Stu Evans is in the North of Wales taking a look at a rather unusual kickstart car - a 1951 Bond Mini Car, and speaks to it's owner Dafydd Williams, who talks about the challenges of driving such a car.
I had a later model in the 1960s which was a four seater with a hard roof and an electric starter. However, you could still lift the bonnet and kick start it, if need be. They may seem funny now, but at the time it offered the comfort of a car, but on a motorcycle licence and with motorcycle economy. That was untill the Austin mini car took over.
A demonstration of a complete lack of knowledge! Of course ALL Bonds could be started from inside the cab. I sold this Bond to Mr Williams and he lost the interior pull handle, so had to revert to using the kick-starter, which was only supposed to be used in an emergency, The earliest Bonds had a pull cable attached to the kick-start lever, but there was also an electric starter conversion available. What must be remembered though, is that in 1949, when the first Bond three wheelers were produced, there were no full-sized cars available, as they all had to be exported to bring some money back into Britain after the war. Three wheelers did not come under this rule, so Bonds became much sort-after and the company could hardly keep up with demand. Most cars of the time were also rather crude, but the Bond offered transport for motorcylists wishing to upgrade to under-cover motoring. By the way - This is a Mark B model. The final Minicar was the Mark G - they never went as far as a Model 'S'!
The first Bonds were not started from inside the cab! My 1949 blue one had a kick start! It also had two round wooden discs as part of the steering mechanism. These would wear shiny so turning the wheel would find the car going straight ahead! No suspension on the two rear ballon tyre wheels.
ALL Bonds were designed to be started from inside the cab! It would be silly not to. I did not say that they didn't have a kick-start lever. This was retained and re-positioned to connect a cable to a lever inside the cab. Originally the interior lever was fitted under the dashboard, but later moved to the floor. Cable and bobbin steering was also fitted to the first Bonds. All the bobbins I have seen were metal, but conversions to rack and pinion were available later. Rear suspension was introduced on the Mark B, but the company did offer a conversion to Flexitor suspension for the Mark A models.
hMM! I owned, drove, and maintained the car! It DID NOT have any fitting for inside pull starting. i kept adjustable spanners in the boot to tighten the steering when the discs wore shiny. NO rear suspension and braking only on the front. A hard stop lifted the rear in the air.!
I have been dealing with Bonds continuously, on a daily basis, from 1958 to date. I sold them and managed the Spares Department of the main Birmingham Bond Distrubutors from 1958 to 1965. In my comprehensive archives I have a copy of the 'Motorcycling' Bond Road Test of 3rd March 1949 and it clearly confirms that on all production models a cable was attached to the modified kick-start lever, the other end of which went to a pull-lever fitted under the dashboard inside the car. We actually have a Mark A in the club, that still has this form of starting. The under-dash lever was soon changed to a floor-mounted lever, which was retained for all Standard models right up to the Mark D. I have already confirmed that the original Mark A models had suspension on the front only (spring and friction damper). Rear suspension came in with the introduction of the Mark B. .......I can also assure you that Mark A & B Bonds had NO front brake, only REAR ones. A front brake was not fitted until the Mark C came along, therefore the rear of your Bond is unlikely to have risen on the application of the brakes. If they had locked for any reason, they would either cause one or both of the rear tyres to bounce, or to skid if the road was wet. I suggest that the starter cable and lever could have been removed on your car, as pull-starting required a certain 'knack'. .....I suppose it is just possible that you may have had an unfinished pre-production car, made before 1949, but you did say it was a1949 model. Or maybe you are confusing the Bonds with some other vehicle of the era.
Sorry Stan, all your experience doesn't prove that MY old blue Bond was exactly as I described. I have no idea if this was due to changes by a previous owner, or a particular factory order. With small builders the latter is most common. I am unsure though of the date. I think it was 1949?
