The defunct Bond car company is not one of the best known — most recall it, if at all, for its bizarre, wedge-shaped Bug of 1970.
Bond started in 1949, with the introduction of the Minicar, a three-wheeler with a two-stroke engine. It was designed by Lawrie Bond, an engineer from Preston, and was built in the Lancashire town by a commercial company called Sharp's.
After a fairly successful run (production totalled 24,482 cars), Sharp's decided to focus its efforts in the automotive field, renaming itself Bond Cars and launching its first (and, as it turned out, only) proper (see four-wheeled) car in 1963.
This was the Equipe GT, a two-door sports coupé the length of, and significantly lower and narrower than, today's Ford Fiesta.
It was produced with assistance from Triumph, using the chassis of the Herald and the gearbox, brakes and 63bhp 1.1-litre engine of the Spitfire. The suspension (also Triumph) was independent all-around, with a rear swing axle, while the body was constructed from fibreglass, a still relatively new material.
It was pitched, according to Autocar, at "motorists who otherwise would like to own a sports car but are deterred by the need to accommodate a young family" and those "who want more than two seats in a car of essentially sporting character". The price for the coupé was £822, which is equivalent to around £15,800 today; the sportiest thing you can get at that price now is probably a Seat Ibiza.
Although through its more practical layout the Equipe weighed 50kg more than the Spitfire, its performance was still good, with a 0-60mph time of 17.6sec compared with the Spitfire's 17.3sec.
"An immediate impression is of the eagerness and smoothness of the little four-cylinder engine," we said. "It revs freely and quietly right up to 6000rpm without vibration.
"A crisp exhaust note accentuates the impression that this is a very willing power unit. Sufficient power is available for a restart on a 1-in-3 incline, provided controlled clutch slip is used to keep the revs up. The drive takes up smoothly and clutch pedal pressure is reasonably light."
We found the four manual gears to be smooth and easy to change, with the lack of synchromesh in first being of "decidedly practical value" and third "the perfect ratio for storming hills and for main road overtaking".
The ride was judged to be "excellent on reasonably well-surfaced roads", although "potholes in the road caused pronounced thumps, sounding as though the suspension had bottomed".
"The seats themselves are of Bond's own design and are especially comfortable. Based on a metal framework, they are deeply padded and give really firm lateral support to hold the occupants in place on corners."
Join the debate
Leslie Brook
.
Even in it's time it must have been an ugly, poorly built dog of a car.
289
@ Leslie Brook
....actually they were quite well thought of in the day!
rhwilton
no boot opening
The other remarkable thing, in the first model at least, is that there's no boot lid. You have to put luggage in through the doors. If that isn't a recipe for back problems, I don't know what is!
artill
I remember seeing these about
I remember seeing these about a fair bit as a kid. I always assumed they were made up from a kit after the orginal Triumphs body rusted away (which didnt take long back then).
SamoaV
I remember we used to go to
I remember we used to go to the local pub for our lunch every day (remember those days) just for a half and a sandwich, and the local bank crew used to do the same.
One of the managers used to come in who owned a owned a Bond Equipe and was desparate to sell it and offered the car with a loan thrown in!
Harry P
Poor investment Bond
A badly built hand-made body on a flawed production chassis. It was surprising that anyone considered investing their hard earned money in to one of these vehicles. A certainty for a poor return of your investement Bond!
Riley 1.5
Spot the Triumph parts
The Bond Equipe was available from Triumph dealers and the "H" reg model shown was registered in Dundee. However, it must have been a slow seller because by 1970 it had the 2 litre Vitesse engine and a more modern grille, so the car featured must have been in stock for a long time at Rossleigh, the Bond dealers. By the time the Bond Bug was on sale, I think they'd given up the dealership.
Topcars1
TCK 888
Wish I'd kept it now though.
I got it from an elderly man who owned it for a long time.
It was off the road for years before I got it. But he used to start and move it a bit on his drive. I put four tyres on it and adjusted the brakes and it passed the mot. Funny little car with a loose rear screen which I believe started falling out on the autocar road test back in 62
Topcars1
TCK 888
Wish I'd kept it now though.
I got it from an elderly man who owned it for a long time.
It was off the road for years before I got it. But he used to start and move it a bit on his drive. I put four tyres on it and adjusted the brakes and it passed the mot. Funny little car with a loose rear screen which I believe started falling out on the autocar road test back in 62
Add your comment