1948 to 1951 An introduction to the Bond Minicar

[@Robert-yr1of]

I bought a Bond Mark C for £5 when I was at school, I still have it now, 53 years later. Highest milage covered in one year: 12,000 miles. Highest milage covered in one weekend: 702 miles. Plus I have a second one owned for 44 years.

[@4586johnc]

Bought second hand one in the 50s. Found that the front of the car set off slightly before the rest of the vehicle. Inspection showed a cracked frame between the engine assembly and the rest of the car. The engine was mounted on and also drove the steerable front wheel. Judicious use of some angle iron and bolts sorted out that little problem. MOT tests were then a thing of the future and there were some very doubtful contraptions on the roads. My second car was a 1934 Raleigh Safety Seven three wheeler, which a mate and I drove 250 miles down to Lands End. Some of the steep hills were done in reverse, as it was the only suitable low gear. There was some sort of fuel crisis on at the time and learner drivers were allowed to drive unaccompanied by a licensed driver, so the whole trip was done on L plates. Happy Days. Young drivers today can’t imagine what they missed.

[@RalphHancock]

The BBC's first disc jockey, Christopher Stone, had a Minicar. He had known my mother when she worked in the BBC during the war, and came down to visit her in Dorset around 1955. He had driven 120 miles from London. As a small boy, I remember being fascinated by this weird vehicle. His was brown and looked more like a giant shoe than a car.

[@raychambers3646]

I had a Bond Mk F with Dynastart ( dynamo / starter ) a bit of a pain to be honest , my dad had a Mk A wish we still had it !

[@rosswootton8825]

I really enjoyed this video and learned a lot. It’s interesting that cars like this are coming back but electric this time.

[@colvinator1611]

Great memories. There were a few in the Pit carpark when I started in 62.

[@stevedickson5853]

They really do remind me of a 50s pedal car , brilliant things .

[@sthildas4857]

I had a Bond 71' Villiers 250cc engine went well, great fun.

[@nor0845]

Excellent! What a great car.

[@tristanvander-molen6030]

My friend nick got the original one second owner of it from the 70s mark A

[@trevorfry452]

Our vicar next door had one, the Rev Bywater of Derby, my dad Chris Fry was an engineer and was often mending it😂

[@lastminutesolutions]

This clip is priceless

[@logotrikes]

If only we could have those simple times back again. I too had a Bond Minicar, but I treated it with contempt. Slow, underpowered, uncomfortable, noisy and infradig but I'd own one today in a heartbeat...

[@DrPowerElectronics]

My grandfather had a garage which was a dealership for Bond. I have his metal stamp!

[@tomhaskett5161]

The comic book character Harald Hare had this car! It was yellow and red, called Buttercup.

[@paulrichards7698]

I found one in a shed 62 years ago and would play driving it. I wonder where it is now?

[@cerealtiller]

The Road 'Cruising Speed' was @35-40 MPH in the 'Fifties..

[@davids8449]

I have a Villiers 125 cc same year in my workshop........just waiting for a bike to go with it........

[@PeterCrosland]

Mk E when I was 17. Slower to stop than it was to accelerate - rod/cable brakes.

[@22pcirish]

As good an illustration of how broke we were as a nation we were after the 2nd world war.

[@johnfaulkner6776]

are there any left on our roads or just in museums?

[@MrSpeedm4]

Yes, John, there are numbers into double figures in the Bond Owners' Club and several of those are regularly driven to Bond events. I can only think of two in museums; one in Preston and the other is in the Science Museum storage depot at Wroughton. Neither is on display but they are available for viewing by prior appointment.

[@johnfaulkner6776]

@@MrSpeedm4 thanks for that info and good to hear! Sorry the museums don't make better use though.

[@johnfaulkner6776]

@@MrSpeedm4 been watching Hubnut's videos of micro car meets inc one organised by the Bond club. No really old 'a' model but lots to see.

[@buxvan]

I used to think these cars were ugly. I had a bond bug & an Isetta, now I have a Trojan 200. Great (dangerous) fun.

[@johnfaulkner6776]

@@buxvan my Issetta was a thing of beauty! Sadly sold and replaced with a Ford Popular 100e very quickly once I had a car licence.

[@jaitv5915]

👍👍👍

[@jackx4311]

I think it's hard for people these days to grasp just how *SKINT* people were in the late 40s, early 50s. In 1950, my father was a skilled engineering machinist, on London wages - but with a wife and three small children to support, all he could afford was a pushbike.

[@tivvy-xf4kz]

Exactly. very few cars in the UK post war. It wasn't until the very late fifties/early sixties that most people started to be able to afford one. Until then it was a bicycle followed by a moped or motorcycle. As time went on and marriage came along usually it was a sidecar on the bike. That is where the motorcycle engined 3 wheelers came in. In the UK you could drive one on a motorcycle licence . Still cheaper than a car and no need to take a car driving test. Reliants came along and made what amounted to a 3 wheeled car which was as near a car you could get under the 3 wheeler regulations.

[@logotrikes]

Very common in those days Jackx. I was born in 1947, and as a kid growing up in Yorkshire in my early teens you could often see cars going for a fiver or a tenner, not just these three wheeler types. I also remember being about 13, coming across a Vincent Comet parked outside a motorcycle shop. The asking price was 17 pounds 10 shillings. I said to a mate. "Look at this thing, 17 pound 10? They must be joking, it's a piece of crap." or something to that effect. How little did I know....

[@jeffking4176]

Interesting

[@leswatson]

Of course, apart from the very low price, was that being a three wheeler tbis allowed anyone with a motorcycle licence to drive it.

[@johnfrancis2215]

My uncle had one. Very noisy thing

[@Phiyedough]

I hoped they would show how you start it, putting your leg in the engine compartment. Not ideal for ladies in pencil skirts!

[@MrSpeedm4]

The kickstart was only ever used as the secondary means of starting. Initially, there was a cable attached to a modified kickstart lever and connected to a floor-mounted lever inside the vehicle. By pulling on the lever whilst seated, the engine could be started without lifting the bonnet and 'putting your leg in the engine compartment'. Later, for Deluxe models only, a modified 6 volt car type starter motor mounted on top of the cyclinder head was connected to the engine flywheel via a 'vee' belt. Engaging the starter motor moved the 'vee' belt across from its idler pulley and onto the engine flywheel, thus spinning the engine over to start it. The Standard models still retained the cable and pull-lever starting system. In 1956 the 12 volt Siba Dynastart was introduced for the Deluxe model, dispensing with the often unreliable cyclinder head mounted starter motor. The Standard models still retained the cable and pull-lever starting system until the Siba Dynastart was introduced across the board for all models in 1957. The Bond Minicar continued through until the end of production in 1966 with the Siba Dynastart. From 1953 until 1966, all the Villiers engines fitted to the Bond Minicar retained the motorcycle kickstart. The early 6v starter motor system was very hungry for power from the battery and the magneto on the engine was often incapable for supplying enough power to recharge it. The later 12v Siba Dynastart equiped engines were less troublesome but, unfortunately, they did require a special tool to remove the flywheel and change the Dynastart brushes when they had worn down and needed renewing. Failure to change the brushes resulted in the engine receiving no electrical charge and running off the battery. This very quickly led to insufficient battery power to turn over the Dynastart. Hence, the kickstart lever could always be used as the secondary means of starting any Bond Minicar with a low battery.

[@rileybenstead3574]

@@MrSpeedm4 I had two of them many years ago. The first one (MK C I believe) had the 6 volt starter that turned the flywheel and the second one was possibly a MK F with the 12 volt system and electric starter. Both of them had the kick starter option, but never had any cable mechanism or levers in the car to start them.

[@MrSpeedm4]

@@rileybenstead3574 The floor mounted starting handles were omitted from all Deluxe models in December 1953. If there was an electric starter, then it was deemed unecessary to have a hand start lever as well. However, the non-electric start models which still used a magneto for the generating system all retained the starting handle until September 1957 when the Siba Dynastart became a standard fit item on all Minicars.

[@rileybenstead3574]

@@MrSpeedm4 Thank you. I'm still young enough to learn. It was about 55 years ago when I had them.

[@sthildas4857]

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