Just in case you are hard of hearing like me, I've put the walk round/voice over section below!
As we look around this Bond Mini Car you’ll be in one of two camps: either oh this is hilarious and I definitely would or the only place for that car is in a museum!
But believe it or not, the Bond Mini Car wasn’t just a one hit wonder, Bond Mini car, operating under Sharps commercials limited, made a range of three wheel microcars between 1949 and 1966. It later became Bond Cars Limited in 1964.
The Bond Mini Car was created from a prototype built by Lawrence Bond who was an engineer from Preston - hence why the cars were made in Preston - and the car was designed to give people who needed a town car something they could comfortably do shorter journeys in of around 20 to 30 miles.
At the time of prototype which of course later evolved to become the Bond mini car type A, you had a cruising speed of 30mpg.
It was a courageous time to start a new car brand because after the war, Britain was very poor and buying a car especially when rations were still in full swing, wasn’t top of everyone’s list.
Interestingly it was one of the first cars to utilise fibreglass body panels and also used aluminium; a clever idea in post war, steel shortage stricken Britain.
You might think three wheels was a daft idea, however, it was actually a stroke of business genius because at the time purchase taxes meant a three wheeler qualified for lower purchase tax rates and cheaper car insurance - which meant people who hadn’t been able to afford a car were suddenly able to enter the market. For reference, at the time of Bond Cars coming to market, the purchase tax on a new car was 55% and the purchase tax on a three wheeler was 25%.
Plus, a three wheeler, although a lot more agricultural than it’s 4 wheeled counterpart, was something which could, at the time, be driven on a motorcycle license. This was because of the three wheels, the low weight and a lack of reverse gear - although it was an optional extra through the addition of a dynastart unit in the later models.
Sadly the advantage of the taxing laws which helped Bond Cars rise to the top actually became the reason the company came to a close.
The heavy purchase taxes on cars started to lift in April 962 and were reduced to 45% before being reduced further in the November to 25% - which was the same as the three wheelers. This then meant that a Bond mini car was more expensive than a BMC Mini.
Due to this, sales nosedived from 1962 and the company closed in 1966 - which to me is a massive shame because although slightly bonkers and wonderfully impractical in our busy modern world - they provided a cheap motoring lifeline for many would be motorists and helped give a means of transport to many who would’ve otherwise had to struggle on without.
Although the Mark F Bond mini car was the most popular of the Bond cars, the Mark G came about from change within the industry. 1959 saw the launch of several smaller cars including the iconic BMC Mini and the Bond car team went back to the drawing board to deliver a car which would better serve the buying audience and compete a little better with newer cars to market.
Although it didn’t look too different from the Mark F, but you can spot the difference with the grille detailing if you’re passing one at a show, the Mark G offered things which had been overlooked in the design for the Mark F.
The engine was the new Villiers 246cc engine which offered a top speed of 55 miles per hour and an impressive 60 miles per gallon economy, the rear suspension
Moved on enormously with the trailing arms, coil springs and hydraulic shock absorbers and despite not needing much to stop such a light car, the brakes were reconsidered and sported a new Lockheed hydraulic system.
And in fact, if you think this engine seems too tiny for a car of this size, it’s worth noting that the Mark E which came before this only had the 197cc Villiers engine. So for the Mini Car fan, the new engine was great because it still achieved the same MPG but with a little bit of extra speed for good measure.
In addition to the changes under the bonnet, the headroom on the saloon was rejigged to make carrying adults in the back a possibility and until this point, wind down door windows weren’t even a thing!
Amazingly, this isn’t actually as small as you think it is from the pictures and the video and it has a length of 11 foot; although a lot of that is wasted within the engine bay!
The width is 4ft and no matter which model you went for, it had a kerb weight of 672lb or if you’re abroad, 305 kilograms.
The top speed was 55 miles per hour, but honestly, 40 is terrifying enough as you’ll see on our test drive. The average fuel consumption on one of these was around 60 miles per gallon.
8 июн 2024
