In 1967 Bond expanded it’s range of four wheel vehicles from the hitherto single Triumph Herald based Equipe 4S to include a Triumph Vitesse based Equipe 2 Litre GT.

The following year the chassis was upgraded to the new Mk II Vitesse type which featured improved power and rear suspension leading to the marketing strap line “The New Bond is great on power, great on road holding.”

1968 also saw the launch of the Convertible version of the six cylinder Equipe 2 litre which was marketed like all Equipe’s through Standard Triumph dealerships.

With an envious eye on Bond’s distribution agreement with Standard Triumph, Reliant, manufacturers of Scimitar cars, purchased Bond in 1969 with a view to expanding the distribution of it’s own vehicles. However these plans came to nought in the wake of Triumphs merger into the British Leyland conglomerate which rationalised that the sales of Bond’s alongside Triumphs own products was superfluous.

The 1969 model seen here is one of just 841 convertibles built between 1968 and 1970 when production of all Bond’s in Preston was wound down and the manufacturing facilities closed by their new owners Reliant.

Thanks for joining me on this “Power & Roadholding” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !