Bond Car Books - History and Models

Lawrie Bond, Microcar Man - An Illustrated History of Bond Cars

In the post-war austerity period, the Bond practical, motorcycle-engined, three-wheeler Minicar gave tens of thousands of people affordable personal transport at a time when conventional vehicles were beyond the reach of the average household.
Yet whilst the later, mostly imported, 'Bubble cars' have remained in the public eye, it is largely forgotten that the first of the post-war 'Microcars' to go into significant production was the British designed and built Bond.
Equally enigmatic seems to be the designer of this vehicle, Lawrence 'Lawrie' Bond a prolific automotive design genius, with a penchant for weight-saving construction techniques.

He was responsible for a wide range of two, three and four wheel vehicles; from ultra-lightweight motorcycles and scooters, such as the Minibyke, Lilliput and Gazelle, as well as his other Microcars the stylish Berkeley and perhaps less-than-pretty Opperman Unicar and finally to his later work, including the innovative, but troubled Bond 875 and styling the Equipe GT sportscar.

Here the story is told in full, covering all Lawrie's innovative designs and the various vehicles that bore his name, all in prolifically illustrated detail, together with his passion for motor racing, which resulted in a number of technically acclaimed racing cars, some of which can still be seen competing is historic racing events today.

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Bond Three & Four Wheelers 1948-1974 - Brooklands Portfolio

Lawrence Lawrie Bond (1907-1974) worked as a designer at the Meadows engine factory and then at the Blackburn aircraft factory, before starting his own engineering business in 1944. The first Bond three-wheeler appeared in 1948, with more normal sports cars following later.

This Brooklands Portfolio book describes the Bond three-wheelers Mk A, B, C, D, E, F, G, the 875 and the Bug. Also, the four-wheeled models Equipe, GT 2+2 and GT4S (with Triumph components) as well as the 2 litre Mk 1 and 2.

• The articles, taken from contemporary British and American car magazines, provide much information about history, model changes and technology.
• Also driving impressions, tests, comparison tests, technical specifications, etc.

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More information on the Brooklands Portfolio books