Of all the weird and wonderful automotive ‘trends’ to have been embraced by the residents of these isles, the three-wheeler – a staple of the cash-strapped post-war era and a common enough sight well into the 1980s – is probably the oddest of all. Sitting somewhere between a conventional four-wheeled car and a motorbike, it was sold to the wider public as an affordable form of transport, and on this front it undoubtedly delivered; not only were these vehicles cheaper to purchase outright than their four-wheeled counterparts, they were also taxed at a far lower rate.
Of course, not all three-wheelers are created equal. While it’s undoubtedly the case that, for most, the category begins and ends with Reliant and its (in)famous Robin – and perhaps its predecessor, the Regal Supervan, immortalised by Only Fools and Horses – we’d argue that the coolest of the breed is the Bond Bug.
Credit its sharp wedge profile, vivid tangerine finish, or that fantastically theatrical lift-up canopy (an addition that must have made it appear like some sort of extraterrestrial missive from the future when it launched in 1970), but here at Retropower we have a lot of time for this most whimsical of three-wheelers. As a result, we were delighted to welcome The Bug Club (one of the nation’s largest clubs devoted to the maintenance of these charming little cars) to our premises last week.
As the photos below should hopefully show, the meeting was a great success, with over a dozen examples of these local heroes (the majority of Bugs were produced just down the road from Retropower in Tamworth) making the pilgrimage. To a person, the owners were polite, charming, and deeply (sometimes disconcertingly) knowledgeable about their automotive weapon of choice, as evidenced by the pristine condition of every single Bug present.
Many had been restored, some to a level that would shame the condition the car in question first rolled off the production line; all were cherished. Some were modified, and heck, a couple even had four wheels!
That a good number of these Bond aficionados had driven considerable distances merely to get to our little corner of south Leicestershire was both cheering and a tonic, proof that the grassroots community underpinning these unashamedly left-field little cars is as committed as it is welcoming.
We at Retropower would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone at The Bug Club, and in particular Rory Lynas – the meeting wouldn’t have come together without your diligence.
