James, James 1967 Bond GT4S
We’ve never been bashful about our love for quirky oddball cars, so whenever we come across a rare sports car that just happens to share its name with our favorite British secret agent we tend to get excited. Now we understand if you haven’t ever heard of Bond Cars, as there just weren’t many brought to our shores, but we think they are a car worth learning about. Sure they aren’t that fast and they don’t have a loud V8, but they are just such fascinating little cars. There aren’t many cars as rare as the 1967 Bond Equipe GT4S that you can still find all the parts for. It is the perfect car for someone wanting something unique, but doesn’t want to break the bank in the process. This one has been listed here on eBay with a $4k starting bid.
The seller claims that they have the car running and driving, but that it will need a restoration to be fully roadworthy. They also believe this is one of only six to have been imported into the States. We aren’t sure about the accuracy of this last claim, but we haven’t seen many of these. Normally a car this rare would be an absolute nightmare to restore, but these were based off the same Triumph platform as the Spitfire, so finding parts shouldn’t be a challenge. There are a few pieces that are unique to it, but all the hard to find bits appear to still be here. The interior definitely needs some attention, but looks much more spacious than a Spitfire.
The exterior and interior of this car might not give away its DNA, but as soon as you lift the entire front clip up to access the engine bay you notice a strange resemblance to the Spitfire. Well that’s probably because they are nearly identical and even used the same power plant. The 1147 cc Triumph straight 4 found in the Spitfire was used in the Bond obviously provided similar performance. This one looks rough, but the seller claims it is running nicely. It could definitely use a good cleaning and some new paint. Given how many cars used this engine, parts and upgrades will be easy to find and relatively cheap.
It would be difficult to find a car with a better balance of character and affordability than one of these Bond Cars. Plus how awesome would it be to tell people you drive a Bond Car? This one is going to need work, but we think it will be worth the energy! We just hope whoever ends up owning it will let us take her out for a spin! We would love to see how we fit and if it’s more comfortable than the Spitfire.
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Comments
The restorer should also look for triumph herald parts as this is bases on the herald
Plenty of parts on ebay.uk.co
it does look like most of the car is herald or from the triumph parts bin. i wonder if they made any of them with 6cyl motor? nice find
yes the last model had a 2 litre but the body shape had no resemblance to this or theearlier model. The 2 litre also had a convertible version too.
thanks very much.
Hi Jim, they did make a later version based on the Triumph Vitesse 2-litre theres none for sale at: http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C449879
To be honest though I think I’d prefer a Vitesse – the styling of this looks a little awkward.
thanks, nice car and not a bad price. it does look different!
Josh said “It would be difficult to find a car with a better balance of character” yes there would the model before this…and i am allowed to say that as I have the original version with single headlights that looks sooooo much better [to me] and proportioned than this model..though I still like these. But the earlier models dont seem to appear on your shores.
If you feel there is a link to Aston then the original model actually looks much more Aston like than this model..and could be mistaken at a quick glance for the JamesBond type of car if sprayed silver..and you squint.
Ironically although the first model bares a passing resemblance to the Aston the cars name Bond has nothing to do with JB as it is purely the manufacturers name. I dont think it was a homage car just a shape of those times..but the unfortunate name of Bond will forever make people think this is an Aston wannabe..which it is not.{infact I hate James Bond movies so the unfortunate name makes me wince when I tell people I have a Bond Equipe, same as my Buchanan Cobra makes me wince people thinking it has something to do with the later named yankee cars which it bears no resemblance just name used before shelby used it..just unfortunate coincidence and always hard to explain]
Somehow this revamped update lost the original elegant lines of the first, But still if you like twin headlights it still is cool with a far different cam tail.
Mine is possibly the only GT4 in Aussie. and I have owned it for 30 or more years so daresay it was here for a long time as it was very rough when I got it. Here I know of an owner of the later 2 litre model [six cylinder] but its an entirely different shape to the earlier cars. I had heard many yearsago of a GT4s been seen in Aussie. [at a swap meet I picked up a glovebox manual for GT4s model]. So outside of england they are quite rare..
Simple parts, but they do rust out very badly..though a donor car is always around in the form of a Herald..but means cutting up a good herald to do it…Front roofline simply lifts up from original windshield but rear body lower section is bonded to lower rear quaters.
Check out the early shape to get an idea of what this model came from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/4486215007/
indeed the update increased headroom for rear passengers, changed the front and replaced the rear with a cam tail and actual bootlid. I prefer the original front and rear but tip me lid that it has an opening bootlid.
cool cars but still a herald if you dont like heralds.
I still think it looks like a Gordon Keeble. Never noticed the Herald doors till now.
Hi don how ya going.
Check out the Mk1 original version to see what its initial design was like..this is simply a change to create a new year model, I donmt think an improvement but still interesting and cool.
re: our talk about what i might replace my cars I was ridding myself of with a modern registered sportscar so I could have fun..was I bought a 2003 diahatsu Copen 660cc modern micro sportscar.last week.a little longer than my goggo dart but much much heavier…lightweight 350kg 400cc Dart has more accelleration if not more but 850cc Copen has modern cruzing speed, aircon, electric windows etc etc..Finally a bit of open top fun..and its still micro car quirkish/sortof..
This must be the same company, then, that went on to make the wacky Bond Bug in the early ’70s?? http://www.influx.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/6a00df35210a008833010535cafbbf970b-800wi.jpeg
If my memory serves me Reliant had bought out Bond by then and called the Bug a Bond in honour of them acquiring Bond, and probably because Bond had worked its name up into a more sporting name [in Britian] with the Equipe than Reliant. people still saw the Reliant as a 3 wheel cheap overturning car [the Reliant Sabra/ Sabre had not sold in numbers like the Equipe and found more of a home in Israel ] and although the Reliant Scimitar was a great sporting car [more sportier driving wise then a equipe] they really needed to show people they were becoming a larger company having acquired Bond..hence the name fulfilled many functions.,fattening a small company.
Basically adding the Bond name and not wiping it out showed a company going somewhere…shame it never suceeded..the 70’s saw the end of many wonderful companies.
I drove one on a test drive with a view to puchasing it. Very quick because the body was light but it needed too much work. I recall there was a Bond owners club over here in England plus the Triumph Herald owners club could be a good source of parts.
Nearly all the running gear and everything except the body are available for Herald specialists in the uk.
Car had a nasty habit of spinning if you lifted off on a bend due to swing axle rear suspension but there are conversion parts to improve the road holding.
Those seats are steel framed Contour 6 and were a popular replacement for tuned-up Minis.
Anyone gets one of these to restore fortunately the doors are herald but dont throw away the rusty doors before buying the replacement herald doors.. Its hard to realise that the door glass is a different shape till you put one door beside the other otherwise you may be looking at a hard find for toughened glass …
Julian can you tell me who made Contour 6 seats ? .Also do you know anything about the back seats as i have only one of the squabs which seems just foam [I am assuming they were just a cut to shape thing. .cheers.
Was one of these abandoned in some woods for a few weeks about 30 years ago when I was a kid – a white one, looked just the same as the one on barn finds. They weren’t worth much in the ’80s – I still have the bootlid badge somewhere and the wooden glove box lid :)
Thats one homely auto. Sort of like a DB 5’s ugly little brother
I get that totally..even being an owner of an early version.
I never quite liked the twin light frontal treatment other than as an oditty/something different but the first model really got me…heres a gallery of a few different models
https://www.flickr.com/photos/42624864@N08/galleries/72157623882918502/
The only feature on the early model that makes me go hmmm. is the terribly high Herald windscreen nothing they could do about that…the first model has a purer cleaner shape..though lacking a bootlid it would have been great if the rear lifted like a hatch [think it would have sold a lot as an early hatch]
For some reason its always appealed maybe because in Aussie you dont get many choices of English sportscars here to choose from other than the standard manufacturers and to me we missed a lot of the fibreglass fantastics that had so many interesting ideas.
Sorry for all the writing on here but I just love the MK1’s look for a conversion car .[even though it was a production car] as its hard to start with a bulkhead and wrap a body around it and keep it looking one design. I think the Mk1 works other than the height of windscreen but I have to agree with ConservativesDefeated on the featured MK2 version.
Rusty: seats were made by a company called Microcell who also made a contour 7 with a reclining back for Sunbeam Alpines. The Contour 6 was mostly sold as an improvement for Minis. We sold dozens of them in the 60s to mini owners. They were the best seat to have because of the steel frame and can always be re-upholstered. Can’t find the company but someone is still making them and you can find them on Ebay UK. I’ll keep searching. The back seat would have been made in the factory or by any local upholsterer.
Thanks Julian, very kind of you.
My seats are rough and not sure of condition under the destroyed wadding. Back seat will be as you said needed to be replicated. The reclinning seat sounds interesting, though I am in Aussie so not necessarily something I can track down here..but knowing they were retro fitted to minis and sunbeams it may be possible they turn up here as sports seats..I have seen similar seats at swaps attributed to being MG seats..the mini sold more here than MG so its very likely some seats may have been imported here in the early days..
Just future reference if i need to replace mine, as the car needs full restoration but ill health has me letting go most my cars and trying to hang onto only a few of my fibreglass sportscars being the most inspiring I would try to keep..
my early model GT4 my fav for whatever reason even over my rarer Aussie sportscars other than my restored Goggo Dart.. cheers Rusty
Rusty
The reclining Microcell Contour 7 was standard equipment in some marks of Sunbeam Alpines, so might find a pair with a Rootes specialist.
I agree on MK1 frontal treatment. It looks more like a styled car rather than an Airfix kit.
However, I think the later rear treatment is better and reduces the ‘humped back’ appearance caused by the big screen.
Did anyone else notice the seller only posted one pic of the side of the car with the caved in door? That would be a hard find or a lot of hours with a hammer and dolly!
hey john..nah..an easy find as long as the glass wasnt broken as the door is simply a Triumph Herald door all bar the glass basically.
I think he said he supplied door skin but probably easier locating a door change the glass and bolt it on in a few hours.
The interior trim was made locally in Preston by a gentleman called Harold Clegg. Initially in Deepdale, H E Clegg & Co, moved to Ripon Street, Preston in the early 1970s.
He gave me various leftover bits and also made a new hood for my Equipe convertible.
Attached a photo of my ex-works 2-Litre Equipe.