1972 Reliant Bond Bug three wheeler, in show condition.

1972 Reliant Bond Bug three wheeler. in show condition. 78481 miles

Taxed until December 2014 MOT to 27th. June 2014 (No advisories)

I bought this car off eBay around 18 months ago and although the seller claimed that it was perfect there turned out to be a number of issues.   These have all been addressed and the car is now in exceptional condition. Everything wrong with the car was dealt with by David Hemsley of the Bond Bug Club. I have covered over 900 miles since the MOT last June and it has not used any oil or water. It has an expansion tank which solves the problem of water being sent out of the overflow onto the ground. It can be a bit tricky to start when cold but has never failed to start. There is some cracking of the fibreglass. beneath the paint. on the panel behind where the canopy closes. Presumably caused by the canopy slamming shut. There are a couple of places where I have had to touch up. One on the edge of the spoiler and one on the side. near the bottom. where it caught the MOT tester's contraption for testing the brakes. Neither is particularly noticeable. There is a radio which does not have an aerial but plays MP3s from a USB. This is fitted in the parcel shelf. The racing harnesses are also fitted in the shelf and  there is a substantial sheet of aluminium cut to size on the underside of the shelf. through which the fittings pass.

Work carried out by David Hemsley (April - June 2013) included:

Half shaft oil seals / nuts / washers etc.   Removed both axle half shafts. recut thread. renewed oil seal and correctly positioned bearing.

Throttle cable abutment bracket / cable spring support / cable spring

Facet electric pump Zenith carb serviced. faulty & missing parts renewed.

Front shock / bolts / nuts

A frame

King pin kit

Canopy strut

Diff pinion oil seal / front bearing / spacer / nut & washer

Inline fuel filter

Speedo cable

Starter solenoid

Front wheel bearing kit

Oil & filter

Spark plugs renewed. tappets adjusted. air filter modified and throttle linkage altered.

This is not a comprehensive list but shows how the car was give a real going over before being presented for its MOT which it then passed without any advisories.

The previous seller had also done the following:

Engine upgraded to 850cc.   Yes. it goes like a rocket. Press your foot to the floor and it is not long before the speedo has gone as far round as it can go. Cruising at a legal 70 mph. on the sat nav. is no problem for this pocket rocket! The engine was completely dismantled and had the following: New liners / pistons / rings / bearings / gaskets / crank polished / head skimmed.

Chassis:  Rot removed / blasted / painted / new bushes / seals / bearings / brakes / petrol tank.

Exterior: New side screens.

Body:  Repaired / new gel coat / new decals / alloys / tyres.

Interior:  New trim / more decals  / new seat belts. (Now replaced with harnesses).

Hockey sticks are stainless steel. headlights Lucas and it will be tax exempt next year.

You may wonder why I am selling after going to all the trouble to get this little Bug sorted. Well. last October I was able to purchase a mint Fiat 125 from a museum in Malta. Unfortunately. it had stood for so long that the engine needed a complete rebuild and it is now at Guy Croft Racing Engines being totally dismantled. tweaked and rebuilt. The bill for all this is around £7K so something has to go. Hopefully in time to pay the bill!

As you can see from the pictures this Bug is in excellent condition. The underside is pretty clean as well and it has only been used in dry weather. The last time the wiper was used was for the MOT! The windscreen washer bottle is in the boot and has an electric motor. The foot dip switch was removed and there is now a dip switch beside the steering wheel. This was to try to give slightly more room in the drivers footwell as I have size 11 feet!

If you are interested. please contact by phone or email. The location of the car is at TN22 3ED.

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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