The author puts the Bond through its paces around the grounds of Chateau Impney in Droitwich Spa, site of many a competitive hill climb in the 1950s.
Photo: Pete Austin
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
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