Ivan Smith's Bond Bug Site and Forum
Since
1998 the nets longest running Bond Bug Site
Hi and Welcome to Ivan Smith's Bond Bug site. Although it will be updated occasionally my main site is now on its own domain at ....
The site features a very popular Bond Bug forum frequented by Enthusiasts of Bond Bugs.
These include committee and active members of both the Bug Club and Bond Bug Spares Scheme thus within hours we can normally resolve a Bug related Query.
...............
A brief history on how the site, My Bug and the Bug Club started.
In
the 1980s my brother Graham used to race a BSA Bantam and would tow
this around on a bike trailer behind a Bond Bug (At the time I had a
1972 Mini). The Bug was involved in a minor shunt and the windscreen
got broken. Back then you could pick a Bug up for next to nothing and
one was bought to remove the windscreen to fit into the damaged
Bug.
This
never happened and the bug with the good screen but with a knackered
body and chassis languished in the front garden.It was then bought by
my Dad who intended to restore it. At the time he was restoring a 1930s
Wolseley Hornet
. The Hornet got done but the Bug sat under a tarp until Dad decided to
flog it. A lad came round to look at it but he wanted to drop in a
V8 and generally customise it. Dad wasn't keen on this idea and
when I said
I would restore it he let out a bit of a guffaw. I had never restored
anything in
my life but with his help and along with Martin Boddy and my Mum I did
the
job and in a couple of years FGU was reborn. Its first major Run was to
see Martin in High Wycombe. At the time there was no specific club for
the Bug the nearest we had was a page in the Bond Owners Club Mag. In
1990 we got together via phone with Dick Bedford, Steve Ferry and Colin
Macer and started the Bug Club I didn't really expect to be involved
all these years later but some of my closest friends are Bond Buggers.
The Bug Clubs first ever Rally was held at Stanford Hall where we had
20 Bugs turn up on a very wet Sunday.
We invited Bond Bug designer Tom Karen along who presented the
concourse Bug with the Tom Karen Trophy. Tom Karen is very supportive
of the club and is very proud of his creation and the enthusiastic
following it has to this day.
In 1998 the Bug club were invited to provide 5 Bugs as Taxis to pick up Tango competition winners who were to witness the band All Saints switch on the Regency Street Christmas lights. We had no such thing as Sat Navs so most of us got a little lost (nothing changes there then !) . A day spent in London culminated in the Bugs following an open top bus where the contestants and some of the bug passengers were throwing out horns and Tango related memorabilia. At the time home computing was no where as huge as it is now and even fewer folks had there own site. On the web was a page on Bond Bugs from a chap in Australia plus another really strange article from an American guy who had written an article titled the Bond Bug Religion. I decided to add my pennies worth and thus a page was added on our recent "Tango Job" experience. An updated version is still out there on the net At The Tango Job. To this initial page I added more pages - What we now call a forum was added (we called them guest books back then) plus a chat room.The chat room died a natural death but a new style forum was added and still continues.
During the years The Bug Club have hosted many rallies including running the biggest Microcar event in Britain 3 times plus continuing to produce a bi monthly magazine provide regalia and was instrumental in rescuing the Spares Scheme which also continues to flourish.
Joining the Bug Club
*Please see separate link below for more details and a joining form
Whether your doing a full blown restoration, Have been running a Bug for years or thinking of buying a Bug there's nothing better then joining the club for it wealth of expertise. A Bi Monthly Mag is well worth the fee alone plus the club has a spares scheme run by a dedicated team who know all there is to do with Reliant's. Area Reps are also on hand to supply that local knowledge.
For those looking for there Bugs history the club has records of hundreds of Bugs built (Sometimes enabling members to date there Bug for tax free benefits). Regalia is also available and a very active rally programme where you can always meet some like minded friendly enthusiasts.
Please contact the Bug Club secretary Les Gore for more details.
Lesliebondbug@blueyonder.co.uk
01293 426954
..............................
If you need a Bug part Please feel free to give Dave a ring on 01424 446078
Proceeds are ploughed back into the scheme to enable the production of some of the rarer Bug Parts.
If you have a need for a part to be re manufactured please feel free to ask.
E mail