Small Cars, Big Joy: 19 Adorable Vintage Microcars With One Fun Fact For Each

4. The Bond Bug – The Sexy Orange Wedge!

Country of Origin: The United Kingdom

Designer: Tom Karen

Production Years: 1970-1974

Units Produced: 2,268

Length: 110 inches (2.79 meters) 

Top speed: 76 mph (122 km/h)

Power output: 29.5 hp (22 kW)

The Bond Bug, produced by the British car manufacturer Reliant Motor Company, was a unique three-wheeled microcar featuring a bright orange wedge-shaped design. Originally marketed as a fun and affordable sports car for young drivers looking for a quirky and eye-catching design, the Bond Bug failed to gain popularity due to reliability issues and changing trends. 

Interestingly, all Bugs sold were painted in orange tangerine with black seats, while a limited number of white (6) and lime green (4) Bugs were produced for promotional purposes, totaling to ten units.

Fun Fact: The Landspeeder, a fictional vehicle from the Star Wars universe, appearing first in the original Star Wars film (1977), was constructed using a Bond Bug’s chassis. The  futuristic microcar’s designer Tom Karen was also in charge of building Skywalker’s Landspeeder. During shooting, the crew covered the wheels with mirrors.