I owned one of these in about 1975 I would often startle people on the motorway as I cruised past them. Once I was sitting at the traffic lights nr Trafalgar square and a couple of hooray henries pulled up next to me in a lotus they both sat there smirking at me while the driver kept revving his engine and easing forward mockingly challenging me to a race and then laughing. As the lights changed I dropped the clutch and watched their smirks disappear as I surged forward and disappeared down Whitehall leaving them in my wake. However, as I got about halfway down the rd nr Downing street I noticed a light swinging in the road, it was the police. They pulled me over and then the lotus. While the policemen was telling me off another officer asked what we had been pulled over for and when he told him the officer pointed at the bug and said laughingly 'what in that'? . Where by the officer talking to me said, I dont know what you are laughing for he was in the lead!👍🤓
I worked at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York from 1980 to 1991. A professor had one of these and told people that he built it himself. He called it a "Resmobile" as his name was Mark Resman and yes he was a Brit. I had to fix a plumbing problem in his building. I'm just a blue collar bozo so I can't possibly know anything. I asked him, "You own that orange three-wheel car?" "Yes," he said. 'You say you built it yourself?" He said, "Yes., I did" I said, "I was wondering about it. I thought it might have been a Reliant Regal or possibly a BSA but that can't possibly be front wheel drive and I know it's not a Morgan Super Sport." He looked taken aback. I said, "You know what, I know a Bond Bug when I see one." He wouldn't talk to me after that.
Back in the day, especially the sixties and seventies there was a thing called the 'Brain Drain' in the UK. Lots of university graduates slung their hook and headed across the pond. The British media deplored the loss of "talent", but not all of it could have been top-notch as your story seems to illustrate. Given the current state of the US as it is seems now, what talent there might have been was subsumed by the prevailing ethos.
Lotus fearing a threat to their new Elan, bought one and sent a young engineer off around the test track in it to see if it were any good. He promptly rolled it on the first corner and was equally promptly fired. (As was customary he turned up for work the next day and nothing more was said.)
"How was work today, darling?" "Nothing interesting, honey. Oh, wait, I got fired." "Gosh. What are you going to do?" "I'll go back tomorrow. There's work to be done."
The Bond bug ES was my first ever car when I was 21, I loved the little thing, where ever I went people were always interested in it, I went camping in it down the devon before most of the motorways where built and it would always draw lots of swedish students that used to holiday there, which was nice having a young beautiful blond sitting in your car. One thing I will never forget, a few of use met up at a local pub one night and as luck would have we picked up some ladies, now. One of my better off friends had an Aston Martin DB3 back the, we were parked next to each other and guess which car the woman liked , your right, my little Bond Bug, which pissed the DB3s owner off seeing the attention the woman where given my bug, so much so, hes comment was, think I will get one of them. Great memories of that little car and if I see one at a classic car show I always chat to the owner👍
So iconic of the early 70’s. I don’t think it was ever intended to rival the Mini, but it was a great car for a young person with a full motorcycle only licence
They DID have boot space. Took my girlfriend camping in Wales one summer. Admittedly strapping a four man Vango canvas tent to the roof was a bit risky. But we only found that out as I made a sharp turn off the main road onto the lane where the campsite was. Yes, I got it on two wheels at about 30mph! But that was the only time. The trick was to drift the rear end under full power. Braking on corners was what caused issues. So, Mini Mag wheels and the widest tyres available did the trick. I regularly beat minis and a Kawasaki 750 on the corners at the old Donington cart track. But I cheated. I lowered the back end and stiffened the chassis by totally replacing the top tube (which was also prone to rotting) with 2 1/4” water pipe! This also made the rear end a bit heavier, which was an advantage when power drifting. We played with the engine too. Mote air, more fuel, higher compression, and a rebore which I never bothered to trouble the insurers with. When my baby came along, I had to get a proper car (Vauxhall Viva HB), and my little ES ended up in a garage with no roof for years, a half started restoration which I never completed. Eventually sold it to a guy who built a complete new chassis. I had it at an indicated 105mph, which was most likely 95. Closest to the fun I had in my Bug was in a 308GTB. But people assume you’re a cock if you drive a Ferrari. Everyone just smiles at a Bug. So, loads of boot space, and a parcel shelf. 😎😜
Guy who lived up the street from us had one when I was a kid. I always knew when he was arriving home from work, the signature "raspberry" exhaust note always gave it away.
In 1993 i bought a Bond Bug as my first classic car, brilliant little thing and in great condition, paid about £800, i sold it for £1100 about a year later, see what they go for now!...wish i`d never sold it..
Being in my now late sixties, three wheelers and motorcycles were my preference of transport. My Mum, (God rest her) bought me a Reliant Supervan three trying to get me off bikes, to her disgust I kept both. Before I had left the UK to live and work in NZ, I had owned two Reliant cars and three vans, plus one fantastic Ranger Cub (a three-wheeler kit car made from a mini). A week after I had swapped my BSA B50ss bike for this cub, the engine died! I was due to go on holiday, but just down the road in a layby on the A45, there was a Reilly Elf, it had been left there for weeks. I ended taking the engine out or it for my Ranger Cub. The engine turned out to be from an early 998 Mini Coper with 10-inch disks. I kept the car until my step son became too big for the bench seat. I never got a Bond Bug, but a work mate at the Severn Trent Water Authority in Birmingham did, I was so envious of him having one.
Awesome again! Being born in the early 1960's I used to see these things driven by motorcyclists with small families. The (Bug) Orange thing was a 1970's thing; Orange; VW Beatle Jeans, buses, Bond Bugs and emulsion paint. A couple of years ago in my mid 50's I took my 6 year old to Manchester Airport viewing area to see Concord and a couple of hundred of Bonds turned up under their own power, my little dude was stunned and thrilled by the tiny cars. I was reminded about 3 wheelers being the only cars working class people could just about afford to buy. And you were well off if you had a second hand Moggy Thou/Mini/Hilman Imp. Life is so much; fairer, cleaner, better, healthy and less poluted now. Cheers Ruairidh
I owned 2 over the years, one when I was a teenager & yes I drove it flat out a few times, the all alloy engine was happy at high revs & so was the car as it had independent suspension & cornered way better than other reliants but braking on corners or in the wet was a No No... Surprisingly the hardest thing to live with was none of the obvious things... It was the constant smell of fibreglass I hated. Bond Bugs really were a fun toy.
I was just thinking, wouldn't it be great if in a future Bond movie, one of these was featured in a car chase? Maybe a scene where James Bond is being chased through a car museum, sees a Bond Bug with the keys in the ignition and grabs it to make his getaway.
In the 1960s I owned at the same time a 150cc James Cadet which I passed my test on, and a Bond Mk F. I used to like parking them together as James - Bond ! 🤓 The Bond had a 250cc Villiers engine mounted on the front wheel under it's long impressive bonnet. If the electric start didnt work, you could climb into the bonnet compartment and kick start it. A friend saw me doing this while out of his head on acid (it was the 60s after all) and he thought the car was eating me ! 😎
@@johnbrereton5229 Love it! I had a couple of Bonds, a mk. F and later a mk. G. When working on the engine if it started raining I would climb in with my spanners and carry on. Surprised a few people when i opened the bonnet and stepped out!
Love it or hate it, the sixties and seventies had no shortage of bold in your face styling and design from cars to avocado coloured kitchens, orange shag carpets, and the sadly missed concord airplane.
I once had the most hilarious time in one of the original aluminium Bond 3-wheelers on a black ice-covered car park on a '62 winter's day. It was much more fun than any fairground ride. Ever.
I remember in the early 70's a guy in a Bug that kept trying to chase me up the Great West road for a few days, once he got level with me & realised I was in a Triumph Vitesse and NOT a Herald he backed off & I never saw him again...
I'd love one now...Closest I got was passenger in one in the early 90s in Paignton when I went to view to buy (£800 which I didn't have).... and owning a robin around the same time as my first car.......
Got mine tax-free as I was posted to Germany in the army in 1972. I had the ES model. Why have any other? It turned heads, went like something off the pan, and was good at aquaplaning on autobahns in the rain. It also was in the local rag at Wulfen, Germany. The caption in the paper read (Spitfire caught in the village). The only reason I got rid of it was I got a posting to Malta for nine months. How was I to know they were going to be worth a fortune? If anybody knows of the whereabouts of AOE817K or its demise, please, post something here.
I really really REALLY want to more about that airliner concept at 3:35. And I spent some years in Product Development and Advanced Concepts at Boeing!
Interesting and helpful, but you keep mentioning the cheaper motorbike licence. From memory, the reason for the relative success of 3 wheelers was the fact that they could be driven on a motorbike licence (which nearly everyone had back then) and didn't need a car licence unless they were fitted with a reverse gear.
A Bond bug was my first "car"... passed my bike test in 1977, and a year later bought the Bug. Used it for commuting for a couple of years until i skidded on an icy road and put it into a brick wall... the fibreglass didn't fare too well..!! Sold what was left of it to a friend of my parents who had experience of repairing fibreglass... never saw it again.. :-(
Haines wanted to bring back the Bug when he took over Reliant and there were I believe 4 wheel and 3 wheel modernised Bugs mocked up but Haines problem was he dithered and he dithered on the modern Bug at a time when a 4 wheel sporty car would have been a prime purchase for them that were young in the late 90's and this was borne about by the massive popularity of the Smart car range.
thats not right, Haynes really wanted to launch the "reliant sprint" but if you watch "trouble at the top" you'll see the other board members wouldn't pay to finish development costs and launch it
I owned one in the eighties, although I loved the car it was very hard work, you had to replace some parts every year. I once drove it to Cardiff and back and the hardy spicer went at the diff.
Someone must have seen an AMC gremlin and thought "what if I made that smaller, shorter and tossed away one of the front wheels"! History proved that AMC was right though, the "sporty" gremlin was a sort of popular car in it's day.
I had a friend called Allan Green who had one of these cars. I remember having a ride in it. I was much happier in his Honda 850 cc 4 wheel car that he replaced it with. It's a shame I lost touch with him since we worked together in a camera shop in west London.
Pity the Imp-engined early car never got developed. Keeping the rear-engined layout of the Hillman would have made it much more stable than the production Bug, with better handling - not to mention more power.
Prior to being sold to Reliant, Bond were working on an Imp-based 4-wheel sports car, code named Project Apex, and which would have been rather more entertaining
Reliant went through a number of owners and it became a cliche that whenever a new owner took over he would suggest introducing a four wheel Bug and carryover Reliant staff would grimace at the idea. FWIW there was a small storage locker accessed from the rear. Check out the Webster Motor Company who used some original Bond tooling to make a 4 wheel Bug and a handful of 3 wheel Bugs in kit form in the early 80's.
My brother owns one. People are forever knocking on th door to buy it. The engine I believe has it's origins in the late 1920s. If I am right BL let them make it to keep spare parts available for those previous engines. Likely not identical, but adaptable. A nice little engine. .
I was only a kid when the Bond Bug came out. I can remember all the motorbike shops on Westgate Hill but I can't remember Bond Bugs being sold there. The narrator said they were only available in orange but I'm sure they were available in lemon as well.
These seemed quite nippy. I used to see one go past me where I was standing every morning waiting for my lift to work, it always whizzed past at a respectable speed.
I went to a local motorcycle dealers showroom in the early 70s to discuss buying a new bike. There was a Bug in the showroom and while I was waiting for the salesman I had a good look at it. When he was free he came over and asked if I would like to sit in it. I did manage to get inside it but at 6'2" I couldn't close the roof. Don't know if that affected anybody else but it would have been an issue for me. At the time a Triumph Trident was around £650 - I know which one I had . . . ;-)
All of the boot is empty space behind the seat shell, the hole maybe short and wide but there is lots of space , so i always found it to be a big boot for a small car. suit case, tent, tools ,sleeping bag etcetera
For the record Reliant were the guys behind the Bugs design and production not Bond. They used the Bond name and built the first Bugs at the Bond Factory after taking them over in the late 1960s. :-)
@gilburton oh it was definitely a genuine Bond bug. It was the only transport in our family from about 1973 to 1976 and I regularly travelled in it sat on my older sister's lap. From what you say it must have been resprayed but it seems a little early in it's life for this. I guess the original owner must have really hated orange.
Great to drive and so maneuverable, on full lock it will pivot on either rear wheel, the last of them have 12 volt electrics, hydraulic brakes, reversing Dyna start, a thoroughly modern vehicle for the early sixties, and if you get the chance to drive one, just go for it and enjoy.
Anyone interested,could look out for the book "Lawrie Bond,the microcar man", a fascinating insight into the man,and his designs. A handful of Bugs were made in green,and white.
@@SuperOldShows used a 350cc Excelsior engine amongst others, the engine was not a great success, they ended up using the Royal Enfield 700 twin and gave it quite an upgrade.
Loophole Laughable. I recall at the time as a fourteen year-old thinking hat the Bond Bug was not going to sell much. If only Reliant had travelled the Morgan road instead by putting the single wheel at the back instead. I'd be interested to know whether they gave it any thought.
Our next door neighbor had a Bond Bug. I thought it was the coolest thing, and build for 5yr old me. There was a corgi toy, and they had one at my sisters nursery, but after searching from shop to shop, we never found one. :(
In an East German bar in 1990 I got talking to locals. They hated their Trabants, desperate to get VWs. I said we had plastic cars in Britain and ours only had three wheels. They got offended , thought I was taking the piss. Wish I had had a smartphone then.
The minimum age for driving a three-wheeler (unless it met the then definition of a moped, under 50cc and with pedals by means of which it could be propelled) in the UK was raised from 16 to 17 in December 1971.
Glad you noticed that only in Orange comment, too, I recall seeing one in "White" back in the mid 1970's and in the 1980;s had the bug logos on them, and were not resprays either, had been ordered in white from new I expect, or were promotional cars maybe, so most were orange but agree with you not all were orange,
"The bond bug was a product of its time. An era when car builders were willing to take a risk on an abstract off the wall machine in the hope that their strange creation may turn a profitable number of heads...." Huh? is that what we went through in the 1980s with cars like the Dolerean and Countash,... and in the present day, with the Can Am, Atom and..... and Tesla. . ie: Every era is an era of experimentation, where car builders are willing to take a risk on an abstract off the wall machine in the hope that their strange creation may turn a profitable number of heads
There's just something about this design, it still looks good, shame it doesn't handle as good as it looks, although, to be fair, it's not that bad. To be honest, I'd have one, just for the sheer fun factor !!!. Now if someone re-kitted it as electric with four wheels. I'm dreaming again !.
Nigel Snell...That dream is not so far away...Have you checked out the forthcoming Microlino?...Retro looks of the old Isetta bubble car with electric power!
It's possible that it survived but has been off road for many years, or got re-registered. There was 59 left on the road in 1994. Now there are 175 🤯 and another 123 SORN 🤘
Ive really always wanted a bond bug ive always had a things with 3 wheels but they're really and getting way out of my price range I would love yo build one with my daughters as a family project
Bond like Reliant also made 4 wheeled sports cars, I had the Bond GT4S a 1300cc car that looked like a small Aston Martin. It was built on a Triumph Herald Chassis with a spitfire engine, nice looking car and very economical too, even if the performance wasn't great.
Hey Ruairidh, love your stuff, but have you ever thought about an analysis of the Peugeot 309? A tangled Rootes/Chrysler/Talbot/cancelled-Talbot heritage? I doubt you'll ever read this but it was worth a try? Keep up the good work!
@@AtheistOrphan For the UK anyway ! It appears it used to have white triangles - but if they were reflective, they were also wrong ! I'm now having doubts about the number plate - fairly sure for the year it should be yellow with black lettering ! I see others with the same colours - seems odd then !
Converting a Bond Bug (or Reliant Regal/Robin/Rialto) to electric power is quite straightforward. The fact that the brakes and steering are not power assisted greatly simplifies the job.
I owned one of these in about 1975 I would often startle people on the motorway as I cruised past them. Once I was sitting at the traffic lights nr Trafalgar square and a couple of hooray henries pulled up next to me in a lotus they both sat there smirking at me while the driver kept revving his engine and easing forward mockingly challenging me to a race and then laughing. As the lights changed I dropped the clutch and watched their smirks disappear as I surged forward and disappeared down Whitehall leaving them in my wake. However, as I got about halfway down the rd nr Downing street I noticed a light swinging in the road, it was the police. They pulled me over and then the lotus. While the policemen was telling me off another officer asked what we had been pulled over for and when he told him the officer pointed at the bug and said laughingly 'what in that'? . Where by the officer talking to me said, I dont know what you are laughing for he was in the lead!👍🤓
Lovely story :-)
gadrian58 GARBAGE.
@@johnrice8786 Lol
I had the Corgi model as a child. Loved it.
Not comparable to your story, but it did outdo FAB1 going down a plank.
Nice story 👍😄
I worked at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York from 1980 to 1991. A professor had one of these and told people that he built it himself. He called it a "Resmobile" as his name was Mark Resman and yes he was a Brit. I had to fix a plumbing problem in his building. I'm just a blue collar bozo so I can't possibly know anything. I asked him, "You own that orange three-wheel car?" "Yes," he said. 'You say you built it yourself?" He said, "Yes., I did" I said, "I was wondering about it. I thought it might have been a Reliant Regal or possibly a BSA but that can't possibly be front wheel drive and I know it's not a Morgan Super Sport." He looked taken aback. I said, "You know what, I know a Bond Bug when I see one." He wouldn't talk to me after that.
It's a shame some big TV show didn't decide to feature a bug at that time.
I LOVE IT!!! BAA haha haha...
Back in the day, especially the sixties and seventies there was a thing called the 'Brain Drain' in the UK. Lots of university graduates slung their hook and headed across the pond. The British media deplored the loss of "talent", but not all of it could have been top-notch as your story seems to illustrate. Given the current state of the US as it is seems now, what talent there might have been was subsumed by the prevailing ethos.
Lotus fearing a threat to their new Elan, bought one and sent a young engineer off around the test track in it to see if it were any good. He promptly rolled it on the first corner and was equally promptly fired. (As was customary he turned up for work the next day and nothing more was said.)
"How was work today, darling?"
"Nothing interesting, honey. Oh, wait, I got fired."
"Gosh. What are you going to do?"
"I'll go back tomorrow. There's work to be done."
The Bond bug ES was my first ever car when I was 21, I loved the little thing, where ever I went people were always interested in it, I went camping in it down the devon before most of the motorways where built and it would always draw lots of swedish students that used to holiday there, which was nice having a young beautiful blond sitting in your car.
One thing I will never forget, a few of use met up at a local pub one night and as luck would have we picked up some ladies, now. One of my better off friends had an Aston Martin DB3 back the, we were parked next to each other and guess which car the woman liked , your right, my little Bond Bug, which pissed the DB3s owner off seeing the attention the woman where given my bug, so much so, hes comment was, think I will get one of them.
Great memories of that little car and if I see one at a classic car show I always chat to the owner👍
And if you did pull ,,, the trick to know was handbrake off and third gear.
Bond Bug and Citicar popularity after BeamNG added them as the Wigeon and Wigeon Sprint must've gone up.
So iconic of the early 70’s.
I don’t think it was ever intended to rival the Mini, but it was a great car for a young person with a full motorcycle only licence
one down our street, back then you saw lots of interesting cars knocking about. not like today with interchangeable euroboxes everywhere
They DID have boot space. Took my girlfriend camping in Wales one summer. Admittedly strapping a four man Vango canvas tent to the roof was a bit risky. But we only found that out as I made a sharp turn off the main road onto the lane where the campsite was.
Yes, I got it on two wheels at about 30mph! But that was the only time. The trick was to drift the rear end under full power. Braking on corners was what caused issues.
So, Mini Mag wheels and the widest tyres available did the trick.
I regularly beat minis and a Kawasaki 750 on the corners at the old Donington cart track.
But I cheated. I lowered the back end and stiffened the chassis by totally replacing the top tube (which was also prone to rotting) with 2 1/4” water pipe!
This also made the rear end a bit heavier, which was an advantage when power drifting.
We played with the engine too. Mote air, more fuel, higher compression, and a rebore which I never bothered to trouble the insurers with.
When my baby came along, I had to get a proper car (Vauxhall Viva HB), and my little ES ended up in a garage with no roof for years, a half started restoration which I never completed. Eventually sold it to a guy who built a complete new chassis.
I had it at an indicated 105mph, which was most likely 95. Closest to the fun I had in my Bug was in a 308GTB. But people assume you’re a cock if you drive a Ferrari. Everyone just smiles at a Bug.
So, loads of boot space, and a parcel shelf. 😎😜
Guy who lived up the street from us had one when I was a kid. I always knew when he was arriving home from work, the signature "raspberry" exhaust note always gave it away.
In 1993 i bought a Bond Bug as my first classic car, brilliant little thing and in great condition, paid about £800, i sold it for £1100 about a year later, see what they go for now!...wish i`d never sold it..
They make really strong money now, and continue to rise. I good investment I'd say...if you can find one.
@@Rassilon72 One went through a classic car auction for a staggering £23k last month!
Being in my now late sixties, three wheelers and motorcycles were my preference of transport. My Mum, (God rest her) bought me a Reliant Supervan three trying to get me off bikes, to her disgust I kept both. Before I had left the UK to live and work in NZ, I had owned two Reliant cars and three vans, plus one fantastic Ranger Cub (a three-wheeler kit car made from a mini). A week after I had swapped my BSA B50ss bike for this cub, the engine died! I was due to go on holiday, but just down the road in a layby on the A45, there was a Reilly Elf, it had been left there for weeks. I ended taking the engine out or it for my Ranger Cub. The engine turned out to be from an early 998 Mini Coper with 10-inch disks. I kept the car until my step son became too big for the bench seat. I never got a Bond Bug, but a work mate at the Severn Trent Water Authority in Birmingham did, I was so envious of him having one.
Awesome again! Being born in the early 1960's I used to see these things driven by motorcyclists with small families. The (Bug) Orange thing was a 1970's thing; Orange; VW Beatle Jeans, buses, Bond Bugs and emulsion paint. A couple of years ago in my mid 50's I took my 6 year old to Manchester Airport viewing area to see Concord and a couple of hundred of Bonds turned up under their own power, my little dude was stunned and thrilled by the tiny cars. I was reminded about 3 wheelers being the only cars working class people could just about afford to buy. And you were well off if you had a second hand Moggy Thou/Mini/Hilman Imp. Life is so much; fairer, cleaner, better, healthy and less poluted now. Cheers Ruairidh
74 miles an hour? Whoever discovered that deserves a medal
Check out the supercharged bike engined bug on TH-cam.
THAT would be an experience
4:50? Says top speed is 76mph, so the medal would presumably be silver.
My Regal would go off the clock, now that was scary lol
I owned 2 over the years, one when I was a teenager & yes I drove it flat out a few times, the all alloy engine was happy at high revs & so was the car as it had independent suspension & cornered way better than other reliants but braking on corners or in the wet was a No No... Surprisingly the hardest thing to live with was none of the obvious things... It was the constant smell of fibreglass I hated.
Bond Bugs really were a fun toy.
This is so interesting. I was a huge fan of this vehicle back in the day and to hear about its heritage is utterly fascinating. Thanks for the upload.
A very interesting and well made video...thank you.
Being from North America - I only saw this vehicle on a Wheeler Dealer episode.
Thanks, Ruairidh! This answered the questions I had after the Robin video.
I've never seen this car in a Bond movie
Ok I get out.
Ibishu Wigeon goes BRRRRRRRRRRRR
yes
Or WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
The rear end looks remarkably like a Smart car!
Its the other way round, the smart car looks like the bug.
@@CrusaderSports250 You're quite right, of course!
I always used to think it had something to do with James Bond 007
I was just thinking, wouldn't it be great if in a future Bond movie, one of these was featured in a car chase? Maybe a scene where James Bond is being chased through a car museum, sees a Bond Bug with the keys in the ignition and grabs it to make his getaway.
In the 1960s I owned at the same time a 150cc James Cadet which I passed my test on, and a Bond Mk F. I used to like parking them together as James - Bond ! 🤓
The Bond had a 250cc Villiers engine mounted on the front wheel under it's long impressive bonnet. If the electric start didnt work, you could climb into the bonnet compartment and kick start it. A friend saw me doing this while out of his head on acid (it was the 60s after all) and he thought the car was eating me ! 😎
@@johnbrereton5229 Love it! I had a couple of Bonds, a mk. F and later a mk. G. When working on the engine if it started raining I would climb in with my spanners and carry on. Surprised a few people when i opened the bonnet and stepped out!
There were a few four wheeled Bond Bugs, they look even stranger if that's possible.
I have seen one on a modified Kitten chassis, it looked quite plausible.
Love it or hate it, the sixties and seventies had no shortage of bold in your face styling and design from cars to avocado coloured kitchens, orange shag carpets, and the sadly missed concord airplane.
I once had the most hilarious time in one of the original aluminium Bond 3-wheelers on a black ice-covered car park on a '62 winter's day. It was much more fun than any fairground ride. Ever.
I remember in the early 70's a guy in a Bug that kept trying to chase me up the Great West road for a few days, once he got level with me & realised I was in a Triumph Vitesse and NOT a Herald he backed off & I never saw him again...
YOOOO, ITS THE IBISHU WIGEON FROM BEAM-NG
So that's where they got the Johnnycab in the movie Total Recall.
All along I thought it was Reliants Bond Bug homage to James Bond the Lotus car. Not the initiative car manufacturer Bond. Thanks for enlightening me.
What a novelty, looks like a really fun little machine!
I'd love one now...Closest I got was passenger in one in the early 90s in Paignton when I went to view to buy (£800 which I didn't have).... and owning a robin around the same time as my first car.......
I’ve never seen the Bond 875 before. What a great looking little car.
and a terrific performer too
A stripped down Bond Bug was used in the original Star Wars (1977) for a running frame for Luke's Land Speeder.
Got mine tax-free as I was posted to Germany in the army in 1972. I had the ES model. Why have any other? It turned heads, went like something off the pan, and was good at aquaplaning on autobahns in the rain. It also was in the local rag at Wulfen, Germany. The caption in the paper read (Spitfire caught in the village). The only reason I got rid of it was I got a posting to Malta for nine months. How was I to know they were going to be worth a fortune? If anybody knows of the whereabouts of AOE817K or its demise, please, post something here.
@@a1c3c3u Thank you very much for letting me know what you know of its history.
I really really REALLY want to more about that airliner concept at 3:35. And I spent some years in Product Development and Advanced Concepts at Boeing!
Interesting and helpful, but you keep mentioning the cheaper motorbike licence. From memory, the reason for the relative success of 3 wheelers was the fact that they could be driven on a motorbike licence (which nearly everyone had back then) and didn't need a car licence unless they were fitted with a reverse gear.
The reverse gear removal was a very early law that had been repealed well before the bug. All bugs had reverse gear.
A Bond bug was my first "car"... passed my bike test in 1977, and a year later bought the Bug. Used it for commuting for a couple of years until i skidded on an icy road and put it into a brick wall... the fibreglass didn't fare too well..!! Sold what was left of it to a friend of my parents who had experience of repairing fibreglass... never saw it again.. :-(
And here I was expecting Bond, James Bond.
Excellent video, hard to imagine them being sold now, I do recall one locally when new.
Haines wanted to bring back the Bug when he took over Reliant and there were I believe 4 wheel and 3 wheel modernised Bugs mocked up but Haines problem was he dithered and he dithered on the modern Bug at a time when a 4 wheel sporty car would have been a prime purchase for them that were young in the late 90's and this was borne about by the massive popularity of the Smart car range.
thats not right, Haynes really wanted to launch the "reliant sprint" but if you watch "trouble at the top" you'll see the other board members wouldn't pay to finish development costs and launch it
Excellent story, thanks mate.
The front end design strongly resembles the Citicar, produced by Sebring in the USA in the 1970's
it's the wigeon!
I owned one in the eighties, although I loved the car it was very hard work, you had to replace some parts every year. I once drove it to Cardiff and back and the hardy spicer went at the diff.
A teacher at my school had one. must have been a very early model, as I left that school in December 1970.
This car also served as the basis for Luke Skywalker's landspeeder in the Star Wars films.
My compliments to you on this video. It complemented your others.
Someone must have seen an AMC gremlin and thought "what if I made that smaller, shorter and tossed away one of the front wheels"! History proved that AMC was right though, the "sporty" gremlin was a sort of popular car in it's day.
One of my Uncles had one, I remember sitting in my Dads lap as we went somewhere in it. It must have been almost new.
I had a friend called Allan Green who had one of these cars. I remember having a ride in it. I was much happier in his Honda 850 cc 4 wheel car that he replaced it with.
It's a shame I lost touch with him since we worked together in a camera shop in west London.
Pity the Imp-engined early car never got developed. Keeping the rear-engined layout of the Hillman would have made it much more stable than the production Bug, with better handling - not to mention more power.
Prior to being sold to Reliant, Bond were working on an Imp-based 4-wheel sports car, code named Project Apex, and which would have been rather more entertaining
Reliant went through a number of owners and it became a cliche that whenever a new owner took over he would suggest introducing a four wheel Bug and carryover Reliant staff would grimace at the idea. FWIW there was a small storage locker accessed from the rear. Check out the Webster Motor Company who used some original Bond tooling to make a 4 wheel Bug and a handful of 3 wheel Bugs in kit form in the early 80's.
My brother owns one. People are forever knocking on th door to buy it. The engine I believe has it's origins in the late 1920s. If I am right BL let them make it to keep spare parts available for those previous engines. Likely not identical, but adaptable. A nice little engine. .
Were sold in Harry Woods motorcycles on Westgate hill Newcastle it was there for ages .
I was only a kid when the Bond Bug came out. I can remember all the motorbike shops on Westgate Hill but I can't remember Bond Bugs being sold there. The narrator said they were only available in orange but I'm sure they were available in lemon as well.
@@kevthedynamo What can I say was top window for ages , only 1 thought can't remember if it was registered or not.
These seemed quite nippy.
I used to see one go past me where I was standing every morning waiting for my lift to work, it always whizzed past at a respectable speed.
I went to a local motorcycle dealers showroom in the early 70s to discuss buying a new bike. There was a Bug in the showroom and while I was waiting for the salesman I had a good look at it. When he was free he came over and asked if I would like to sit in it. I did manage to get inside it but at 6'2" I couldn't close the roof. Don't know if that affected anybody else but it would have been an issue for me. At the time a Triumph Trident was around £650 - I know which one I had . . . ;-)
All of the boot is empty space behind the seat shell, the hole maybe short and wide but there is lots of space , so i always found it to be a big boot for a small car. suit case, tent, tools ,sleeping bag etcetera
That plate only needs one more letter, hey.
For the record Reliant were the guys behind the Bugs design and production not Bond. They used the Bond name and built the first Bugs at the Bond Factory after taking them over in the late 1960s. :-)
We know that because the video told us!
Also told us ogle were in kenilworth not letchworth.
I seem to recall seeing them in lime Green also?
Yes you are right, they were.
My brother in law had a sky blue one in the early seventies. It had all the proper decals so I doubt it was a respray.
@gilburton oh it was definitely a genuine Bond bug. It was the only transport in our family from about 1973 to 1976 and I regularly travelled in it sat on my older sister's lap. From what you say it must have been resprayed but it seems a little early in it's life for this. I guess the original owner must have really hated orange.
I love these, though I've never seen one in person, and it'd probably be a bit terrifying to actually drive one... still, I'd love to have one!
Great to drive and so maneuverable, on full lock it will pivot on either rear wheel, the last of them have 12 volt electrics, hydraulic brakes, reversing Dyna start, a thoroughly modern vehicle for the early sixties, and if you get the chance to drive one, just go for it and enjoy.
Most famous Bond Bug is the Star Wars Landspeeder piloted by Luke Skywalker. It's just a Bond Bug with different body and carefully placed mirrors.
Anyone interested,could look out for the book "Lawrie Bond,the microcar man", a fascinating insight into the man,and his designs. A handful of Bugs were made in green,and white.
An interesting curio from the world of motoring.
The car at 5:20, it looks like you can drive it from both ends.
If only they had two wheels in front and the last in the rear. ;w; My own grandfather made a car like that during WW2.
Morgan three wheeler
Isetta Bubble car.
BSA three wheeler, with two in front, was front wheel drive as well. So better traction than the Morgan.
A company called Berkeley had a go.
@@SuperOldShows used a 350cc Excelsior engine amongst others, the engine was not a great success, they ended up using the Royal Enfield 700 twin and gave it quite an upgrade.
My Dad got me a bond in 1974/75 as my first car, but never used it as the insurance was through the roof. Ended up buying a mini.
Loophole Laughable. I recall at the time as a fourteen year-old thinking hat the Bond Bug was not going to sell much. If only Reliant had travelled the Morgan road instead by putting the single wheel at the back instead. I'd be interested to know whether they gave it any thought.
It seem that placing the two wheels on the front would provide greater stability.
Our next door neighbor had a Bond Bug.
I thought it was the coolest thing, and build for 5yr old me.
There was a corgi toy, and they had one at my sisters nursery, but after searching from shop to shop, we never found one. :(
In an East German bar in 1990 I got talking to locals. They hated their Trabants, desperate to get VWs. I said we had plastic cars in Britain and ours only had three wheels. They got offended , thought I was taking the piss. Wish I had had a smartphone then.
Hi I own a 750ES but it was a great fun sporty car that handles well better than lots of thought
In 1978 when I was 16yr I should have bought one. All my mates had mopeds.. gutted.
The minimum age for driving a three-wheeler (unless it met the then definition of a moped, under 50cc and with pedals by means of which it could be propelled) in the UK was raised from 16 to 17 in December 1971.
Only in Orange? I often seen one in blue in 1977/8, I don't think it was a respray!
My brother in law had a sky blue one
Glad you noticed that only in Orange comment, too, I recall seeing one in "White" back in the mid 1970's and in the 1980;s had the bug logos on them, and were not resprays either, had been ordered in white from new I expect, or were promotional cars maybe, so most were orange but agree with you not all were orange,
"The bond bug was a product of its time. An era when car builders were willing to take a risk on an abstract off the wall machine in the hope that their strange creation may turn a profitable number of heads...." Huh? is that what we went through in the 1980s with cars like the Dolerean and Countash,... and in the present day, with the Can Am, Atom and..... and Tesla.
.
ie: Every era is an era of experimentation, where car builders are willing to take a risk on an abstract off the wall machine in the hope that their strange creation may turn a profitable number of heads
You forgot the PT Cruiser, distinctive styling to say the least, bit of a cult following now.
I had 1 of then in the 90s i had blocks so i could reach the peddles cause the seat dosnt move
It was also when VW beach buggies were popular. At the time I thought it was designed with these in mind - not least because of the name.
Bond bug is just the skeleton reliant regal
There's just something about this design, it still looks good, shame it doesn't handle as good as it looks, although, to be fair, it's not that bad.
To be honest, I'd have one, just for the sheer fun factor !!!.
Now if someone re-kitted it as electric with four wheels. I'm dreaming again !.
Nigel Snell...That dream is not so far away...Have you checked out the forthcoming Microlino?...Retro looks of the old Isetta bubble car with electric power!
Did you really not find any higher resolution images of the logos?
There’s also a four wheeled version.
Was the single wheel in front because of the loophole which allowed for a motorcycle license?
Ah yes, the wigeon
Does anyone know what happened to the bug that Vic Hyde owned? Vic was a one man band that had the largest collection of three wheel cars.
British entrepreneurship and creativity👍
And stupidity.
Does anybody know where VTC 72L (Bond Bug) is now !
Is it orange? 🤣
Untaxed since February 1988
It could be hibernating in a garage or a barn 🤷
I had one! I bought it brand new for £759 in 1972 and its registration number was BHE 880K. I wonder if it's still alive?
Just checked and vehicle details could not be found so its probably scrapped or out of the Country.
It's possible that it survived but has been off road for many years, or got re-registered.
There was 59 left on the road in 1994. Now there are 175 🤯 and another 123 SORN 🤘
Still have a soft spot for this bizarre machine. And an original sales brochure! 🙃
The 1957 and 58 looks much like the later model of the Trabant, made in the GDR.
Great informative video👍
Ive really always wanted a bond bug ive always had a things with 3 wheels but they're really and getting way out of my price range I would love yo build one with my daughters as a family project
The Bond Bug still looks fairly modern and futuristic.
Can u guys suggest other yt channel similar with this channel?
Try the Big Car channel
Beautiful machines.
Of the UK three wheeler cars only Morgan had two wheels at the front which was more stable (but not that much).
Sorry to correct you but Oggle Design has always been based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
I think you mean Ogle Design... 🤔
Would you do a video on the reliant scimiater. As the videos would add variety to the family of reliants.
Bond like Reliant also made 4 wheeled sports cars, I had the Bond GT4S a 1300cc car that looked like a small Aston Martin. It was built on a Triumph Herald Chassis with a spitfire engine, nice looking car and very economical too, even if the performance wasn't great.
Would love one of these iconic motors 🐭🤣❤️The Iconic Bond Bug ,the shape of it looks like a Cheese wedge 🧀 on 3 wheels 🤣🤣🤣
Which option package came with a pretty girl?
The most expensive one!!☺.
Roger Crossley 😂🤣🙃
Hey Ruairidh, love your stuff, but have you ever thought about an analysis of the Peugeot 309? A tangled Rootes/Chrysler/Talbot/cancelled-Talbot heritage? I doubt you'll ever read this but it was worth a try? Keep up the good work!
I had one, would be interested to hear. It was a bit of an under-the-radar car but was very good with reliable diesel engines
you guys must not have heard of Morgan
I had a Equipe GT4S and a couple of 2ltr GT,s
Proper Bonds, unlike the silly Bug
5:48 That car's not road legal - unless it's being towed - was that the idea ?
pmailkeey - Why is that particular one not road legal?
@@AtheistOrphan It has triangular rear reflectors on the mud flaps. They are for trailers only. It should fail an MOT for that.
pmailkeey - Oh I didn’t know that. Cheers.
@@AtheistOrphan For the UK anyway !
It appears it used to have white triangles - but if they were reflective, they were also wrong !
I'm now having doubts about the number plate - fairly sure for the year it should be yellow with black lettering ! I see others with the same colours - seems odd then !
@@millomweb The bug was launched with the triangular mud flaps. Rules might have changed since but as far as I'm aware there legal.
If I had the money ..I think I would love to get a bond bug and convert it to electric if it was a possible conversion to make.
A very similar shape and concept was the electric "Citicar" from the US, but these were 4-wheeled.
Converting a Bond Bug (or Reliant Regal/Robin/Rialto) to electric power is quite straightforward. The fact that the brakes and steering are not power assisted greatly simplifies the job.