It could easily be a Bond girl in the first pic, but this probably wouldn't be James Bond's first choice of wheels. The Bond Bug was a small 'fun car' built by British car maker Reliant between 1970 and 1974, which like other Reliant vehicles, had three wheels. It was a wedge-shaped microcar, with a lift-up canopy and side screens instead of conventional doors. The Bond Bug was based on the Reliant Regal chassis and running gear. The original concept was explored by chopping down a production Regal vehicle. This prototype could be seen, abandoned, in the yard at Tamworth, for many years later.
The engine was the front-mounted 700 cc Reliant light-alloy four cylinder unit which protruded into the passenger cabin. At the launch 29 bhp was claimed for the less expensive 700 and 700E models. The more up-market 700ES incorporated a redesigned cylinder head which permitted the compression ratio to be increased from 7.35:1 to a slightly less modest 8.4:1. This provided a power increase to 31 bhp as well as improved torque for the then range topping 700ES. The low weight of 395 kg empty enabled it to achieve a respectable 126 km/h top speed.
A total of 2,270 Bond Bugs were made which are much sought after by collectors today.
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