Bond Bug 850 ES Stunning fully restored car, the BEST available

BOND BUG 850 ES

Registered 14. 02. 1972

Orange with black vinyl trim.

Chassis number BB 61482.  

This fabulous restored and up-rated Bond Bug has been the subject of a total nut and bolt ground up restoration by the most meticulous of enthusiasts.  

Restoration completed 2010. the car is now fitted with the later 850 cc engine. Also fitted with the later ratio rear axle. making the car very much more road useable in today's traffic conditions.   The indicators are now stalk operated. Dual exhausts. spax rear shocks.  

The underside and chassis are clean. painted and detailed. The fibreglass bodywork is superb and has been strengthened where required to alleviate delamination and body cracks. The orange finish is truly authentic and superbly executed. giving just the right original patina finish one would expect to see on one of these little iconic 3 wheelers.  

Generally in tremendous condition throughout. very drivable with a huge fun factor. A true collector's item today with very few examples being in this condition. Not to be confused with the average example.  

Way ahead of its time in the early 70's and now so retro – it's a must have.  

Prices are rising on these iconic wedges.  

Road tax 31. 07. 2014 (fee exempt)

MOT 04. 07. 2014.  

It comes with lots of useful Bond Bug information. drivers manual. parts and wiring diagrams. several old MOT certificates. photographs of the bare chassis stripped and rebuilt.   A large file of parts invoices for the recent rebuild along with some very useful contact names and numbers in the Bond Bug world.  

Priced for now at £9. 99

 Bond Bug Production Figures 

The Bond Bug was launched in June 1970 and was specifically aimed at the younger motorist and although not cheap or particularly practical. it more than made up for this with styling that made it an instant hit and it turned heads wherever it went. The 700ES was the top of the range model and featured such optional extras as; alloy rear wheels. wing mirrors. sports tyres. upgraded interior and a "formula-1" style steering wheel. Despite a price tag of £629 the 700ES proved to be the most popular model.  

Despite its sporting looks however. the Bug was not exactly sparkling in performance and handling was cause for some adverse comment. but from the driving seat it certainly felt fast according to satisfied owners! 

Behind the scenes at the Preston factory things were not so bright and cheerful however and the Bug certainly seemed to have more than its fair share of problems. Though with such a radical design and with components. including the body shells. being produced in Tamworth and shipped up to Preston for final assembly. perhaps this was hardly surprising. In all the first 500 production vehicles were built at Preston and although many of the problems were ironed out. there remained friction between the two companies and in July 1970 the factory was closed and production. perhaps more logically was relocated at Tamworth.  

Despite all the attention from the media and almost universal recognition wherever it went. the Bug was never a big seller and by 1972 production was limited to the 700ES model with only around 15 vehicles a week being built. Reliant finally bid farewell to the Bug in 1974 when the last cars built left the factory in May of that year. The moulds were. however. apparently retained and were later sold off. leading to a re-launch of some variations of the original Bond Bug.

The history of the Bond Bug. March 1970 to May 1974

Date

Chassis

Notes

Mar 1970

BB60001

Model 700E only

May 1970

BB60115-45

Models all 700E model cars apart from the one and only basic

700 ever to be built.

July 1970

BB60700-999

No record can be found for any of these chassis numbers.

Production no longer at Preston Production starts at

Tamworth BB61000.

Aug 1971

BB61445

A new gearbox with synchromesh on all gears.

Sep 1972

BB61696

Steering column shortened to allow for a dished steering wheel

that conformed to the latest safety regulations.

Apr 1973

BB62???

700 was officially discontinued.

Oct 1973

BB62427

700E and 700ES were discontinued.

Oct 1973

BB62428

750E and 750ES were introduced with the larger capacity

750cc engine.

May 1974

BB62569

The last vehicle ever produced to bear the Bond Bug name.

registration number VLB 249M

Mar 1970 BB60001 

Bug production started in preparation for the launch in June. A distinctive wedge-shaped two seater with a Glass Fibre body and a canopy hinged forwards of the windscreen. This was mounted onto a pressed steel. box section chassis having tubular braced cross members. The 700cc Reliant engine. forward mounted. drove the rear wheels through a 4 speed/reverse gearbox. There was a front leading arm and rear trailing link suspension with coil springs/dampers unit. 7" hydraulic brakes. 10" steel wheels and 12 volt electric's for lighting/starting. Length 9'2". width 4'7" and height 4'2". Colours available; Tangerine with black interior trim.  

The Bug 700 was planned to be the base model. It was to be sold without any sort of refinements or luxuries. The hinged canopy had to be held open with a simple prop arrangement. and side screens were not part of the specification. (but could be ordered as an "extra")

The Bug 700E was a deluxe version of the 700 with side-screens. heater. a telescopic canopy damper. canopy lock. drivers sun visor and an interior light! The spare wheel still had to be ordered as an extra.

The Bug 700ES was the same as the 700E but with a higher compression engine. alloy wheels. low profile tyres. spare wheel. rubber front bumper. wing mirrors. mud flaps and several extras such as head rests. extra side seat supports. twin horns. formula 1 style steering wheel. etc.  

May 1970 BB60115-45 
During W/E 1st May. after the first 114 had been built (all 700E's) the only basic 700 model ever produced appears in the production meeting statistics. The chassis number is believed to be between BB60115 and 60145 when the following weeks production finished.  

July 1970 BB60700-999 
There appears to be a complete block of some 300 numbers missing from all known chassis number records. Research indicates that this seems to have happened around the time of the closure of the Preston factory and the transfer of production to Tamworth. The conclusion drawn is that production re-started at 61000. but as yet no firm evidence to either substantiate or deny this has been found.  

Aug 1971 BB61445 
A new gearbox with synchromesh on all gears and a different reverse position was introduced.  

Sep 1972 BB61696 
The steering column was shortened to allow for the fitting of a dished steering wheel that conformed to the latest safety regulations.  

Apr 1973 BB62??? 
The Bug 700 was officially discontinued. The date has been supplied from Glass's Motorcycle Check Book although it is now known that only one was ever produced.  

Oct 1973 BB62427 
The Bug 700E and 700ES were discontinued. 62427 was the last chassis number.  
Oct 1973 BB6428 
The Bug 750E and 750ES were introduced. Similar to the 700E and 700ES but with the larger capacity 750cc engine.  

May 1974 BB62569 
The last vehicle ever produced to bear the Bond name. registration number VLB 249M

Bug production = 2. 68 

Body Types
Bug 700 - 1
Bug 700E and ES - 2125
Bug 750E and ES - 142 

Bond Bug Production General facts 

Body Colours
Nearly all were Tangerine with the exception of a few specially painted for various promotions. these included Rose's Lime Green (Lime) and Rothmans Cigarettes (white) being two of them.  

No left hand steering vehicles were ever produced.

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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