The cars : Bond Equipe development story

Bond Equipe – From Preston with love

Andrew Elphick

MENTION the name ‘Bond Cars’ to the average man in the street, and more than likely the conversation will spiral in one of two ways – you’ll either hear all about Ian Fleming’s finest creation in his sublime Aston Martin DB5 (or aquatic Lotus), or the outrageous orange 1970s Bond Bug. Very few people will know or care about a 1960s specialist industry mainstay – the Triumph-based Bond Equipe. True, these cars are one for the cogniscenti, but should that really be the case, or is now the time for wider recognition?

The phrase ‘Post war austerity’ is often to used to describe (in a rose-tinted way) the dour output of Britain’s motor industry during the 1950s and into the ’60s; it’s also a phrase that perfectly sums up Lawrence ‘Lawrie’ Bond’s Minicar. Picture a fairground dodg ’em (minus the pole) fitted with the ubiquitous Villiers motorcycle engine in 122cc form, and strap a cable-operated steering system, and you’re just about there.

Bond Minicar
The Bond Minicar was a commercial success despite its questionable technical specifications…

Bond: from zero to hero… to zero

It was a small beginning for the innovative Bond Company, and became something of a modest success, despite possessing what many people today would consider to be a sub-entry level specification. Between the appearance of the first prototype in 1948, and the end of its production run in 1966, a not insubstantial total of 26,500 were produced – and it was this success that paved the way for enough profitability to create the Equipe.

The industrial powerhouse behind the Bond name was based in Ribbleton Lane, Preston. Overseen by Sharp’s Commercials, the producer of Lawrie Bond’s Minicar, was a part of the Loxhams and Bradshaw industrial conglomerate. Although the company’s core business was a long way removed from the day-to-day business of building these micro-cars, it remained very much in charge, right up to the 1964, when Lawrie’s company became the much more important-sounding Bond Cars Limited.

However come 1968’s take over of Loxhams & Bradshaw by dealer group Dutton-Forshaw, Bond Cars ended up being sold to Tamworth-based Reliant.

In a lesson in rationalisation that BLMC might well have taken note of, by Christmas 1970, the doors closed on the Preston factory… for good. By 1974, Bond Bug production had ceased, and the Bond marque joined the swelling list of defunct British specialist marques in the history books. Total production of amounted to 34,582 different models over a period of twenty-six years.

There may have been an ulterior motive in Reliant’s purchase of Bond in 1968 – widespread showroom space. Bond’s distribution rights meant that the Triumph dealer network could stock the Herald-based Equipe, this foot in the door to Triumph’s owners, Leyland, massively appealed to Reliant. With the formation of BLMC in the same year, and the rationalisation of BLMC’s individual marques, it was always going to difficult for Reliant to make inroads into the massive corporation. However, the development of the Marina-aping third generation Equipe clearly showed that Reliant had ambitions in that direction.

Equipped to Triumph

First launched in 1963, the Bond Equipe had a rather familiar look about it, and a quick stroll to your Standard-Triumph dealer would have quickly reminded you why. Based on the Triumph Herald chassis, the Equipe used the scuttle, windscreen and doors, of its donor car – a solid grounding for any medium-sized specialist car of the time. In terms of styling, Lancashire’s answer to Michelotti, Lawrie Bond, designed the Equipe by blending his own more sleek-looking nose and tail to these Herald underpinnings – and quite successfully too, it must be said.

It was a design theme common with the equally effectively-styled Lenham-bodied Sprite, launched in 1959.

The bodywork utilized Sharp’s Commercials’ knowledge in glass fibre moulding came in very handy – and provided an inexpensive and light set of clothes to sit atop the sturdy Triumph Herald chassis. And that’s all it took – the Equipe was born.

Although it was to sit in a fairly humble market slot, the Herald boasted some sophisticated design features – as such front disc brakes, rack and pinion steering and independent suspension all round. These were standard fit – and proved an ideal basis for a small and GT car. The installation of the Triumph Spitfire’s 63bhp power unit meant that the Equipe would power to 90mph and do the 0-60mph sprint in a fleet 17.6 seconds. These were figures not to be sniffed at in 1963…

Bond was proud of its creation, and the company’s 1963 press release enthused: “Britain’s new, family priced GT car – the £822 Bond Equipe – on view to overseas buyers for the first time at the 1963 London Motor Show, Earls Court.”

It continued, “Italian inspired Bond body design has been combined with Standard-Triumph engineering expertise to produce a car bridging the gap between sports car and luxury family saloon, marking the first Bond Cars venture into the four-wheel market. The Bond Equipe GT has a body of steel and reinforced glass fibre built on a the Triumph Herald 1200 double backbone chassis and powered by the Triumph Spitfire 1147cc 63bhp engine and gearbox.”

Licence to thrill

Bond Equipe GT 2+2

The first incarnation of Lawrie Bond’s Equipe was the GT 2+2. It possessed a pretty body featuring that darling of Detroit designers – a pair of the tail fins. That sloping back end was coupled with Fairthorpe/Aston style nose cone (which flipped forward Herald style), and a low-line bonnet.

One noticeable omission in terms of overall practicality was an opening boot lid. The luggage area could only be accessed from inside – although this wasn’t as extreme back then as it sounds today; one of the UK’s best selling sportscars, the Austin-Healey Sprite of 1958 was similarly encumbered. More than likely, the decision to leave out a bootlid was taken on cost and engineering demands.

With contemporary three-wheel Bonds being noted for their sparseness (due to the 8cwt weight ceiling being levied on trikes in the UK), the Equipe was a refreshing step in the opposite direction. It featured a Vitesse dashboard, Spitfire instrumentation, bucket seats – and that must-have accessories of the era, a ‘Les Leston’ steering wheel.

A folding rear seat accessed the luggage area, though scant rear seat headroom dictated that nobody over four-feet tall could travel very far in it. A choice of steel or optional wire wheels completed the exterior. In total 451 Equipes were made in just over a year’s production.

Bond Equipe GT4S

The launch of the silky-smooth straight-six powered Triumph 2000 in late 1963 provided the inspiration for the upgunned Equipe GT4S. Introduced in the following year, the appealing addition to the range added a healthy dose of performance to the 2+2 range.

At first glance, the GT4S looked little more than a slight facelift, but in reality it had been heavily revised to address many of the original the 2+2’s shortcomings. The tail was raised 3in in order to gain additional headroom, and facilitate the addition of a boot lid. The new rear featured a rather pretty Kamm tail, which echoed the current thinking in Italian sportscar design – it also pre-dated the visually very similar (from the rear) Opel GT by four years.

The new nose borrowed the 2000’s lighting set-up but with an almost snout-like nose. Early in 1967, the Spitfire’s new 1296cc engine was added to the range, but apart from minor differences, it continued unchanged until the closure of the Ribbleton Lane factory by Reliant. In total, 2505 of these models were built in just over six years.

Bond Equipe 2-Litre

Bond Equipe Convertible
‘Italian inspired Bond body design”

Bond Equipe Convertible at motor show…So quotes the original Equipe press release. When designing the 2-Litre, Bond called on an Italian sounding designer! Trevor Fiore, fresh from the critical acclaim of TVR’s Trident concept was contracted for the initial design of the sister model. Although he handled the styling, much of the development work was fleshed out in-house – as was a tidy-up of the exterior design.

Using a similar set of ingredients as the GT models, the 2-litre looked even more appealing. The Herald floorpan and scuttle were again used, but this time modified to incorporate a more horizontally raked windscreen. The major difference from the earlier model was the adoption of custom pressed door skins which were attached to Triumph shells. This enabled the Michelotti swages to be dispensed with, thus  creating a profile seemingly completely different.

Launched in August 1967, and featuring a much more contemporary angular design, the 2-Litre Equipe had the appearance of a larger coupe. Unless it was parked alongside its older sibling, onlookers would assume it was a much grander design – a Ford Cortina II-meets-Singer Chamois, with a bit of Aston Martin DBS thrown in for good measure.

Of course, the major departure for Bond was the fitment of Triumph’s compact straight-six cylinder engine. Now the Equipe had genuine 100mph potential and a 0-60mph time of 11.5 seconds; two thirds that of the four-cylinder car’s acceleration time. Available with optional overdrive, wire wheels and a radio, the purchase price was now £1095.

Quite possibly the most desirable Bond of all was launched in 1968 – the Equipe 2-Litre convertible. Built to the improved Mark II specification (incorporating Triumph’s Mark II Vitesse suspension upgrades) and with a flush folding hood, its appearance when viewed from the rear quarter was really rather different, and grander than the price tag would have you believe.

For Your Eyes Only

The Marina Coupe look-alike Mk III Equipe never progressed beyond the prototype stage...
The Marina Coupe look-alike Mk III Equipe never progressed beyond the prototype stage…

Towards the end of the story, a Mark III version of the Equipe 2-Litre was planned by new owners, Reliant. Bearing a striking resemblance to the forthcoming Marina coupe, it progressed no further than prototype stage.

Reliant’s takeover did not progress smoothly, and the formation of BLMC dissolved the sales platform of the nationwide Triumph dealerships that had been previously such a boon to Bond. Obviously, the political situation between Reliant and BLMC wasn’t as good as it could have been.

Quality control issues were also affecting the Reliant-produced Bonds, and the impending discontinuation of the Herald range meant the end for the Equipe – as it borrowed its hardware so heavily. The company could not afford the investment required for an all-new platform to base any potential Bond Equipe replacement, and ended up abandoning the market sector – although the Bond name would live on for a few more years, thanks to the success of the oddly-styled Bug.

Ironically (or tellingly, perhaps, given the political climate of the time), the Trident Clipper, which also relied on Triumph underpinnings, faced no such supply cut-off. In total, 1433 2-Litres were built during its three year production run.

Bond was finally laid to rest beneath the Terra firma at the ERF factory in Sandbach – moulds, jigs, paper work everything bar the Bond Bug ploughed into the ground…

Not all Bond Equipes have been cherished...
Not all Bond Equipes have been cherished…

Brochure Gallery

Andrew Elphick
Latest posts by Andrew Elphick (see all)

27 Comments

  1. I few weeks ago I was filling up in garage on the Crumlin Road, Belfast (McCrums)? which, before being blown up in the Troubles was a Triumph dealer who sold Bonds and I think also tried to flog the Bug. I do remember seeing the Equipes as well, especially as mentioned, the lovely convertible. It may have lost its Triumph franchise when the clear out of smaller dealers started.

    Sad to think there is no longer a place for eccentrics like Laurie Bond.

  2. I have one 1967 mkII in the garage in Sweden that i going to restore it is in a wery good shape. i hope too drive it next summer 😉

  3. My Mk2 Convertible is back on the road so look out for a white one in the Midlands (hood down of course)!

  4. My 1965 Equipe GT4S is on the road in central California. Looks, runs and drives well. It certainly gets lots of looks. Not one person has been able to correctly identify it. I do not know of many that made it this far west.

  5. i have a gt4s,owned about three years,and very few know what it is,when i tell them,they say oh yes i can see it now,but it is fun to drive,not fast but quick for its age,better than an mgb,and it was cheaper.

  6. The Equipe family seems fairly underated, possibly because of Bond being normally associated with 3 wheelers.

  7. I remember the Bond Equipe in GT4 form during the 60s as it featured in car books like the “Ladybird Book of Cars” etc.
    Having said that they were rare on UK roads but attractive looking cars I think.

  8. I remember working on a white G reg equippe in summer 1978.
    Wasnt quite old enough [legally]to drive then but mechanic took me for spin in it after we had fitted new front trunnions, didnt it go well sounded grealike any 6 cylinder triumph with overdive!

  9. Forgot to say they used the same colours as Triumphs of the day, most common White, Valencia Blue and rarer Saffron Yellow.

  10. I like that last picture- some car ‘customisers’ pay good money to achieve that ‘colour flip’ paint effect!

  11. Our 2lt Convertible is still going strong, it is the cream coloured one in the photo by the lake, 30+ years since we restored it.

  12. I had a 69 GT 4s, I really enjoyed that car.
    I remember it being very well appointed (for the time) the heated rear window had wires that were all but invisible, the bucket seats were well made with lots of side support and there was lots of real Walnut trim

  13. Just got word that after a 6 year restoration project, my dad is about to get back his 1970 Equipe 2000 GT that was one of only 13 ever brought in to Canada.

    • Please call or text me at 902 692 8079 thank you..I have just acquired two equipe 1970.love to hear from you..I’m in nova scotia

  14. The Bond Equipe mk3 is interesting in the sense that it was said to be based on a shortened Triumph 2000 platform, just like the original Triumph Stag prototype (though not sure to what degree the production Stag was still derived from the Triumph 2000 sans the Stag V8).

    While it is likely the Triumph I6 engines would have still been used in both 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre forms for the Equipe mk3. Curious to know whether other versions of the Equipe mk3 would have received 2-litre Slant-4s, PE166 6-cylinders and even the infamous Stag V8 (if not the Rover V8).

    • The Mk.3 prototype mock-up created by Triumph, was intended to sit on Reliant’s own replacement for the Vitesse chassis, I think. Published info seems to suggest that the idea of using a Triumph 2000 as the basis for a semi-integral car, was killed off by Reliant

      • The formation of British Leyland also had a role in killing off the idea since it pretty much destroyed Reliant’s entire reason for acquiring Bond to begin with, which was its access to Triumph’s dealership network and the idea that any new vehicles to be sold through those dealerships would have to be largely based on Triumph components.

        Perhaps the upcoming Toledo / Dolomite platform would have been a relatively more affordable basis for a semi-integral Equipe mk3 instead of a shortened Triumph 2000 platform? It would have likely meant no 2.0-2.5-litre Triumph I6 or 2.3-2.6-litre SD1 SIx (PE146/PE166) engines, yet with an Equipe mk3 have really needed an inline-6 as opposed to a 2-litre Slant-Four if not latter on a V8 (via some owners Dolomite V8 conversions)?

        https://forum.triumphdolomite.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=48300#p48300

        • I didn’t know that, especially as Reliant has started to use Ford components in their four wheel cars.

          I wonder what a Scimitar would have been like with a 2500cc 6 or a Stag V8?

          • Both engines come with their pluses and minuses against the Ford Essex V6 in the Scimitar, maybe a PE146/PE166 analogue is later used at some point as the Triumph equivalent of the Ford Cologne V6?

            Also perhaps the Triumph engined analogue of the Ford Crossflow powered Reliant Rebel 1600 GT would either be the 1.5 SC or 1.7 Slant-Four? Which would have been amusing given the all-alloy Reliant OHV’s ties to the 803cc SC unit, perhaps the latter could have benefited from elements of the former including all-alloy and OHC conversion (see Reliant-BRM OHC) had the SC engine been updated differently or been put towards a newer design derived from the stillborn 4-cylinder version of the PE146/PE166 considered at one point for SD2.

            Had BL not happened it was likely inevitable that Reliant would become further intertwined with Triumph / Leyland, though in both the Independent article on Reliant as well as in Elvis Payne’s The Reliant Motor Company book there was still some Reliant collaboration with BL that did not pan out which gives an idea of how Reliant’s ties with Triumph / Leyland (sans BMC) would evolve.

            Not to mention the later Michelotti styled Scimitar SS1 and his proposal for Project Broadside, there were unsubstantiated claims the unfinished styling of the former was either to be a recycling of the latter or derived from some other Michelotti penned proposal for a 70s Spitfire replacement as brought up in the Dan Lockton article.

            https://www.aronline.co.uk/concepts-and-prototypes/concepts-sd2-redux-an-anglo-italian-french-lesson/

            https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/a-wheel-over-the-edge-1439961.html

            http://www.danlockton.co.uk/rebel/double_edged.html

          • Each would have their pluses and minuses relative to the existing Ford Essex V6, had BL not happened it would be interesting to see what the Triumph analogue to the later Ford Cologne V6 would be if some version of the PE146/PE166 is still developed.

            The Rover V8 is another possibility if Rover still opts to join Leyland instead of BMC.

            Another interesting dimension had Reliant become increasing entwined with Triumph / Leyland would be which out of the 1.5 Standard-Triumph SC or 1.7 Triumph-Saab Slant-Four would be utilized by Reliant in place of the 80 hp 1.6 Ford Crossflow used in the Reliant Rebel 1600 GT prototype.

            It is not like Reliant wouldn’t having anything interesting to offer Triumph in return based on the all-alloy Reliant OHV’s ties to the 803cc Standard-Triumph SC engine, the former could have placed the latter on a better development trajectory as well as butterfly away the floppy crank engine (plus its other issues) and going some way to potentially influencing the development path of the PE146/PE166 (where a 4-cylinder version was considered for SD2 at one point).

            Even after BL was formed, Reliant still looked at working with both BL as well as even Saab (e.g. Sonnet IV) during the 1970s on a few projects that did not reach production. Which would appear to explain the seeming coincidental similarities between the Triumph SD2 and Reliant FW11.

            Not to mention the later Michelotti link via the Scimitar SS1, which some have claimed (albeit unsubstantiated) the unfinished styling was either a recycled version of Michelotti’s proposal for Broadside or been rumoured to be a recycling of a rejected Spitfire replacement proposal from a few years previously. Which makes some sense as Reliant were presumably looking for Michelotti’s vision of an update of the British sports car tradition.

  15. My father bought one new in the 60’s. He wanted a second hand Aston Martin, but my mother refused, saying that it was too small for my brother and myself. (We said there was plenty of room, as we hugged our knees to make space for them!)
    The Bond Equipe was bought soon after this, and many people thought it was a Ferrari! We loved it….

  16. Astonishingly, the incomplete Mk.3 prototype has just turned up in a barn find bereavement sale, having been there since 1981, and will be auctioned by Bonhams at Beaulieu on 5 September 2021

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.