Sharp's Commercials Ltd., Preston, Lancashire. 1948 - 1964

Bond Cars Ltd., Preston, Lancashire. 1965 - 1970

Reliant Motor Co. Ltd., Tamworth, Staffordshire 1971 - 1974

Lawrie Bond's company, Sharp's Commercials, was a caravan manufacturer and he was one of the first to use resin bonded fibreglass monocoque shells for this application. The experience gained with this medium, and from building racing cars for the 500cc racing formula, convinced him that he could manufacture a simple, inexpensive, means of road transport for the austere post-war period.

The result was the three wheeled Bond Minicar with a stressed skin, moulded, unitary body/chassis with no doors to aid rigidity. The single front wheel was attached to a 122cc Villiers two stroke motorcycle engine driving directly through a 3-speed gearbox. The engine turned with the front wheel and so there was no need for a reverse gear provided there was a parking space on one side or the other. In a tight space the car was light enough to picked up and manhandled to face in a new direction! There was no rear suspension and so the ride was very choppy like a Citroen BX with the suspension raised. There were rear wheel brakes only and so there was a decided tendency for the car to spin around if they were applied too hard. .

By the time production started in August 1948 the Villiers engine capacity had been increased to 197cc. In order to start the engine the large bonnet had to be opened and the driver stepped inside the engine compartment to operate a motorcycle kickstart.

Progress was made and improvements came along so that by 1952 it had a front brake, rubber rear suspension and a self starter (optional). A reverse gear in 1957 and a larger 246cc Villiers engine with 4-speed gearbox in 1959. The body styling, as with most 3-wheelers, attempted to mimic their 4-wheeled cousins with dummy front wings which really only served to mount the headlamps. The Bond Minicar became wider with the Mark E in 1956 and the separate rear wings disappeared, but it now had doors.

Looking back to those days it is quit amazing that such a contrivance could have sold at all, let alone stayed in production for 17 years and sold as many as 24,484 units.

The Minicar's replacement in 1965 was quite different and featured the little 4-cylinder Hillman Imp engine mounted at the rear in a monocoque fibreglass 4-seat saloon body. The Imp engine was derived from the single overhead camshaft, Coventry Climax, fire pump design.

When Bond was acquired by Reliant in 1970 the Bond 875, as it was called, was axed as it was a direct competitor with their own 3-wheeler. Sales of the Bond 875 were 3,431.

Another casualty of the Reliant takeover was the Bond Equipe a pleasantly styled 4-seat coupe based on the Triumph Herald chassis but using the Triumph Spitfire twin carburettor engine of 1,147cc for increased performance. Launched in 1966 it employed the now familiar fibreglass body shell but with the Herald's scuttle and doors. A larger 1,296cc engine was fitted in 1967 and the Equipe 2-litre was announced with the Triumph Vitesse 6-cylinder 1,991cc engine and a restyled body. This larger model acquired the Triumph Vitesse independent rear suspension in 1968 and was also available with a convertible body.

By the time production was halted by Reliant 4,388 Equipe models and 1,432 Equipe 2-litre models had been made.

The name of Bond was continued by Reliant for the Bond "Bug" a wedge shaped three wheeler designed by Tom Karen of Ogle Design. The whole front of the car, aft of the headlamps, hinged forward to gain entry to the two enclosed seats and the fibreglass body was only available in a bright orange colour. It was powered by the new 700cc, all alloy, Reliant engine and used a Reliant gearbox, rear axle and wheels. The engine was increased to 750cc in 1973 and a top speed of 75mph was possible. Marketed as more of a "fun car" rather than serious transport it did not sell very well in spite of being quite pleasant to drive and only 1,620 were sold before production ceased in 1974.

Bibliography:

Lawrie Bond, the Man and the Marque, by Nick Wotherpoon, Bookmarque Publishing. 1993.