Shaken, Not Stirred – 1959 Bond F.Jr.

Lawrence Bond was a stubborn man who often as not was unwilling to compromise on his ideas. He was an eccentric British designer who came up with idea after idea for the construction of low-volume vehicles consisting of two, three or four wheels. Although many of his designs were for road-based transport, his one overriding passion was the design of racing cars and, as a result, in 1959 the Bond Formula Junior was born. This Bond car wasn’t designed to be driven on secret assignments by a “Man with a Golden Gun” on “Her Majesty’s Secret Service” with a “License to Kill.” This car was conceived to win races, and as things turned out it took a over 51 years to do so!

THE MAN BEHIND THE NAME

Lawrence “Lawrie” Bond is probably best known for his design of Britain’s most-loved three-wheeled Minicar. His “Mark A” Minicar was the vehicle that provided many people with the chance to enjoy motoring in the immediate post-war period of austerity. Designed in 1949, the car enjoyed a long production run. This ensured that Bond’s name would be remembered for years to come in the automotive industry.

Born on August 2, 1907 in Preston, Lancashire, Lawrie Bond was the son of a local historian and artist. He was educated at Preston’s Grammar School and during his early working years served time as an apprentice at the Atkinson & Co. works that were concentrating on the build of steam-powered wagons. During the 1930s, Bond spent a while in the drawing office of Meadows Engineering in the British midland town of Wolverhampton before heading the direction of the Blackburn Aircraft Company. Bond worked for Blackburn’s throughout World War II in their design offices, and is understood to have had input into both the Blackburn Botha twin-engined torpedo bomber and the Blackburn Cirrus aero engine.

His time in the aircraft industry was well spent and gave Bond a great insight into the design and manufacture of strong, but light, structures—a production process that is great for both aerospace and motor racing! Toward the end of hostilities, Bond was running The Bond Aircraft and Engineering Company (Blackpool) Limited, and employing approximately 20 people. Bond and his staff worked on government contracts for the British war effort, making parts for aircraft engaged in the ongoing European conflict. However, when the war ended in 1945, Bond was not alone in finding that governmental work was quick to dry up, and had no option but to close and relocate the company.

Moving to new premises in Berry Lane, Longridge, Lancashire, the Towneley Works was to become home to his next venture—the renamed Bond Aircraft and Engineering Company. Although money was not flooding through the door to fund new ventures, he put into practice some of his ideas including the creation of the Bond Minibyke.

The Bond Minicar also appeared, and both projects were subsequently sold to manufacturers. The Minibyke went the way of Ellis Limited, while the Bond Minicar went to Sharp’s Commercials. More importantly, however, it was there in Longridge that Bond started work on what was to become his main interest—racing cars!

When Bond’s first racing car appeared, the residents of Longridge quickly became used to seeing the small 500-cc car tested up and down the street behind the Towneley Works. The tiny car made its competitive debut at Shelsley Walsh on June 21, 1947, where the motoring press dubbed the car the “Doodlebug” Bond Special. The 500-cc special was built out of aircraft techniques with a monocoque-style chassis with sheet aluminum used for the body skin. Power came from a Rudge Whitworth Ulster 499-cc motorcycle engine driving the front wheels. Suspension was non-existent and an Autocar reporter at the time likened the car to a “jet-propelled yellow slug.”

It was not fast, but it was not the slowest either, and finished ahead of other class rivals on many occasions. The driver and car combination did win the 500-cc class at Jersey’s Bouley Bay hill climb in July 1947; although at Shelsley, in September, Bond was not so fortunate when he rolled the car, causing damage not only to himself but also to the Doodlebug. Luckily Bond was wearing a crash helmet, which prevented serious injury, but the incident did leave him with a broken jaw and damaged front teeth. After the incident, the car was carried from the track by two hefty marshals —such was the lightness of the creation.

With motor racing becoming ever more popular as memories of the war faded, it was decided that a National 500-cc formula should be introduced for the 1948 season. Bond set about his next on-track project, the Type C 500-cc racer. Powered by a J.A. Prestwich (JAP) 497-cc Speedway engine, the car was front-wheel drive via a primary chain to the four-speed motorcycle-style Burman gearbox, and then to a secondary chain to a central driveshaft. The differential was mounted on this and the power was transmitted to the driving wheels by universally jointed halfshafts. The steering was operated by steel cables, running through bobbins, and the brakes were also cable operated. The front brakes were mounted inboard to help reduce the unsprung weight of the car.

Regarded by many as an advanced design, it was not a commercial success. While missing its planned competition debut at Silverstone due to it not being ready, it has been mentioned that Stirling Moss did drive the car at a test, although what the maestro thought of the car seems not to have been recorded. Moss was enjoying huge success in 500-cc, and one can assume that the rear-engine 500-cc cars had already moved the game on enough to render the Bond uncompetitive. It is thought that only three cars were built and possibly only one sold, but records do show Bonds in competition at Silverstone, Brough, Shelsley Walsh and Prescott to name but a few.

Bond’s flair for creating new things also meant that his attention span could be quite short. Projects such as a rotary engine, a fuel injection system, the Bond Sherpa Scooter all took up his time, and when the Sherpa Scooter failed to be picked up by the police as a mode of transport for their travelling British “Bobbies,” Bond ended his career in two-wheel production.

Looking for a new start, Bond purchased garage premises at Loxwood in Sussex and set up a new company, Lawrence Bond Cars Limited, and his former associate, Ray Bristow, was encouraged to move from Preston to Surrey to become the garage manager. Almost immediately, Bond announced two new projects. The first being the design of the very pretty Berkeley sportscar, and the second being the not so pretty, Opperman Unicar. The Berkeley attracted the attention of Jaguar, and Sir William Lyons invited Bond to carry out some design work at Jaguar’s Special Projects and Competition Department under the direction of Lofty England. The part-time basis worked well to begin with, but when Jaguar required more of Bond’s time the association ended toward the end of 1958.

Our Profile car, the Formula Junior, came next for Bond but with customers failing to beat down his door to purchase a car, that project too soon ended. Bond’s input into vehicles, through his furtive mind, continued but with no direct commercial success. His name lived on through the association with other projects linked to Sharp’s Commercials and the determination of the company’s managerial team, Tom Gratrix and Colonel Gray. The Bond 875 and the Bond Equipe kept the Bond name in the marketplace, an association with Standard Triumph being formed for the latter.

Lawrence “Lawrie” Bond passed away in September 1974, at the age of 67. He remains a largely forgotten individual, who was a determined man and not one to take fools gladly. He was eccentric, but obviously talented, though his obsession with making a vehicle as light as it possibly could be, was, more often than not, its main weakness.

Not lacking in persistence, Bond may not have been the brightest commercial brain and his short attention span on a number of his projects could undoubtedly been the reason for their failure—but his determination to succeed can never be undersold, and for that reason he should be named as one of Britain’s great motoring innovators.

THE WORLD OF THE BOND CAR – A BRIEF HISTORY

Lawrie Bond’s original Bond Minicar design was built in Preston by Sharp’s Commercials Limited—a member of the Loxhams and Bradshaw Group of companies.

Production eventually commenced in January 1949, and as stated previously the Mark A was very popular due to the economy in post-war Britain. The car entered an 18-year production run of the vehicle powered by a Villiers two-stroke engine. Production finally ceased with the Mark G in December 1966.

Carrying the Bond name, but with no involvement by Lawrie Bond himself, the Bond Equipe, introduced in 1963, was a tradition-changing vehicle as it had four wheels! The sports sedan, built in association with Standard Triumph, used the engine and chassis from the Spitfire and the Herald/Vitesse range. The main body parts were made in fiberglass and the vehicles assembled at the Bond factory in Preston.

The success of the Equipe led Sharp’s Commercials to change its name formally to Bond Cars Limited in 1964, and the Bond 875 was introduced in 1966 as the three-wheeled successor to the Minicars. This design was different from the previous design as it had a moulded fiberglass body and aluminum doors, and it was powered by the 875-cc four-cylinder, four-stroke engine and transaxle unit from the Rootes Commer van.

In 1968, the Loxhams and Bradshaw Group of companies was bought by the Dutton-Forshaw Group. Unfortunately, Bond Cars Limited (the only manufacturing part of the group), did not fit in with the new structure desired by Dutton-Forshaw and was put up for sale. The Bond management made an unsuccessful attempt to buy the company, and as a result, in February 1969, it was bought by Tamworth-based Reliant—a company well-known as manufacturers of three and four-wheel vehicles.

Production of the 875 ceased ahead of the introduction of the new Bond Bug in 1970. This futuristic looking design came from the Ogle Studios at Letchworth and was built on a chassis using Reliant running gear. The Bond Bug had a fairly successful launch, but it was a difficult time for the new owners. Alleged production and quality problems at Preston, coupled with the economics of running two similar facilities, meant that by August the final Equipes were being rolled off the lines and the factory closed. Production of the Bug continued at Tamworth until 1974 when it too was discontinued and the name Bond disappeared from the motoring world forever.

FORMULA JUNIOR

Adopted in October 1958 by the International Sporting Commission of the FIA, Formula Junior was the idea of Count Giovanni “Johnny” Lurani who saw the requirement of a single-seater series that could provide the first steps on the racing ladder for young drivers aspiring to drive in Grand Prix events.  Lurani’s idea was that the entry category would see cars using many components from road cars in order to keep costs down. As always in motor racing, Lurani’s plan did not totally go to plan as far as cost was concerned, but the category flourished.

In the early days of Formula Junior, the Italian cars thrived. Their front-engined cars ruled the roost, but eventually the British rear-engine revolution took hold and consigned cars with engines upfront to the history books. It was then that the Bond was launched—a revolutionary front-wheel drive car with its engine in the front.

SALES PITCH

Bond set about a high-profile sales drive for his new car. A small brochure was produced and the car was displayed at the BRSCC Racing Car Show in London.

The sales brochures read as follows:

The “Bond” Formula Junior is a complete breakaway from the present almost universal rear-engine layout. Not only does the “Bond” employ a front engine and front-wheel drive, but the whole car has been designed with a completely new and original approach to racing car construction, based on many years’ experience and research on front-wheel-drive sports and racing cars.

Only the minimum number of standard parts required to comply with the regulations of the formula have been incorporated in its construction, every other component has been designed and made especially for the duty it has to perform. The body and frame is a stressed skin unit built up from a single fibreglass moulding reinforced with a network of aluminium, with steel inserts moulded in to form a structure of immense strength and incredible lightness. Mechanical losses through the transmission have been reduced to the minimum by an entirely new system of final drive, which makes possible a direct top-gear drive through the gearbox to the front axle, giving the obvious advantage of more available power at the driving wheels. This system of transmission makes it possible to concentrate the weight over the driving wheels, and at the same time keep the engine far enough back to place the moment of inertia in the ideal position for maximum stability. The car is offered in standard form with a modified Ford 105E engine.

TIME MOVES ON

Lawrence Bond and Jon Goddard-Watts started the design and manufacture of two front-wheel-drive Formula Junior Bonds during 1959—the front engine era of the category was in existence, just, and the project undertaken by the duo was huge. A stubborn man, Bond was unwilling to compromise on his ideas for the car, and unlike other small car manufactures who were willing to look elsewhere for components, Bond insisted on manufacturing the complete project.

The tub of the car relied on strength from both the fiberglass outer skin and large aluminum panels, creating stressed pontoons bonded and riveted in place. This combination makes the composite an extremely stiff monocoque-style structure.  As with Bond’s Doodlebug and Type C racers, the Formula Junior remained faithful to the front-wheel drive format, and although this was thought somewhat strange by those involved in Formula Junior, it should now be recognized that Bond’s monocoque chassis appeared ahead of Colin Chapman’s Lotus 25—the car that is widely regarded as the earliest monocoque single-seater racing car.

By the end of 1960, only one car was finished. Goddard-Watts raced it during the 1961 season without success and after that the project was over. The rear-engine era was in full swing and front-engined cars were quickly redundant.

The car was bought by Chris Featherstone, who raced it in Monoposto events, and eventually he also acquired the second unfinished car, which when purchased, comprised all of the original drawings, wooden patterns and unfinished castings for the suspension uprights and diff housing.

During 1964, Featherstone had a large accident at Mallory Park when the rear wishbone broke and the car was badly damaged. The two cars were put into storage and there they sat until 1997. It was then the dogged determination of Formula Junior guru Duncan Rabagliati who persuaded Featherstone to repair the car for the Monaco Historic Formula Junior race in 2000. Featherstone also raced the car at Brands Hatch in 2004.

RETURN TO THE TRACKS

Andrew Tart, the current driver of and preparer of our Profile car, was introduced to Jon Goddard-Watts halfway through the 2006 season.  Goddard-Watts asked Tart if it was possible for him to track down and purchase his original car and it took a further two years before a deal could be clinched.

The car was purchased in 2008, but it took another year before the Bond Formula Junior once again appeared on the track. 2009 also saw work commence on the second chassis, though this was a huge project. With much determination and many man-hours, the second car was finally completed and ready to take to the track! Success came the way of the original car, with victory in the Millers Oils Championship and at Mallory Park in 2011—51 years later than planned—both Bond cars raced together for the very first time!

The Bond Formula Junior cars have since raced successfully with class wins, and Tart has also recorded a well-deserved 5th-place finish in the Junior race at the Goodwood Revival. For Tart, and the car’s owner, Jon Goddard-Watts, claiming victory, in 2013 in the Lurani Trophy was a fantastic achievement and goes to show that Lawrie Bond may have had a few fanciful ideas, but in the end his premise was not so eccentric. His beloved front-wheel-drive Formula Junior proved to be a winner and I reckon he might have had a smile about that!

BEHIND THE WHEEL

“It’s comfortable in there isn’t it?” Andrew Tart said to me as I settled into the cockpit of the Bond Formula Junior. And he was right!

Lawrie Bond’s little car looked stunning in the bright late autumn sunshine, and as I familiarized myself with the instruments I enquired about the gearbox, as I had heard previously that it enjoyed an unusual gate pattern.

“Four-speed, back to front and no reverse on an H-gate,” Tart told me with a smile. Something for me to remember then! So as I selected first gear (where fourth would normally be) I kept reminding myself of the gear positions as I pulled away. With owner Jon Goddard-Watts watching, this was no time for me to “hook the wrong one!”

The car pulled away sharply, its rear sitting down on its stiff suspension, and as I picked the pace up the gears slipped beautifully through the converted Ford box to second and beyond.

Running the car for this test, on the beautiful grounds of Chateau Impney in Droitwich Spa, scene of a number of speed hill climb events in the late 1950s, I was able to enjoy the handling of the Bond. It has been noted in magazines previously that the car is ill-handling, but I must say that Andrew Tart and his team have done a great job. Incredibly light, I loved the front-wheel-drive feel. I personally like front-wheel drive, and have contested a large number of special stage rallies in a front-wheel-drive car. I enjoy the predictability of this type of setup, and if you can dial out the understeer, then these cars can be great fun to drive. And this car was great fun to drive!

The beauty of the Chateau Impney track was that you could complete short laps by looping through roads surrounding the hotel and exhibition center. Visitors to the facility were politely asked to yield while our test took place, and I noticed a small group of people standing and admiring as I blasted the bright red Bond along a tree-lined avenue and over a picturesque bridge.

Jon Goddard-Watts has been able to breathe new life into the Bond Formula Junior story, and with Andrew Tart at the wheel in races the car is now a winner.

After my drive in the car, and before I climbed out, I sat and contemplated what might have been for this marque. The car was born in 1959 but it took until 1961 for it to appear, and that was sadly just too late. If the car had been able to race in 1959, then things for Lawrence Bond Cars Ltd of Loxwood might have been very different. When front-engined cars ruled the Formula Junior world, it is conceivable that the front-wheel drive Bond could well have been a winner. If it had raced in 1959, and won, then I believe that orders would have followed and more cars would have been produced—and that would have been wonderful. As it turned out, the car was late and orders did not come.

The Bond marque forms an interesting spur in the track that is the history of Formula Junior. British engineering—great and at times incredibly quirky. I love it. And, if Mr Goddard-Watts is reading this article and should ever find himself wanting for a driver to sit in his second car, then I am available!

SPECIFICATIONS

Chassis: Body and Frame is a stressed-skin unit built from a single fiber- glass moulding reinforced with aluminum and steel inserts

Length: 11 feet 10 inches

Wheelbase: 7 feet 3 inches

Suspension: Front: Independent by wishbones and coil spring dampers; Rear: Low pivot swing axles with coil spring dampers

Steering: Burman – two turns lock to lock Brakes: Girling two leading shoe at front, leading and trailing shoe at rear

Engine: Ford 105E modified Cubic Capacity: 997-cc

Carburetors: Two twin-choke Weber sidedraft

Gearbox: Modified Ford four-speed

Final drive: Special Bond unit incorporating crown wheel pinion and differential. Driving to front through constant velocity joints

Wheels: Bond six bolt rims

Tires: Dunlop Racing 5.25 x 13 front and rear

Acknowledgements / resources

The author would like to thank Jon Goddard-Watts, and his wife, Jenny, for allowing us to profile their unique Bond Formula Junior here in Vintage Racecar, and to its current driver and preparer, Andrew Tart, for being so kind and accommodating during the test. Thanks also go the Spollon Family of Chateau Impney in Droitwich Spa, who allowed us to use the grounds of the hotel and exhibition center for this profile test. I would also like to give reference to Colin Beckett, a true enthusiast for all of Lawrie Bond’s cars, and for his input and knowledge into the writing of this piece. ‘Lawrie’ Bond – The Man & Thee Marque by Nick Wotherspoon Published by Bookmark Publishing, 1993 Formula Junior by John Blunsden Published by Motor Racing Publications, 1961 Autosport Magazine