Lawrie Bond Microcar Man

Once a common sight on Britain's roads, few people today seem to have heard of the Bond Minicar not a diminutive, gadget laden conveyance for the fictional 007 character, but a popular, practical, motorcycle-engined, three-wheeler that in the post-war austerity period, 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 postwar '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.

From the 1940s to the 1960s, the microcar posed a challenge to the large companies that mass-produced cars to uniform designs. The microcar was the opposite, produced by small entrepreneurial start-ups using quirky design concepts that offered motorists cheaper and more economical vehicles. This book is a beautifully illustrated history of the British microcar, from the early days of Bond and Reliant to the proliferation of micro marques during the 1950s and their demise during the 1960s. It explores many eccentric British concepts, comparing the cars to their influential European competitors, examining the social and economic reasons for the decline and disappearance of the microcar, but also saluting the signs of a microcar renaissance in the twenty-first century, this time from mainstream manufacturers.

From the 1940s to the 1960s, the microcar posed a challenge to the large companies that mass-produced cars to uniform designs. The microcar was the opposite, produced by small entrepreneurial start-ups using quirky design concepts that offered motorists cheaper and more economical vehicles. This book is a beautifully illustrated history of the British microcar, from the early days of Bond and Reliant to the proliferation of micro marques during the 1950s and their demise during the 1960s. It explores many eccentric British concepts, comparing the cars to their influential European competitors, examining the social and economic reasons for the decline and disappearance of the microcar, but also saluting the signs of a microcar renaissance in the twenty-first century, this time from mainstream manufacturers.

The driving force behind the successful Bond cars was engineer and entrepreneur 'Lawrie' Bond and by 1944 the Bond Aircraft and Engineering company had been established. After the war Lawrie Bond turned his attention to successfully designing and building a series of small racing cars. The fate of Bond Cars Ltd was sealed in 1969 when the company was bought by Reliant and when the Bug model was withdrawn in 1974 the Bond name disappeared.

Originally published under the title, The Book of the Villiers Engine, by C. Grange. This re-print of the 1956 tenth edition has been updated with the inclusion of the 1959 supplement from the eleventh edition, the remainder of the engine type information being identical in all respects in both editions.

MOTOR CARS: GENERAL INTEREST. Spanning four decades, the Reliant Robin was a familiar, if eccentric, fixture on Britain's roads; an object of amusement to those who didn't understand its ultra-thrifty ways and a source of pride to the many thousands of owners who did. During a time of deep recession in 1970s Britain, this stylish little car from Tamworth became a massive hit, boasting low fuel consumption and cheap tax. Reliant couldn't make them fast enough, until a culture of more sophisticated car buyers saw it go into eventual decline. From its beginnings in 1973 to its demise almost thirty years later, Giles Chapman traces the colourful history of the most famous and iconic three-wheeled car in Britain.