The story
History
The Bond Minicar, built at Preston since 1949, was ageing. In 1963 Bond launched the Triumph-based Equipe, and after its success the maker, Sharp’s Commercials of the Loxhams and Bradshaw group, renamed itself Bond Cars Ltd.source 1 Its answer to the Reliant Regal was a four-seat three-wheeler with its engine in the tail, unusual among British three-wheelers of the day.source 2source 3 English Wikipedia says Lawrie Bond had a hand in the design; the owners’ club’s history does not name a designer for the 875.source 3source 1
The Mark I saloon was announced in August 1965. It had an all-glass-fibre body and the 875 cc engine and transaxle of the Hillman Imp at the back, four gears and reverse, and independent suspension all round; the single front wheel sat on a leading arm in the main front tube, designed to lean over as the wheel was steered.source 2 In 1965 the racing driver John Surtees lapped Brands Hatch in one in 1 minute 22 seconds and reached over 161 km/h (100 mph), by The Bond Magazine’s account; whether his car was standard is not known.source 3 The first few cars had aluminium bumpers, bonnet and engine cover, a full-width Imp dashboard and sprung seats.source 2
Under 8 cwt
Testing found problems with the body moulds, the weight, the steering and the cooling, and saloon production began only in April 1966.source 2 The production 875 used the lower-compression 34 bhp engine of the Commer Imp van, which ran on cheap 2-star petrol. It had no front bumpers, a glass-fibre bonnet, Perspex rear side windows, thin tubular seats and a simple instrument binnacle. To stay a motor tricycle it had to weigh under 8 cwt (406 kg) unladen, and to help keep the weight down its spare wheel, heater and roof suitcase were sold as extras.source 2source 3 A floating front brake back plate cured the steering. It cost £496 19s 7d with purchase tax, in white, Cherry Red, Wedgwood Blue, Cactus Green or Golden Sand.source 2
Autocar tested one in September 1966. It recorded 82.8 mph, 0–60 mph in 22.5 seconds and 34.5 mpg, better than an 850 Mini on all three, and liked the performance, economy, gearbox and brakes. It found the car unstable at high speed, and was disappointed by poor seats and detail finish. At £506 it cost more than the Mini at £478, and less than an Imp at £549.source 3 That December a standard car lapped Silverstone in 1 minute 43.34 seconds and went through the Hangar Straight trap at 122 km/h (76 mph); Bond would neither confirm nor deny a racing version.source 3
Ranger, estate and Mark II
The van, the Ranger, went into production in April 1967: a lift-up tailgate, no side windows, a flat floor of about 1.1 m³ (40 cu ft) behind a single driver’s seat, and a wing mirror on the right, as the law required. As a commercial vehicle it paid no purchase tax, and cost £417 10s in primer, with paint £10 more; a passenger seat at £9 15s soon became standard.source 2source 3 That September a show-finish Ranger was turned into an estate car. It weighed 8 cwt 21 lb.source 2
It therefore seems unlikely that we could produce an Estate car version of the 875 within the statutory weight limit.
The Mark II came in March or April 1968, with a restyled nose, rectangular headlamps, a larger opening bonnet, a grille over the heater intake, and the heater and washers standard. It cost £576 8s 11d.source 2source 3 In February 1969 Reliant bought Bond, and Preston ran the 875 down to clear the way for the Bond Bug; its sales were already falling.source 1source 4 On 2 June 1969, 240 cars remained to be built. The last saloon, a white car registered YMU 51H, left the line in the week ending 20 February 1970, and the last Ranger, the last chassis number of all, followed that week.source 2 In 1970 Motor Sport remembered it simply as the Hillman Imp-powered Bond.source 5
