Since 1962, when Reliant Motor Company launched the Regal 3/25, the company had tried to make a more sporty version to appeal to younger buyers. Design sketches were done as early as 1964 by Ogle; these sketches are much more wedged-shaped with some rounded edges; the original name for this car was the Reliant Rogue.
The car was never put into production, as management thought that such a strange-looking vehicle might hurt the Reliant brand identity.
Bond cars buy out
Following the purchase of Bond Cars Ltd. in 1969, Reliant commissioned Tom Karen of Ogle Design to alter the Reliant Rogue design; the car would now become a Bond vehicle. The Bond Bug was based on chief engineer John Crosthwaite's newly designed chassis,[4][5] and used a mixture of Reliant Regal parts, and running gear which had been designed for the Reliant Robin 750, which was due to be launched in 1974. The original concept was explored by chopping down a production Regal vehicle, the car's rear being shortened to end over the rear axle.[citation needed]
The engine is the front-mounted 700cc Reliant light-alloy four-cylinder unit. At launch, 29bhp (22kW; 29PS) was claimed for the less expensive 700 and 700E models. The more upmarket 700ES incorporates a redesigned cylinder head, which permitted the compression ratio to be increased from 7.35:1 to 8.4:1.[6] This provided a power increase to 31bhp (23kW; 31PS) as well as improved torque for the then range-topping 700ES.[6]
The Bond Bug 700ES also offers more ergonomic seats, as well as more padding over the engine cowl, twin mudflaps, an ashtray, a rubber front bumper and a spare wheel.[6]
Launch and production run
The car had an upbeat launch, at which Reliant's Ray Wiggin stated: "The fact it has three wheels is quite incidental. It's a new form of transport. So now, in fact, we think it's going to appeal to a much wider section of the market than we originally envisaged."[6]
The Bug was available in a bright orange tangerine colour, although six white Bugs were produced for a Rothmans cigarette promotion, registration AME191H through to AME196H– one of which was also used in an advertisement for Cape Fruit of which AME191H was used as the main vehicle, Only three Rothmans Bugs are known to exist, and, according to the most recently available information, all three are registered in South Yorkshire.
In contrast to the image of three-wheeled Reliants as being slow, the Bond Bug was capable of 76mph (122km/h), in excess of the UK national speed limit (70mph/112.6km/h), and comparable to small saloon cars such as the basic 850cc Mini (72mph/116km/h) and the Hillman Imp (80mph/128km/h). For this, the Bond Bug would get an altered Regal Regal speedo with a top speed of 100mph, on the regal it only went up to 80mph.
The Bond Bug was sold as being fun to drive, with the low seating position giving a similar exaggerated impression of speed as in a go-kart.
The Bug was, however, no cheaper than more practical cars. It cost £629, while a basic 850cc Mini, a four-seater much faster round corners but with considerably inferior acceleration, cost £620. The Bond Bug was often compared to a basic mini even though the vehicles were completely different.
Reliant launched the Bond Bug 750 in late 1973 but production ended after fewer than 200 Bug 750s were sold, as Reliant ended all other production lines so more capacity could be made open to build more of the newly launched Reliant Robin 750 to keep up with demand.
Further development
Even though the Bond Bug ended production with little fanfare, Reliant continued development into the 1970s; prototype 4-wheeled Bond Bugs were made before the launch of the Reliant Kitten, as they thought a 4 wheeled version might have more appeal to the market. The code name FW9 was used for the 4-wheeled Bond Bug design studies, later leading to a prototype of a strange coupe that looked very different from the Bond Bug. All this design was done by Ogle, but Reliant management never took it any further.
A larger engine was also in development with BRM for the car too; this was a standard 850cc engine block with an overhead camshaft design; this engine would also gain twin SU carburettors and an electric fuel pump; the engine in standard tune would give 70hp. The engine was meant to be shared with a small production sports car that Reliant never finished developing.
Webster Bug
Mike and Gary Webster between them managed to acquire the original Bug moulds from Reliant Motor Company in 1990 with a licence for the design, and formed the "Webster Motor Company".
They decided to produce 4-wheeled Bugs as a "Kit car", so you would build the vehicle yourself. The kit asked you to buy a Reliant Robin or Rialto for the majority of donor parts, or the whole car could be supplied as one kit with a mixture of new and refurbished parts.
To allow the Bug to have 4 wheels, the ladder chassis was cut down at the front, with a Mini front subframe welded in place. The moulds were also changed to have two large arches at the front. Different models were developed, including convertible versions that had no lift-up canopy with small screens, or a standard car which had fibreglass doors instead of the original vinyl doors, to keep the driver warm and dry.
They also produced a small number of 3-wheeled Webster Bugs
Under 30 kits were known to be sold.
Reliant Sprint
Reliant Sprint prototype
In 1994, Reliant unveiled the "Reliant Sprint"; this car was a complete redesign of the original Bond Bug. Tom Karen of Ogle design rounded off all the sharp edges of the Bug and added round headlights giving the car a totally new look; the prototype had Minilite alloy wheels, a grey vinyl interior, and was bright yellow. The Sprint used, in effect, a Reliant Robin chassis cut in half, with the rear half made to use the original suspension set up of the Bond Bug. Similarly, the interior used many of the current Robin switches and dials, to keep production costs low.
As shown in the Trouble At The Top TV show, Reliant Management wouldn't allow Jonathan Haynes to put the Sprint into production, as they had little faith that, in the 1990s, it would sell in any large numbers, even though it would cost as little as £12,500 to start production.
More developments were made on the Sprint until 1998 when Reliant would try to get it production-ready as a 4-wheeled sports car. Andy Plumb would redesign the car, now renamed/code named internally "the Clubman", in 2 different 4-wheeled models: a standard car and a convertible. These cars had huge bubble-shaped front and rear arches. Again more prototypes were produced; the chassis was redesigned once more with double-wishbone front suspension, and because the car was a 4-wheeler, the 850cc engine was redesigned to take fuel injection and a catalytic converter. Even though prototypes were promising, Reliant Motor Company wouldn't pay for further development, and the project died.
Popular culture
Tom Karen oversaw the design and production of Luke Skywalker's landspeeder from Star Wars (1977): one of the models was built upon the chassis of a Bond Bug – the wheels hidden by mirrors angled slightly to the ground.[7][8][9]
A fictionalized version of the Bond Bug with minor visual changes appears in BeamNG.drive as the Ibishu Wigeon. A four-wheeled version based on the Webster Bug called the Wigeon Sprint is also in-game.
Gallery
Bond Bug side view with the canopy closed
Bond Bug with the canopy open and Honister Pass in View
Bond Bug 40th Anniversary gathering at Woburn Abbey, 2010
Bond Bug on the Reliant Stand at the 2011 NEC Classic Car Show in
Reliant Motor Company was a British car manufacturer based in Tamworth, Staffordshire, England. It was founded in 1935 and ended car production in 2002, the company had been known as "Reliant Motor Company" until the 1990s when it became "Reliant Motors" and then finally became "Reliant Cars LTD" after production had ended of the Robin as the company was restructured to be a car import business. It is now a dormant company and the only entity left is a separate parts company created called "Reliant Partsworld" which produces parts for Reliant vehicles.
The Reliant Kitten is a small four-wheeled economy car which was manufactured from 1975 to 1982 in saloon, van and estate variants by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England. It was Reliant's second attempt at selling in the small car economy market after the 1960s Reliant Rebel.
The Reliant Fox is a small four-wheeled glass-fibre utility vehicle manufactured between 1983 and 1990 by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England. It used Reliant's own 848cc aluminium inline four-cylinder engine and a galvanised chassis based on that of the Reliant Kitten.
The Reliant Scimitar name was used for a series of sports car models produced by British car manufacturer Reliant between 1964 and 1986. During its 22-year production it evolved from a coupe (GT) into a sports estate (GTE), with a convertible variant (GTC) launched in 1980. All have a fibreglass body mounted on a steel box-section chassis, and Ford engines.
Lotus Elan is the name of two separate ranges of automobiles produced by Lotus Cars. The first series of cars was produced between 1962 and 1975 as a rear-wheel drive vehicle. The second series was produced between 1989 and 1995 as a front-wheel drive vehicle.
The Reliant Rebel is a small four-wheeled car that was produced by Reliant between 1964 and 1974. It was designed by Reliant to be a market test to push Reliant into other parts of the market instead of just 3-wheelers.
Berkeley Cars Ltd was a British car manufacturer based in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. The company produced economical sporting microcars with motorcycle-derived engines from 322 cc to 692 cc and front wheel drive between 1956 and 1960. About 4,100 cars had been sold before bankruptcy in 1960.
Ogle Design is a British design consultancy company founded in 1954 by David Ogle and based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
Sharps Commercials Ltd was a British car maker based in Preston, Lancashire. It was founded in 1922 by Paul Sharp. It changed its name to Bond Cars Ltd in 1963. The company was taken over by the Reliant Motor Co Ltd of Tamworth, Staffordshire in February 1969, who eventually closed the Preston factory at the end of July 1970, transferring the spare parts business for the Bond Minicar, 875 saloon, 875 Ranger van and Equipe models to a firm called Bob Joyner & Son in Oldbury in the English Midlands. Reliant nevertheless continued to use the Bond name until 1974 on Bond Bug models made at their own Tamworth plant.
The Reliant Robin is a small three-wheeled car produced by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England. It was offered in several versions over a period of 30 years. It is the second-most popular fibreglass car in history after the Chevrolet Corvette, with Reliant being the second-biggest British car manufacturer for a time.
Landspeeders are fictional anti-gravity craft used through the Star Wars movies and Star Wars expanded universe. They are depicted both in civilian and military capacities, and several versions have been merchandised as toys and models.
The Reliant Rialto is a three-wheeled car that was manufactured by Reliant Motor Company, replacing the original Mk 1 Reliant Robin in 1982. It featured a much squarer aerodynamic body, servicing panels, a single large windscreen wiper, a thicker fibreglass body, and altered interior, but the chassis, engine, and a lot of large components were carried over from the previous model. The improvements gave the Rialto improved high-speed stability as well as improved fuel economy.
The MGA is a sports car that was produced by MG from 1955 until 1962.
The Reliant Regal is a small three-wheeled car and van that was manufactured from 1952 to 1973 by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England, replacing the earlier Reliant Regent three-wheeled cyclecar van which had its origins in a design bought by Reliant from the Raleigh Bicycle Company. As a three-wheeled vehicle having a lightweight construction, under UK law it is considered a "tricycle" and can be driven on a full motorcycle licence. In 1962, with the release of the Reliant Regal 3/25, van and estate versions with a side-hinged rear door were marketed as the Reliant Supervan.
Bond Minicar is a series of economical three-wheeled microcars which were manufactured by the British car manufacturer Sharp's Commercials Ltd, in Preston, Lancashire, between 1949 and 1966.
Thomas Josef Derrick Paul Karen was a British industrial designer. He was managing director and chief designer of Ogle Design from 1962 until 1999. Karen oversaw design of the Bush Radio TR130 radio, the Raleigh Chopper although Ian Oakley's famous envelope sketch which came to light in 2018 shows that he was largely responsible for the design, the Bond Bug, the Reliant Scimitar GTE, the Anadol A1 (FW5), a series of lorry cabs for Leyland, and the Marble Run toy.
Meadows Frisky is the name of a series of small British cars manufactured at the factory of Henry Meadows Ltd at Fallings Park in Wolverhampton between 1958 and 1961, during which time production was under the control of a number of companies.
The Reliant TW9, also known as the Reliant Ant, is a small, front-engined, rear-drive, three-wheeled truck that was produced from 1967 until 1987 by Reliant Motors in Tamworth and then by BTB Engineering in Leeds, England. Designed and built as a business utility vehicle, it was produced in a number of different versions for various needs.
John Crosthwaite was an English race car designer and engineer, active in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
The Reliant Scimitar SS1 is an automobile which was produced by British manufacturer Reliant from 1984.
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Bond Bug side view with the canopy closed
Bond Bug with the canopy open and Honister Pass in View
Bond Bug 40th Anniversary gathering at Woburn Abbey, 2010
Bond Bug on the Reliant Stand at the 2011 NEC Classic Car Show in
Bond Bug 4 wheeler
Bond Bug 4 wheeler side view
