is known for playing with another British three wheeled car called a Reliant Robin.which stayed around to more recent times on our roads.
THANKS !
Had a '48/'49 Bond MiniCar ! I found it buried to the bottom of its only(left) door .
The steering wheel was being used to secure a guard dog's chain !
The original owner had used it to drive to high school .
The car sported the Villiers single with both the manual pull start AND a bosch starter motor ingeniously fitted with a belt drive pully affixed to the bendix drive ... it would pull the V belt to the flywheel and then return it to a like sized "freewheel",marvelous.
THIS car was LEFT HAND drive and had a spare tyre mounted outside the rearmost panel .. all of the tyres were Michelin with red rubber tubes . The front seat was reduced to the wooden frame base and remnants of coil springs , the convertible top frame was complete....there was a rose bush growing from the detritus in the center of the body tub !
The color was a distressed blue and thought it may be Lead based paint...shined real well with kerosene ! The hood mounted the grill and closed all the way to the integral bumper. The hood had two 1/4 turn latches with covered holes that accepted a "key" , a T handle with a long tapered square shank .
The motor needed crank seals and little more to run , even the clutch was fine . One wheel was rusted through from sitting in the damp soil and the spare wheel utilized . I could not seem to find headlamp bulbs and ended up using Honda Dream bulbs .
The elastomeric rear suspension held up well despite the unceremonious storage .
I last delivered it to a fellow in San Diego county California in ~1988 .
Thanks for the memories....
Wow that is some record of its history. I do hope it is still surviving! I had fun with mine and remember it with affection even though it was basic and very crude compared to the sort of cars we drive and take for granted today!
Thanks for uploading, a wonderful little car you were in the dry when it rained.
Such an improvement over two wheels! It didn't have a heater however! I can recall some cold journeys in wintertime when ice formed on the inside of the windscreen!.
Thank you Mike. 😀
I had a Bond three wheeler in the 60s, it was great. It had the Villiers 197cc two stroke engine, you started it with a lever in the car, which you pulled. Mine was a soft top and as it had no heater was rather cold. I also had a couple of Isetta bubble cars and several Reliant three wheeler's. I loved three wheeler's they were great fun.
+Sloopy .Dog Yes it was a different style of motoring!
A special vehicle for special people! I had fun with mine, which usually caused a smile to appear from on lookers!
A friend at school had two of these. From memory, the first was a death trap due to the cable braking. I recall it had a single cylinder Villiers engine. I think he had to get a dodgy MoT by post from a garage that specialised in issuing them for vehicles they'd not actually seen (this would have been around 1971-2. The past is a foreign county; they tested cars differently then).
The second was slightly less lethal, as it had hydraulic brakes and was similar to the one in the video. It had a twin-cylinder engine and was fitted with an electric starter which, in theory, allowed for a type of reverse by starting the engine backwards with a second set of contact breakers. It never started the engine either way round, so it was the normal bonnet up and kick starting.
I also recall that it didn't go to well with me and three members of a rugby team on board. You could get seasick, as the front of the vehicle rose and fell on what I think was a trailing link suspension system as it "accelerated" down the road. I recall helping to repaint that car. I've no idea what happened to it, but I hope it's still out there somewhere.
(I had another friend with an Issetta bubble car and another with a Reliant three wheeler. I guess the attraction was that these were all driveable on a motorcycle licence. They were also available very cheaply in the early 1970s, insurance was cheap and regulations were rather more lax. It's inconceivable that sixteen year olds would be allowed on the roads in this sort of thing these days).
You have summed it up very well! I always thought driving the Bond was more like driving a boat!
amazing little car,nice video with good music
I enjoyed owning the Bond! So different to normal cars!
Great little car.Could have done without that music though!☺
Like the pirouette near the end!
They were known for their ability to do that! There was another less known microcar that could also do that, but conventional cars could never perform in that way!
These adorable Minicars. Thank you Mike.
Philippe
Thanks for this. I had one too, back in the 70s. It was absolutely terrifying and I eventually abandoned it on the A4 in Wiltshire. Yes, going up hills was difficult (gravity-fed fuel) but coming down them was much worse (hopeless brakes). Thank God they don't make 'em like this any more!
+Marc B Real primitive motoring! Aren't modern cars wonderful!
The twin engined Bond Minicar makes a lively burbling popping sound, one that cannot be ignored . Its fun to spin it around instead of reversing sometimes.
I had one of these Mark G Twin Minicars I used to drive to school in 1971/2 when the other kids had bikes! This one I bought from Mike and enjoyed for a couple of years.
"Arvy" towed a folding "Nutshell" caravan to Morecambe in Lancashire for one of the annual Bond Owners Club Rallies.
Al
I had no idea those were two stroke, how fun!
What a great little car Mike...bet you enjoyed having that one :) great to see Val too.:))
Had one of these in Blue 250cc Villiers engine made in Preston. My had oil cloth on the floor out of someones kitchen.
£389 when new. 70mpg.
It truly was a classic which wont be forgotten!
Another classic video of a classic car Mike, It brought back two memories, that trip from Cardiff to London pre M$ in my cousin's Bond back in 1965 and Mike morris a familiar face on TV many years ago was it Pebble Mill at one he was on?...Excellent work...Bob
@WoelkerVideo Yes that was a unique feature of the Bond. It could turn around within its own length.
Very nice Mike !
I have been asked about the familiar face of the third member in the group at 2.42. That is Mike Morris who was a TV presenter who interviewed we two microcar drivers on a motoring program about popular transport in the 1960s..
Sweet vid - thank you!
We had good times in the Bond! I do remember driving it one winter when ice formed inside the windscreen as there was no heater!
Thanks for the interestting video. I was a bit concerned about how much oil was in the fuel since it appeared to not be making enough blue smoke.
Blue smoke usually denotes too much oil has been added!
@@ADMIRALSCORNER Interesting, perhaps other people put too much oil in to be on the safe side ! Knowing me i probably would too; tbh I'm not keen on 2 stroke engines in general although they of course have advantages over the 4 stroke engine, in particular power to weight ratio so good for 3 wheel cars with their weight limit to keep to.
Had one of these in 1970 two sets of points one for forward the other for reverse ingenious
Yes, a good idea to get reverse more economically than via the gearbox!
"I wish those cars we're still around and there so adorable."
If you hear of any microcar events going on near you, you can still see them in action at rallies which are still well supported'.
"Will you be my friend Mr.Admiral please?"
"Thank you dear Admiral for that cute car video."
Most certainly!
Microcars are something special!
Poor old Reliant gets a lot of adverse publicity regarding its stability! I cant believe its as bad as some comedians make out. Model names can get somewhat confusing as some models of Rialtos were also named as Robins which look quite different!
I had a Bond Mini in1962, it had a pull start in the cab, on a wire, unfortunately the wire snapped and I had to try and start with a kick start, this car ran away from me and crashed into a solid wall and I was left with half a car. so sad, I loved it.
+davidplatt1000 It is amazing how motoring has progressed! The Bond was really primitive yet I found it really enjoyable! I used mine as a main car during one winter and without a heater, ice used to form on the inside of the windscreen!
@@ADMIRALSCORNER I believe that some had a heater (heat exchanger on exhaust), if true I guess it must have had an electric fan.
@@Martindyna I haven't come across one! I did have some cold winter journeys in my Bond where ice formed on the inside of the windscreen!
@blusojourn Hi Shelley. .I will pass your kind compliments on to Steve who will be pleased to hear that!
@robmasterman Is 'nt video great? it allows you to slip back in time to re enjoy things that happened in the past We take travel by road as automatcally powerful, smooth,comfortable, safe and quiet today whereas not all that long ago we were motoring in much less comfort and accepted it as normal! I dont know what happened to Mike Morris who certainly was popular on TV on many channels back then. I wonder if anyone else knows?
@bashert4ever It was fun! Of the four microcars I once owned, it was the most lively and easiest to work on.
@ADMIRALSCORNER Bob Masterman has very kindly done some research on Mike Morris and it appears he is still active behind the scenes with a film Company. He, in the past, worked with several different breakfast TV programs and was a newsreader on Yorkshire TV.
Had one of these great fun only cost £40 ,no reverse gear it had two sets of points the engine would fire backwards and had same amount of gears
Gosh that was great value before the price escalated and much fun I expect too!
@howarth004 I never got to try it there! There was long steep hill coming back from the Stanton Drew Classic Rally that we often attended. It was OK going down but I had to do a 3 mile detour to avoid it coming back!
@2stroketurbo Yes There was also a single cylinder 250 cc version but it sounded less like a purr, more like a pop!
@WoelkerVideo Hi Gunter. I am sure Mr Bean could have lots of fun with a Bond! but he is known for playing with another British three wheeled car called a Reliant Robin.which stayed around to more recent times on our roads.
Wonderful Minicars Mike. Very great work.
Is this the similar car as drive Mr. Bean?
@ADMIRALSCORNER
Thanks Mike, I have this forgotten.
The best is at minute 5:15 :-)
Wrong. Mr. Bean drove a Mini. The three wheeled car that he caused to tip over several times was a Reliant Regal not a Robin.
@Achilles49 Thanks Achilles from one micronut to another!