oVc Chronicles December 2016 |
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Bond... Ken's Bond (mini-car) If you know Old Vintage Crank’s President and Owner, Kenneth Beach, you know that he has rather, ah, eclectic tastes when it comes to vehicles. It is this passion for unique and different vehicles that makes oVc such an interesting place to visit and talk motorcycles. This passion is also responsible for all the vintage Dnepr sidecars and other unique machines available to see on the oVc compound as part of Ken’s personal collection. But this time, Ken has really done it! What you see below is a very rare, 1949 Mark A Bond mini-car. |
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The Bond mini-car was just one of a number of small, inexpensive vehicles manufactured in Britain following Word War II. This movement was in response to a need for increased mobility at a time when everything from gasoline to steel was still in very short supply. Originally selling for just under 200 British pounds, or approximately $4,200 in today’s dollars, the Bond mini-car helped keep post-war Britain moving. About Ken’s Bond Mark A The Bond Mark A was powered by either a 122 or 197 cubic centimetre, 2-stroke Villiers engine driving the single front wheel. Ken obtained this car from the original owner who, at the age of 15, had it imported to Canada in 1950. The owner had it configured in left-hand drive for Canadian roads and while it needs a bit of work, it is all original and has only been driven 1,800 miles. All in all, it is in pretty good shape for a car that is darn near 70 years old! |
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Aircraft engineer Lawrence Bond designed and built the first Bonds and even though he sold his interest a few years later, Bond continued to build cars into the 1970s. There is still an active Bond Owner’s Club in the UK and based on information we’ve been able to find, there were just over 1,900 Mark A models built of which an estimated 10 remain in existence today. We’re not sure if this count includes Ken’s car as it has been in the original owner’s garage for many years, but we are led to believe that this is one of only three Mark A models in North America. There is one in a Chicago-based auto museum and one also resides with a collector in Central Ontario and the three have sequential serial numbers. Over the winter, Ken plans to do a lot of work bringing this old girl back to her original glory. We’ll know more as we dig into this a bit more, but a complete engine overhaul, work on the interior, an updated electrical system, and possibly even a complete repaint, are all in the works. We’ll provide regular update on our progress in upcoming editions of the oVc Chronicles newsletter. |
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Season's Greetings! As another year draws to a close, we'd like to take this opportunity to thank all our friends for making this another unforgetable year at our litle bike shop in Acton. We are proud to continue to represent the Ural and Royal Enfield range of motorcycles as well as SYM scooters and the new CCM line of adventure motorcycles. We're also very pleased to have helped so many realize their motorcycle dreams this past year and we look forward to being here for you in the new year. We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2017! |
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oVc Holiday Hours oVc staff will be taking a little time off to spend time with freinds and family over the Christmas holiday. We'll be closing at 1 pm on Friday, December 23rd, and will reopen on Tuesday, January 3rd. |
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