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Meanwhile Bond himself went on to develop new projects of his own. These included a range of small lightweight motorcycles and scooters. The first, in 1950, was the Bond Minibyke. Relatively inexpensive at £69, production reached 12 a week at his Longridge works, but he soon sold the rights to Ellis Limited of Leeds. Production continued until 1953 but only 750 in total were built.
Bond Lilliput motorcycle |
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Next came the Lilliput, introduced in 1951 under the new company name of BAC (Bond Aircraft & Engineering Company).
Although innovative, it was not particularly successful. Likewise the Gazelle, a scooter-type machine, introduced in the same year. |
In 1953 Bond sold his Longridge workshop and moved to Wormley in Surrey hoping to concentrate on freelance design work. In 1955 he displayed his final two-wheel design, the Bond Sherpa Scooter. Only one prototype was built.
Moving to Loxwood, also in Surrey, Bond set up a new workshop, Lawrence Bond Cars Limited. 1956 saw the announcement of two new designs.
The first was the Berkeley Sports Car. Using a glass fibre body shell, it was said to be the lightest and smallest four-wheel car on the market. Built by Berkeley Cars Limited, it continued in production until 1961.
The year's second design was the Opperman Unicar. With room for two adults and two children, it was the cheapest car at the London Motor Show of 1956 at just under £400. Production ceased in 1959.
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These commercial successes enabled Bond to concentrate on his main interest of designing racing cars.
The result was the Formula Junior Bond, a breakaway design featuring front-wheel-drive and a forward mounted engine.
Only one car was completed however, although it continued racing until the late 1960s. |
The Formula Junior Bond racing car |
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Bond now renewed his connection with Sharp's Commercials, which was renamed Bond Cars Limited. He was commissioned to style the bodywork for the new Bond Equipe GT, a four-wheel specialist sports car, which was introduced in 1963.
Bond 875 three wheeler |
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Two years later came a new three-wheeler, the Bond 875. 3,400 vehicles were built in total.
It was considered a worthy rival to Reliant, but production delays affected sales and in 1969 Reliant took over Bond Cars Limited.
The two Bond factories in Preston closed in 1970 |
In 1965 Lawrie Bond had moved north again, to Bowes in Yorkshire. Later ill health resulted in a return to Lancashire, to Ansdell. He died in 1974, aged 67.
An innovative designer, he is best remembered for his three-wheel Minicar which introduced post war Britain to a basic, affordable means of personal transport, something which is taken for granted today. |
